RSF Goals

Deployment

Maintain and deploy a suite of world-class remote sensing instruments in support of the atmospheric science community. This requires talented and dedicated staff with appropriate resources to maintain and field the instruments.

Innovation

Develop innovative, state-of-the-art remote sensors for the next generation of measurements and research, including a suite of airborne and ground-based radars and lidars. Engineering expertise within RSF is essential for developing the next generation of remote sensors. Engineers at RSF, with outside collaboration, have developed or are actively developing:

  • Polarimetric cloud radar to provide high-resolution data of cloud processes (HCR).
  • A rapidly deployable, airborne, phased-array, dual-wavelength, polarization-diversity radar to provide more versatile, higher resolution data of clouds and precipitation than currently available (APAR).
  • Calibrated backscatter lidar to characterize cloud and aerosol particles to further understanding of energy transfers in the atmosphere (HSRL).
  • Micropulse differential absorption lidar to measure water vapor and provide insight into fluxes and transport of water vapor and pollutants from the boundary layer to upper troposphere (MPD).

Science

Perform fundamental, world-class atmospheric research primarily utilizing RSF instrumentation. Scientific support and expertise within RSF are essential for developing the necessary vision to anticipate new observational needs and collect research-quality data for the broader atmospheric science community. Scientists at RSF are currently or planning on:

  • Conducting research in mesoscale meteorology, tropical meteorology, boundary-layer meteorology, aviation weather, and nowcasting.
  • Developing partnerships with numerical modeling and nowcasting communities to bridge the disciplines of observations and data assimilation.
  • Supporting validation and verification of numerical models and satellite-based products using remote sensors.
  • Partnering with outside agencies to advance the operational implementation of state-of-the-art remote sensing capabilities via new products, data quality, and technology transfer.
  • Developing algorithms and techniques for retrieving atmospheric products from remote sensor observations.
  • Initiating and fostering outreach activities in areas of meteorological observations and forecasting.