The Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurements (FAAM), based on the Cranfield University

Cranfield University

Cranfield University is a British postgraduate university based on two campuses, with a research-oriented focus. The main campus is at Cranfield, Bedfordshire and the second is the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom based at Shrivenham, Oxfordshire. The main campus is unique in the United...

 campus alongside Cranfield Airport

Cranfield Airport

Cranfield Airport is an airfield just outside the village of Cranfield, south-west of Bedford in Bedfordshire, England. It was originally a World War II aerodrome, RAF Cranfield....

 in Bedfordshire

Bedfordshire

Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....

, England, is an organisation formed by a collaboration between the Met Office and the Natural Environment Research Council

Natural Environment Research Council

The Natural Environment Research Council is a British research council that supports research, training and knowledge transfer activities in the environmental sciences.-History:...

 (NERC).

Applications

The FAAM was established as part of the National Centre for Atmospheric Sciences (NCAS), which is itself part of NERC, to provide aircraft measurement for use by UK atmospheric research organisations on worldwide campaigns. The main equipment is a modified BAe 146 type 301

BAe 146

The British Aerospace 146 is a medium-sized commercial airliner formerly manufactured in the United Kingdom by British Aerospace, later part of BAE Systems. Production ran from 1983 until 2002. Manufacture of an improved version known as the Avro RJ began in 1992...

 aircraft, registration G-LUXE, owned by BAE Systems

BAE Systems

BAE Systems plc is a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that has global interests, particularly in North America through its subsidiary BAE Systems Inc. BAE is among the world's largest military contractors; in 2009 it was the...

 and operated for them by the company Directflight Limited.

Areas of application include:

• Radiative transfer
  Radiative transfer
  Radiative transfer is the physical phenomenon of energy transfer in the form of electromagnetic radiation. The propagation of radiation through a medium is affected by absorption, emission and scattering processes. The equation of radiative transfer describes these interactions mathematically...
  
   studies in clear and cloudy air;
• Tropospheric
  Troposphere
  The troposphere is the lowest portion of Earth's atmosphere. It contains approximately 80% of the atmosphere's mass and 99% of its water vapor and aerosols....
  
   chemistry measurements;
• Cloud physics
  Cloud physics
  Cloud physics is the study of the physical processes that lead to the formation, growth and precipitation of clouds. Cloud formations are composed of microscopic droplets of liquid water , tiny crystals of ice , or both...
  
   and dynamic studies;
• Dynamics of mesoscale
  Mesoscale meteorology
  Mesoscale meteorology is the study of weather systems smaller than synoptic scale systems but larger than microscale and storm-scale cumulus systems. Horizontal dimensions generally range from around 5 kilometers to several hundred kilometers...
  
   weather systems;
• Boundary layer
  Boundary layer
  In physics and fluid mechanics, a boundary layer is that layer of fluid in the immediate vicinity of a bounding surface where effects of viscosity of the fluid are considered in detail. In the Earth's atmosphere, the planetary boundary layer is the air layer near the ground affected by diurnal...
  
   and turbulence studies;
• Remote sensing
  Remote sensing
  Remote sensing is the acquisition of information about an object or phenomenon, without making physical contact with the object. In modern usage, the term generally refers to the use of aerial sensor technologies to detect and classify objects on Earth by means of propagated signals Remote sensing...
  
  : verification of ground based instruments;
• Satellite ground truth: radiometric measurements and winds;
• Satellite instrument test-bed;
• Campaigns in the UK and abroad.

See also

• Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal
  Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal
  Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal is operated by Hertfordshire Oil Storage Ltd and commonly known as the Buncefield oil depot. It is an oil depot located on the edge of Hemel Hempstead to the north of London in the United Kingdom...
  
  
• 2005 Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal fire
  2005 Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal fire
  The Buncefield fire was a major conflagration caused by a series of explosions on 11 December 2005 at the Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal, an oil storage facility located near the M1 motorway by Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire, England. The terminal was the fifth largest oil-products...