AIRS-II: Alliance Icing Research Study - II

Summary

AIRS II used several instrumented research aircraft operating out of Ottawa. These aircraft took special flight operations over a network of ground in-situ and remote-sensing meteorological measurement systems, located at Mirabel. Some prototype airport weather forecasting systems, which use satellite and surface-based remote sensors, PIREPS, and numerical forecast models, will be evaluated during the project. The aircraft also provided data to verify the remote-sensing algorithms, numerical forecast models, and forecast systems, used to detect and predict icing conditions.

AIRS II will assist in providing the aviation community better tools to avoid aircraft icing, and to improve the efficiency of airport operations. It will also enable some unique basic science objectives to be addressed such as: how supercooled large drops form, how cloud ice forms, and how to better remotely detect cloud properties.