Remote Sensing Facility (RSF)

The RSF's mission is to serve the observational needs of the atmospheric science community by developing and deploying state-of-the-art radar and lidar instrumentation.

RSF, led by Facility Manager Jothiram Vivekanandan, is committed to providing and analyzing cross-cutting measurements in interdisciplinary research thereby continuing EOL’s leadership in the discipline of remote sensing.

The combination of ground-based scanning and airborne remote sensors provides measurements of atmospheric parameters essential for realization of the societal and scientific benefits outlined in the EOL Strategic Outlook.These high-resolution, large-domain, remotely-sensed observations of clear air and precipitation are otherwise unobtainable.

Capabilities

The Electra Doppler Radar (ELDORA) airborne Doppler radar has been used to observe detailed kinematics of hurricane eyewalls, damaging winds emanating from squall lines, and tornadoes at higher spatial and temporal resolutions than previously possible. It is the only airborne Doppler meteorological radar that is able to detect motions in the clear air.

The S-band Polarimetric (S-Pol) radar which is equipped with dual-wavelength capability (S-band and K_a-band). The two radars take simultaneous dual-polarimetric measurements making S-Pol the only transportable radar in the world that is capable of describing air motions, boundary layer humidity, cloud initiation and precipitation microphysics.

The High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) is used to make reliable and accurate measurements of atmospheric extinction, backscatter coefficients, optical depth, and discrimination between ice and water clouds. The HSRL works by measuring laser returns and depolarization from aerosol and molecular scattering simultaneously. The molecular scattering is used as a calibration target which is available at each point in the lidar return.

The HSRL was designed and built by the University of Wisconsin Lidar Group. The instrument is currently in a ground testing phase (since May 2008.) Real time and archived test data can be viewed at the GVHSRL in Madison WI website. The lidar is scheduled to begin flight tests in February of 2010.

The HIAPER cloud radar (HCR) is an airborne millimeter-wavelength radar that will serve the atmospheric science community by providing remote sensing capabilities to the NSF/NCAR G-V (HIAPER) aircraft. The radar is scheduled to be delivered in September of 2010.

EOL will use a phased approach to building the HCR. Phase A will consist of a pod mounted W-band Doppler radar. Additional phases are currently unfunded. Pulsecompression and polarimetric capability are planned for phase B, and a second wavelength (Ka-band) is planned for phase C.

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