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Explore the capabilities and plans of the UWKA Al Rodi Facility, including its history, development, and research applications. Learn about the Wyoming Cloud Radar and the Wyoming Cloud Lidar projects.
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UWKA: Capabilities and Plans Al Rodi Facility Manager Prof. and Head
UWKA • Bit of history (milestones) • Where we are in the development • Where we are going
Department Facilities * King Air Research Aircraft Balloon Launch Facility * Wyoming Cloud Radar Elk Mountain Observatory
1960’s: Formation Natural Resources Research Institute Don Veal – founding head DoI Bureau of Reclamation funding – cloud physics/ weather modification Elk Mountain Observatory Twin Beech N600UW Faculty recruitment Gabor Vali John Marwitz Augie Auer Staff recruitment Dennis Knowlton Ken Endsley Larry Irving
Queen Air N10UW (1972-1981) and King Air N2UW (1977- present) – Faculty PI involvement DoI Bureau of Reclamation -- Seeding physical studies High Plains Experiment (1977-81) Rainfall augmentation Sierra Cooperative Pilot Project (1977-1985) Snowfall augmentation 1970’s: Large projects • Department of Atmospheric Science (1971) • Particle measurement advances (PMS probes) • Emphasis: Cloud and aerosol measurements
1980’s: transition King Air development: Burec instruments transferred to NSF KA Base fund (NSF Cooperative Agreement- 1987-present) Ice crystals slides being sampled during HIPLEX and SCPP
1990-present: Further development Wyoming Cloud Radar (WCR) 95 GHz airborne cloud radar development (PI funding – NASA/ONR/NSF/UW) Partial NSF base funding of WCR (2004) System operator and “4th seat” observer
Capabilities: Mission profile • Hawker Beechcraft 200T twin-engine turboprop • Modified for 14,000 lb takeoff weight • Certification: FAA Part 91, restricted category • Strong engines • 28,000 ft (RVSM restriction) • Research flight speeds ~90 m s-1 • Mission duration 4 to 4.5 hours • Single pilot operations typical • 3-4 scientific crew • Certified for operations in known icing conditions
Airframe modifications • Nose boom • Wing-tip pods • Universal mounting ports on fuselage • Aerosol inlets • WCR radar “wing”
Right-seat scientist Single pilot operation: flight scientist can sit in the right seat of the cockpit and easily interact directly with the pilot and system scientist during flight. Views from copilot seat
UWKA Capabilities • Typical research applications include: • Cloud physics studies • Boundary-layer, turbulence/flux studies • Mesoscale dynamics • Air-sea interaction • Tropospheric profiling • Radiometric measurements • Satellite ground truth • Atmospheric chemistry • Aerosol studies • Airborne remote sensing
Photo by Vanda Grubisic Wyoming Cloud Radar (WCR) http://www.atmos.uwyo.edu/wcr
WCR Milestones • The idea (late 1980’s): Install a cloud radar on a small research aircraft carrying a suite of in situ instrumentation: UW Profs. G. Vali and R. Kelly. • Collaborative work with Prof. R. McIntosh, Univ. Mass: installation on Elk Mountain near Laramie.
WCR Milestones • 1995: WCR was built by Quadrant Engineering, Inc. (now ProSensing, Inc.) • Equal split between the NSF, ONR and UW. • 1995-2004 : support from science grants from NSF, DOD, DOE, NASA and UW • 2004 : partial support for WCR added to the 5th UW/NSF cooperative agreement • Dave Leon: UWKA Nadir port funding and multi-beam Doppler analysis (Leon et al, 2006: J. Atmos. Ocean. Tech; and Leon and Vali, 1998: J. Atmos. and Oceanic Tech. • Sam Haimov: Radar scientist—calibration, user interface, developing radar data processing and analysis software, engineering improvements and WCR2 design.
WCR Damiani, Vali and Haimov, 2006: JAS, 1432–1450 [HiCU03]
Where we are we going? • WCR-2 • Airborne lidar (WCL) • Elastic • Raman • WCR/WCL integration • Upgraded cloud physics instruments • Upgrade flux instruments
WCR-2 • Reliability • Designed with partner ProSensing • Modulator: Pulse Systems (higher duty cycle) • W-band klystron amplifier: CPI • 5-port switching network: EMS (more antennas) • Improved polarimetric antenna: Millitech • Transmitter and receiver RF: ProSensing • Firmware and testing: ProSensing • Antenna inst, new waveguides, cabinets, FAA approval: UW • Online winter 2007
Wyoming Cloud Lidar (WCL) • PI: Zhien Wang (UW/ATSC) • Compact, low-power, elastic polarimetric LIDAR for airborne use • http://www-das.uwyo.edu/~zwang/RSG/RSG_EL.html
Wyoming Cloud Lidar (WCL) Specifications: Eye-safe (UV) at 60 m
WCL • Tested early 2007 • Projects: • ICE-L (this fall) • VOCALS (late 2008)
WCL View of Lidar Port (top of fuselage looking forward)
Combining WCL and WCR data • Cloud macrophysical properties • Ice/water discrimination • Ice and water cloud layer boundaries • Cloud microphysical properties • Ice clouds: water content and general effective radius (Dge) profiles • Water clouds: Adiabatic liquid water path (LWP), layer mean effective radius (reff) (if cloud top is detected by WCR), some drizzle properties. • Mixed-phase clouds: ice water content and Dge profiles, LWP and reff.
Supercooled Water WCR Reflectivity WCL Backscatter WCL Depolarization 2-DC Concentration LWC WCL Ice precipitation
WCL/WCR combined retrievals WCR Ze WCL Power WCL Extinction IWC Dge
Education and outreach • Our educational mission • Graduate and undergraduate education • Outreach
Safety • Safety management system certification • International Business Aviation Council • IS-BAO standard • Certification almost complete
Where from here? • Raman lidar installation • Z. Wang (NSF career grant) • Upgrade cloud physics suite • Cloud particle imager (CPI) – SPEC • 2D probes (DMT?) • FSSP (DMT?) • Liquid water/total water probes • H2O/CO2 flux upgrade • Miniaturization • Data system (on-line this winter) • Inertial measurement unit From specinc.com
Contact us Alfred Rodi, Facility Manager rodi@uwyo.edu Jeffrey French, Project Manager jfrench@uwyo.edu Perry Wechsler, Chief Engineer wex@uwyo.edu Sam Haimov, Radar Scientist haimov@uwyo.edu Atmospheric Science Dept. 3038 University of Wyoming College of Engineering and Applied Science 1000 E University Ave. Laramie, WY 82071 Ph: (307) 766-3245 Fax: (307) 766-2635 http://flights.uwyo.edu/n2uw http://www.atmos.uwyo.edu