The Governing Council of the University of Toronto
This project entitled « , AVATARS: Arctic Validation And Training for Atmospheric Research in Space » will use the Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory (PEARL) at Eureka, Nunavut as a “space station on the ground”, enhancing its instruments and contributing to the validation of data from current and upcoming space missions. The project will include the development of techniques for remote operation and automation of instruments, improved data analysis, and the use of PEARL atmospheric measurements to validate global satellite data products.
This project will be contributing to the development of hardware and software for atmospheric remote sounding and new and improved retrieval strategies for trace  gases,  aerosols,  and  clouds. It will also enable participation in new validation efforts associated with OCO-2 and TROPOMI and possibly with future missions such as China's carbon dioxide observation satellite TanSat.