Community Airborne Platform Remote-Sensing Interdisciplinary Suite

Pre-Proposal submitted to NSF 01/11/08

The Community Airborne Platform Remote-Sensing Interdisciplinary Suite (CAPRIS) will provide the geosciences community with revolutionary new tools for studying the boundary layer, cloud structure evolution and impacts, air motion, liquid water and hydrometeors, and aerosols.

The proposed CAPRIS supports the NSF GEO 2000 goal emphasizing interdisciplinary geosciences research.  Adequate measurements of the Earth system are needed for scientific progress.  CAPRIS will serve the critical scientific needs in weather, climate, chemistry, and aerosol by providing a suite of active remote sensing tools for both airborne and ground-based observations.  The measurement of these components address critical issues expressed in numerous community meetings.

Figure 1. The CAPRIS instruments will be designed for deployment on   both the NSF/NCAR G-V (upper left)and C130 (upper right) aircraft.   Nadir, zenith and side-scans are possible, depending on scientific   requirements. The design also includes a scanning ground-based   configuration (lower left) and provides airborne integrated   observations as depicted in (lower right)

The CAPRIS suite includes

1. an upgraded HIAPER cloud radar (HCR) with dual-wavelength (W and Ka), dual-polarization, Doppler cloud radar (HCR+);
   
2. an eye-safe water vapor differential absorption
   lidar (H2O DIAL)/aerosol lidar; and an
   
3. eye-safe Doppler wind lidar (DWL). 
   

These instruments will be flown on the NSF/NCAR C130 and G-V as well as operate in ground-based mode to maximize their utility.  The cloud radar is an augmentation to an existing EOL development and will include a second (Ka) band wavelength and associated increase in capabilities (e.g. ice-water discrimination and liquid water content). 

The development of the two lidars will be accomplished by two different vendors with EOL oversight and collaboration.  The two lidars were chosen after a year long rigorous proposal and risk assessment and represent the state-of-the-art in their respective approaches. 
 
NCAR’s Earth Observing Laboratory has a plan to develop and implement instruments, in modular fashion, for both airborne and ground-based deployments.  NCAR proposes strategic partnerships and subcontractors who will help us provide the latest technological innovation in sensor development and implementation. 

These partners were chosen using a formal proposal process with careful consideration to capabilities and price.  The science and engineering advisory committee consisting of university, research laboratory and industry affiliates will continue oversight to the project.  Operation and maintenance costs for each of the instruments have been carefully considered to assure efficient long term use of NSF resources.