NSF Lower Atmospheric Observing Facilities (LAOF)

Geosciences research often requires specialized facilities, instrumentation and field support services to carry out scientific field work that is needed to understand the complex, interdependent geophysical processes, often covering remote areas of the globe.

The National Science Foundation, through its Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences (AGS) Section, provides funding for the acquisition, operation, maintenance and upgrading of several large research platforms and instrumentation to support observational meteorology.

EOL, together with the University of Wyoming, Colorado State University, the Center for Severe Weather Research, and the Center for Interdisciplinary Remotely-Piloted Aircraft Studies maintains and operates this suite of instruments on behalf of NSF.  Referred to as the NSF Lower Atmospheric Observing Systems, these platforms include:

Aircraft:

• NSF/NCAR EC-130Q Hercules C130
• NSF/NCAR Gulfstream G-V
• UWYO King Air
• CIRPAS Twin Otter

Airborne Remote Sensing Instrumentation:

• ELDORA Airborne Doppler Radar operated on an NRL NP-3D Orion
• Wyoming Cloud Radar (WCR)
• Wyoming cloud Lidar (WCL)

Ground-based Remote Sensing Instrumentation:

• S-band Dual Polarization Doppler Radar (SPOLKA)
• CSU-CHILL Radar
• Doppler on Wheels (DOW) mobile radars

Surface and Sounding System:

• Integrated Surface Flux Facilities (ISFS)
• Integrated Sounding System (ISS)
• GPS Advanced Upper Air Sounding System (GAUS)
• GPS Dropsonde System (AVAPS)

These observing facilities, as well as associated field planning and data services are available on a competitive basis to all qualified researchers from universities, NCAR and other government agencies (request process).