GSMA (Partner 1/Project Coordinator)

GSMA (Groupe de Spectrométrie Moléculaire et Atmosphérique) is a research laboratory belonging both to Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA) and CNRS. The GSMA field research covers fundamental molecular spectroscopy, atmospheric chemistry and physics and planetology ( www.univ-reims.fr/GSMA/ ). Since March 2008, GSMA is a collaborative partner of Institut-Pierre-Simon-Laplace (IPSL) which is a federation of CNRS research laboratories in the field of space and Earth sciences.
Fields of research : Spectrometry, Infra-Red diode laser spectrometry, balloon-borne measurements of water vapour, methane and CO2 (participation in many international or CNES balloon camapign), atmospheric modelling of tropical and polar regions, and planetology.
Within TRO-Pico, GSMA will participate in the following task:
- Project Coordination and campaign organisation.
- In situ measurements of water vapour
- Mesoscale modelling of deep convective events, including overshoots
- Subcontinental scale modelling of the wet season and upscalling of the impact of stratospheric overshoot, in collaboration with CNRM/GAME
- Satellite validatio

LATMOS/IPSL (Partner 2) and LMD/IPSL (associated partner)

LATMOS is the new institute since 1st January 2009 built on the Service d’Aéronomie (SA) and Centre d'Etudes des Environnements Terrestres et Planétaires (CETP), which both belong to IPSL SA has a long record of research of atmospheric physical and chemical processes (e.g. ozone loss, topical convection) based on experimental and theoretical approaches, while CETP is expert in electric processes in the Earth and planetary atmospheres. SA has considerable expertise in the field of atmospheric chemistry and aerosol research, ranging from the building and operations of balloons, aircraft and satellite instruments, development of trajectory, regional and global chemical models, and assimilation methods. During the former European tropical projects, HIBISCUS and SCOUT-O3, SA took a leading role in the organization of the balloon campaigns. Over the last decades, CETP teams have been participated as PI or CoI in a number of electric field experiments on balloons, satellites and planetary probes. In the recent years, they have been PI of the ICE electric field instrument on the DEMETER micro-satellite and of several instruments developed both for planetary objectives (the ARES experiment selected on the ESA EXOMARS mission to Mars) and for atmospheric studies onboard balloons (the HV-AIRS experiment in the AMMA campaign from Niger in 2006).
Within TRO-Pico, the LATMOS is to contribute to the following tasks :
- Campaign organizationand deployment, and help in project coordination
- Mini-SAOZ sonde for water vapour, NO2, O3 and clouds measurements
- Electric field and lightning flashes measurements
- Satellite data analysis : GPS COSMIC, CALIPSO, TRMM
- Overshoot studies
- Horizontal transport

LMD is also a laboratory of IPSL associated with the Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), the École Normale Supérieure (ENS), the École Polytechnique, and the Pierre et Marie Curie University (Paris 6). The research at LMD is focused on physical and dynamical processes occurring in planetary atmospheres. In particular, the LMD has developed a strong expertise in the use of various observational techniques, including passive and active (lidar) remote sensing of the atmosphere, as well as balloon-borne in-situ observations. The observational approach is complemented by theoretical and numerical modelling studies. In particular, the LMD has developed the numerical model of the atmospheric general circulation used in the IPCC simulations of climate change performed at IPSL.
The LMD expertise relevant to TRO-Pico, is the use of spaceborne radar, and satellite brightness temperature for studying cirrus clouds near the tropopause and the water budget at the tropopause at global scale in continuation with the work performed within TROP-Ice.

Laboratoire d’Aérologie CNRS-LA and CNRM/Météo-France (Partner 3)

Field of research :
The Laboratoire d’Aérologie (UMR 5564) is administrated by both the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and the Université Toulouse III (Paul Sabatier). Its field of competence concerns a) surface emissions, b) precipitations, c) ozone and precursors, d) clouds and aerosols, e) coastal oceanography using ground-based, in situ, airborne and space-borne measurements together with mesoscale and global scale modeling and assimilation. The institute is located both in Toulouse, in Lannemezan, and at the Pic du Midi within the Observatoire de Midi-Pyrénées.
Within TRO-pico, LA will take part in the following tasks:
- Satellite validation
- Satellite data assimilation with MOCAGE-PALM
- Chemistry Transport Modelling with Mocage
- CRM modelling of overshoot with Meso-NH and comparison with BRAMS simulatio

Within TRO-Pico, CNRM (associated partner of Laboratoire d’aérologie in the frame of TRO-pico) will collaborate in the following tasks:
- Mesoscale modelling of deep convection in the tropics at regional scale
- “Upscaling issues” in a mesoscale model

Division Technique de l'INSU (Partner 4)

DT-INSU (UPS 855) is a service unit (Unité Propre de Service) of CNRS in the field of the sciences of the Universe. Its main missions are :
- The management and the maintenance of national instumental services. DT-INSU participates in the manufacturing and the purchase of these instumental devices.
- The help to laboratories for general tasks in the field of sciences of the Universe.
- the Help of institute to achieve technical project.
Within TRO-pico, DT-INSU is a key participant in
- the manufacturing of the sondes
- in the field deployment.

LPC2E (Associated partner)

LPC2E belongs to the Department of Earth Science and Astronomy of CNRS. It is one of the few French laboratories selected and approved by the National Centre for Space Studies (CNES). It is part of the Observatoire des Sciences de l’Univers de la region CENTRE (OSUC). Its research in atmospheric physics and chemistry focuses on balloon-borne measurements and modelling studies at all latitudes of the upper troposphere and stratosphere, in relation with the stratospheric ozone layer and climate.
Within TRO-Pico, LPC2E will collaborate in the following task :
- Balloon-borne measurement of particles by the LOAC instrument

IPMET/UNESP (Host partner)

The Instituto de Pesquisas Meteorológicas (IPMet, Meteorological Research Institute) of the Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP, São Paulo State University) has been pioneering radar meteorology in Brazil since the installation of its first C-band radar in 1974 in Bauru. One of its principal objectives is to provide short-term forecast (Nowcasts) and alerts, in case of possible severe storms, for the Civil Defense groups, emergency services, as well as the agricultural and industrial sectors, in the central and western part of the State. Another important objective is the quantification of rainfall over the region.
IPMet, based in the geographic center of the State in the town of Bauru where the TRO-pico campaign will take place, operates a network of two S-band Doppler radars for continuous precipitation monitoring in the State of São Paulo. The three-dimensional structure of severe thunderstorms, have been observed and recorded since 1992 and 1994, respectively, when the two S-band Doppler radars were installed in Bauru and Presidente Prudente. Research into the relationship between radar echoes and lightning discharges only commenced in 2004 in collaboration with the Lightning Research Group (ELAT) of INPE.
Within TRO-pico, IPMET will provide the necessary infrastructures for the success of the field campaign as well as human help for balloon launch and gondolas recovery. It will also provide tools helpful for flights decisios through radar nowcasting. IPMET will be in charge of relationship with flight authorities. During the SMOP campaign when the French teams will be absent, IPMET scientists will launch and recover the pico-SDLA sondes. IPMET will also provide radar products including cloud tops, overshoots detection and precipitation rate) and aerosol/clouds lidar observation. The Institute will take an active part in the interpretation of the above-mentionned data