MRI Track 1: Acquisition of a Ka-band Polarization Radar for Atmospheric Process Studies

MRI 轨道 1：获取用于大气过程研究的 Ka 波段偏振雷达

• 批准号: 2320710
• 负责人: Kevin Knupp
• 金额: $ 77.96万
• 依托单位: University of Alabama in Huntsville
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-09-01 至 2026-08-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2320710&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: MRI; Track; Acquisition; Ka; band

This Major Research Instrumentation award is for the acquisition of a profiling cloud radar. Cloud radars transmit shorter wavelengths than traditional weather radars and are more sensitive to small scatterers, like cloud droplets and even insects. The radar will be incorporated into the University of Alabama in Huntsville’s (UAH) Mobile Atmospheric Profiling Network (MAPNet) facility which is available for wide community usage. This radar will complement the existing MAPNet remote sensing instrumentation and allow users to address a variety of new science topics. The radar will be used for hands-on educational experiences for students and enhance outreach activities. This award is for the acquisition of a Ka-band profiling radar (KaPR) that would be integrated into UAH’s MAPNet. MAPNet is part of the current AGS Community Instrument and Facility (CIF) cohort and is available for deployment by members of the scientific community supported by NSF. MAPNet currently lacks a cloud radar, which would provide important information on cloud depth/top, cloud water phase, refined estimates of cloud water content, precipitation characteristics, and hydrometeor type. The specific instrument to be acquired is the ProSensing dual antenna Quadratic Phase Coded, continuous wave radar. This new radar has improved signal to noise ratio, lower range sidelobes, and a much smaller minimum range. The research team has identified the following areas of study that could be enhanced by the use of KaPR: cool season stratocumulus clouds, convective system environments, cloud electrification, hurricane boundary layers, aerosol-cloud interactions, convective snow bands, mammatus clouds, and biological flyers. This project is jointly funded by the Major Research Instrumentation program, the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), and the Physical and Dynamic Meteorology program.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该重大研究仪器奖用于购买剖面云雷达，云雷达发射的波长比传统天气雷达更短，并且对云滴甚至昆虫等小型散射体更敏感。该雷达将并入阿拉巴马大学。亨茨维尔 (UAH) 的移动大气剖面网络 (MAPNet) 设施可供广泛社区使用，该雷达将补充现有的 MAPNet 遥感仪器，并允许用户解决各种新的科学主题。该奖项旨在奖励学生获得 Ka 波段分析雷达 (KaPR)，该雷达将集成到 UAH 的 MAPNet 中，该雷达是当前 AGS 社区仪器和设施 (CIF) 的一部分。 ）队列，可供 NSF 支持的科学界成员部署，目前缺乏云雷达，该雷达将提供有关云深度/云顶、云水相、云水含量的精确估计、降水特征和云雷达的重要信息。所要采购的具体仪器是 ProSensing 双天线二次相位编码连续波雷达，这种新型雷达具有更高的信噪比、更低的距离旁瓣和更小的最小范围。使用 KaPR 可以加强的研究领域：冷季层积云、对流系统环境、云带电、飓风边界层、气溶胶-云相互作用、对流雪带、乳房该项目由主要研究仪器计划、刺激竞争研究既定计划 (EPSCoR) 以及物理和动态气象学计划共同资助。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并被认为值得支持。通过使用基金会的智力优点和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估。