The main objectives of this EUFAR airborne experiment were to study the energy budget of the snow surface and the atmospheric boundary-layer during various flow conditions over the Larsen ice shelf and the effective albedo at the ice shelf margin.

The ALISA experiment investigated the Larsen Ice Shelf, which is very sensitive to the effects of climate change and addressed some aspects that could only be observed with an airborne experiment, such as the effective surface albedo and the large-scale three-dimensional characterization of the boundary layer turbulence and radiative transfer.
In an area like Larsen Ice Shelf, which is very difficult to access, the only available methods to derive the surface energy balance were the automatic weather stations (AWS), aircraft measurements, and satellite observations associated with atmospheric modelling.

Start date of project: 09-02-2010
End date of project: 08-03-2010

The investigation took place by the Larsen Ice Shelf and Weddell Sea, Antarctic