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Developing New InstrumentationAdvances in research on weather, climate, water cycle, chemistry and dynamics of the upper troposphere/lower stratosphere, and biogeosciences all require capabilities beyond our current suite of airborne and ground-based instruments. EOL is tasked with developing this new generation of robust, inexpensive, easily deployable, and versatile instrument systems to address these needs. Our extensive pool of talented scientific and engineering staff continually conceptualize, develop and test new instrumentation for studying the links between atmospheric composition and the biogeosciences, with systems for quantifying the surface-atmosphere exchange of gases and aerosols on whole-plant, whole-canopy, and regional scales using mobile laboratories and deployments of our fleet of research aircraft. EOL has been involved in a variety of efforts to support this strategic priority in FY 2006. CAPRIS, a new suite of radar and lidars that allow for unprecedented combination of coincident observations of precipitation, winds, cloud microphysics, water vapor, ozone and aerosol – all on one platform – is in the beginning stages of development. The Driftsonde made its maiden operational voyages across the western plains of Africa and over the Atlantic Ocean following and taking data of storms that may have become deadly hurricanes. EOL developed a sophisticated gondola that will be carried approximately 25 miles into the atmosphere by a giant balloon and will house a solar telescope that will capture images of the Sun's outer surface at a higher resolution than ever before. Closer to Earth, EOL’s Adaptive Sensor Array wireless mesh network communication system will allow the deployment of numerous low-power instruments in a variety of complex environments.
CAPRIS [Highlight]
Interdisciplinary research is required to advance the understanding of complete water cycle, cloud microphysics and radiation properties, transport of water vapor, aerosol and chemical species by weather systems. Remotely sensed kinematics and the concentration of precipitation, water vapor, ozone, aerosol, and other chemical species from aircraft, simultaneously in time and space, are critical to accomplish this purpose. At present, these measurements can only be achieved by combining observations from multiple aircraft, assuming simultaneity in time and collocation in space. Most importantly, these limited observing capabilities are not easily assessable to the National Science Foundation (NSF) user community. EOL is spearheading a collaborative effort to propose and develop a Community Airborne Remote-sensing Interdisciplinary Suite (CAPRIS) to provide an unprecedented combination of coincident observations of precipitation, winds, cloud microphysics, water vapor, ozone and aerosol at a wide range of temporal and spatial scales. The proposed CAPRIS on the NSF/NCAR C-130 includes, on a single platform:
Except for the precipitation radar, the remaining four instruments will be designed to fit on NSF/NCAR G-V (HIAPER). The proposed lidars will fill major remote sensing instrumentation gaps on the G-V for water vapor, ozone, clear air winds, and aerosol. We also propose, as an option, to design CAPRIS in a manner that they can be deployed as ground-based facilities as well to maximize the utility and flexibility to the community during its lifetime. In conjunction with a wealth of in situ sensors on NSF/NCAR C-130 and the G-V, the CAPRIS serves the observational needs of the broader scientific communities of climate, atmospheric chemistry, physical meteorology, mesoscale meteorology and large-scale dynamics. A white paper describing CAPRIS was discussed at the NSF in June 2006 to NSF Program Officers, NCAR and EOL Directorates and facility managers from EOL.Forging mutually beneficial partnerships with other NCAR Labs/Divisions (e.g., TIIMES, MMM, ACD, CGD, and RAL), universities, private industries, and other domestic and foreign agencies is essential to the success and cost sharing of this project. In FY2007 EOL will continue to solicit input from the community and to define specifications and capabilities. A prospectus will be submitted to the NSF for reveiw in February 2007. The community envisions that the CAPRIS will infuse the latest technology into the NSF Lower Atmosphere Observing Facility sensing system, and will serve the interdisciplinary scientific objectives of the NSF’s Division of Atmospheric Sciences (NSF/ATM) user community for the next 20 years. Driftsonde
An intensive yearlong development effort led to the successful first deployment of the EOL Driftsonde autonomous sounding system over Africa and the eastern Atlantic during the THORPEX Demonstration Project, part of the African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis Program (T-AMMA) that focuses in part on hurricane genesis research. EOL's Driftsonde consists of a 12-m diameter, super-pressure balloon, manufactured by collaborators from the French CNES space agency, and a biodegradable gondola that drifts with the winds in the stratosphere. It deploys large numbers of high-vertical-resolution GPS dropsonde profilers through the lower stratosphere and entire troposphere and is a cost-effective method for filling critical gaps in data coverage over oceanic and remote arctic and continental regions. A significant aspect of Driftsonde development prior to deployment was the design of the MIST sonde (Miniaturized In-situ Sounding Technology). MIST is a highly compact instrument package, roughly the size of a small bottle of water but weighing only about 5 ounces. It weighs less than half as much as current RD-93 dropsondes, which were designed at EOL in the 1990s. Data from these sondes is transmitted in near real-time via the Iridium satellite to a ground-station, and is sent across the internet for research and operational use. For T-AMMA, EOL manufactured approximately 270 MIST dropsondes, eight gondolas and various electronics. EOL and CNES launched eight balloons from Niger in August and September 2006. The balloons flew over part of western equatorial Africa supporting the French severe convection research goals of AMMA and then over the Tropical Atlantic Ocean during the 2006 hurricane season in support of the U.S. hurricane genesis research. Data from these remote areas could accelerate weather researchers’ ability to better understand – and society’s ability to better respond to – these devastating storms. Following the AMMA Demonstration project the EOL Driftsonde System will be a likely key participant in THORPEX activities during a 2008 Pacific Asian Regional Campaign (PARC) with Japan and Taiwan in a study of typhoon genesis and development. To prepare for PARC EOL staff plans to develop a new lower cost superpressure balloon system that can fly at different altitudes and can be launched by 2 or 3 people in higher winds. In addition there will be continued collaboration with CNES. The French interest is a long-term collaboration to obtain sounding capability from their ballooning system for a wide variety of applications, collaborative research on topics of mutual interest, and expansion of their sensing capabilities. A joint program with CNES for balloon flights in the Arctic and Antarctic is also being explored as part of the International Polar Year. The long-term benefit to this partnership would be to provide NCAR and the U.S. NSF research community with the unique whole atmosphere measurement capability.The second year of Driftsonde software development will focus on the creation of more automated operational infrastructure, including the creation of Web-based control and monitoring, more robust and automated data communications, and user friendly system maintenance tools. For more information about the MIST dropsonde development, see the FY05 NCAR Annual Report Difference Frequency Generation (DFG) Absorption SpectrometerIn collaboration with Rice University, EOL successfully developed an airborne Difference Frequency Generation (DFG) absorption spectrometer to measure trace gasses, such as formaldehyde. Its first flight on NCAR’s C-130 aircraft during the recent MILAGRO/IMPEX campaigns was the world’s first ever airborne operation of an optical fiber-based DFG spectrometer and it proved to have unprecedented sensitivity and precision. Understanding formaldehyde is critical to understanding the formation of ozone, which has a variety of impacts on human health. For example, at ground level, ozone is a pollutant with harmful effects to the human respiratory system as well as injury to various plants, yet in the upper atmosphere it is critical in blocking damaging ultraviolet light reaching the surface. The DFG spectrometer could revolutionize trace gas measurements employing infrared laser sources: the new spectrometer operates at room temperature, is lighter in weight, smaller, and yields lower limits of detection than more traditional infrared spectrometers, which in most cases require liquid nitrogen cryogens. These attributes will greatly extend both the number of applications and deployment environments accessible to infrared spectrometers. In addition, the robustness of this new instrument will make it possible to achieve autonomous operation, a big advantage when operating on aircraft such as the G-5 where space and weight are severely constrained. Sunrise Project
EOL is working in conjunction with ESSL's High Altitude Observatory (HAO) to create the gondola for a lightweight, balloon-borne one-meter solar telescope that will circle Antarctica for about two weeks at an altitude of approximately 25 miles. Its advanced instrumentation will provide high-resolution images of the Sun's outer surface, or photosphere, enabling scientists to get unprecedented views of small-scale magnetic fields that drive solar variability and profoundly affect Earth's atmosphere. To get a balloon up that high in the atmosphere with such sophisticated and sensitive instrumentation is no small feat. The entire system will weigh approximately 5000 pounds, which will require a 40 million cubic foot polyethylene balloon - in other words, the giganitc balloon will be nearly as big as a football field. Not only that, the gondola must keep the telescope aimed at a specific - and relatively tiny - area of the Sun. The telescope's angle must remain within 15 arc seconds, or 1/240th of a degree while constantly twisting on a soaring balloon. In 2006, EOL staff brought the gondola to about 90% completion. In FY 2007, working with our international collaborators, we will be able to complete the construction phase as well as the dynamic control system for the instrument and conduct a test flight in October of 2007. The balloon will be launched by the National Scientific Balloon Facility from Fort Sumner, New Mexico. The short, 12-hour flight will allow the engineers an opportunity to test and fine tune the pointing control system. It is possible that the small optical telescope that will be installed for testing will produce some very useful UV flux measurements as well. Development Advisory CommitteeEOL’s first competition for new instrument developments began in 2006 with the formation of an advisory group called the Development Advisory Committee (DAC.) During the past year, the DAC established the ground rules for the development funds competition; vetted the initial 47 statements of opportunity originally submitted down to 11 selected proposals, which were invited to submit full 10-page write-ups; and established project management practices. In FY07, EOL plans to continue with this effort. OTIHSEOL is developing the OTIHS instrument - Outdoor Three-dimensional, In-situ calibrated Hot-film anemometry System - to measure small-scale turbulence without the limitations of existing systems. Namely, existing systems are larger and require more human interaction which can increase the margin of error, as opposed to OTIHS which can, for example, automatically move the sensing head into main wind direction. Increasing interest in understanding stable boundary layer properties and evolution ensures this will be a needed and requested measurement. The OTIHS allows for in-situ calibration by embedding the three-dimensional hot-film anemometers within Campbell CSAT3 sonic anemometers; ensures that observations are within the acceptable attack angles of the 3-d hot-film system using a software-driven custom-built motor system for the automated re-orientation of the system into the mean wind; and uses relatively robust, commercially available three-dimensional hot-film sensors. Work on OTIHS began in the summer of 2005 in preparation for the T-REX field project. The design was broken down into 4 major tasks:
A highlight in the design of the OTIHS is the use of the new ISFF data system as the data acquisition system. Final integration and testing of the system took place in early 2006, including wind tunnel tests. Three complete systems were deployed during the T-REX project. During FY2007 EOL staff will evaluate the performance of the OTIHS using the initial data set collected in T-REX. Results of the data analysis and the practical experience gained from the first deployment will be used to determine what steps to take in transitioning from the prototype to a final operational system. An example where improvements will be made is in the ability of the instrument to be fully autonomous. The prototype required the removal of the transducer head in strong winds to prevent breakage. A goal in the second generation is to add a motor driven sleeve that can encase the sensor head. The data system would use the sonic anemometer to determine when to move the sleeve. ASAFor a variety of reasons, researchers of many disciplines study interactions between the land and atmosphere. This interface presents enormously complex challenges due to the spatial and temporal heterogeneity in land surface and atmospheric properties and processes. The Adaptive Sensor Array (ASA) addresses these challenges by expanding the number and type of sensors we can deploy and increasing the flexibility of their deployment configurations. It is a three-tier network that will accommodate a large number of surface sensors, which will eventually measure critical variables such as carbon dioxide, temperature, pressure, wind, and water vapor and implementation is expected to enable study of the spatially and temporally variable land-atmosphere interface. The concept of a flexible mesh network of deployable, wireless instruments is expected to be applicable to many areas of geosciences. During FY 2006, EOL staff began developing a mesh network to collect data from a large number of solar par sensors. As part of a funded NSF proposal in collaboration with the University of Colorado, we are in the process of building hardware components and CU staff are developing mesh software. In early FY 2007 EOL and CU staff expect to complete the hardware design of this mesh network of solar par sensors. Then a prototype system will be constructed and tested. If successful, an engineering field deployment will be conducted in 2007, in anticipation of a scientific deployment in 2008. In parallel with the CU collaboration, we plan to monitor and explore new developments in wireless mesh network technology. The goal is to expand the micro-level tier to the second level tier allowing greater data packet transfers and longer communication ranges. For more information about the ASA development, see the FY05 NCAR Annual Report TRAM
The TRAnsect Measurement (TRAM) system is a tool to investigate a variety of problems in which repetitive measurements of spatial gradients are required on scales of 1--200m (primarily horizontal). Operating similar to an electric train, TRAM consists of one or more instrumented trolleys that traverse a fixed cable supported by a set of many towers. This allows TRAM to be deployed in complex terrain with rugged topography and obstacles. Various groups have constructed other cable-driven systems, however TRAM is unique in using more than 2 towers, so that transects can be constructed with quite large extents. Also, with a closed path, multiple trolleys may be operated simultaneously, reducing sampling errors and allowing divergence to be calculated continuously. Much of the support for this development has been provided by ESSL/TIIMES, since it is a unique tool to sample within forest canopies, especially at night. EOL continued development of TRAM in FY 2006 by implementing several changes suggested during its design review. The addition of a reduction gear box to the trolley and various modifications to the turns at each tower have made the mechanical operation smoother and more reliable. The data system and sensor package were upgraded to increase the number of sensors that could be sampled, allow better control and monitoring of the trolley motion, and improve the aerodynamics of the sensor package. TRAM is now configured to measure the complete wind vector, temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide concentration, as well as package position, orientation, and power consumption. The data system emulates an ISFF flux station, allowing it to use existing data archiving, monitoring, and analysis software. Over the next year, the TRAM system will be used by researchers from EOL, TIIMES, and the University of Colorado to investigate the horizontal variability of carbon dioxide advection inside a coniferous forest canopy at the University of Colorado Mountain Research Station on Niwot Ridge. Measurements will start in Fall 2006 as carbon respiration from soils shuts down and will continue during the 2007 growing season. An additional TRAM track will be established for direct comparison to measurements being made at the University of Colorado Ameriflux tower. The addition of measurements of visible radiation also will be added in 2007. Finally, further upgrade of the data system software is planned to make it compatible with the NIDAS software currently in use by ISFF and the NCAR/NSF G-V aircraft. Satellite Observing SystemsEOL historically has not maintained the capability to receive meteorological data directly from satellites. Since the merger with JOSS/FODM, EOL has gained access to both fixed and portable systems with this capability, as well as a multi-year archive of GOES data (collected by JOSS/FODM in collaboration with NCAR/RAL). Current EOL capabilities include a full suite of processing abilities including real-time sectoring, image remapping and navigation, compositing, derived product computations, navigation correction, image analysis, data format conversion, and system ingest monitoring. A portable system capable of receiving the direct broadcast data from a variety of US and foreign satellites anywhere in the world was acquired by JOSS/FODM in 1998. Additional equipment and software was provided by JOSS to RAL in support of a second GOES receiving station permanently located on the Foothills campus. EOL currently collects, processes and archives GOES-East and GOES-West data from the RAL systems on a 24/7 basis, and we have used these data in support of the MILAGRO, T-REX, and CuPIDO projects this year. EOL staff have proposed enhancements to the existing satellite infrastructure to accommodate anticipated changes in the meteorological satellite field, such as the deployment of a third GOES satellite in support of South American observations, and to ensure that EOL’s hardware and software remain capable of meeting the demand for satellite data and products. This effort could be a source of data for the VOC. |
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