NSF Facilities, Capabilities, and Plans: CSU-CHILL National Radar Facility

1. NSF Facilities, Capabilities, and Plans: CSU-CHILL National Radar Facility Prof. Steven Rutledge Department of Atmospheric Science Colorado State University www.chill.colostate.edu

2. CSU-CHILL Team • S. Rutledge, Scientific Director and PI • V. N. Bringi, Co-PI • V. Chandra, Co-PI • Pat Kennedy, Facility Manager • Dave Brunkow, Senior Engineer • Bob Bowie, Master Technician • Jim George, M.S. student/engineer

3. Overview of the CSU-CHILL Radar Facility Supported by the NSF and CSU since 1990

4. CSU-CHILL Technical Characteristics • 11 cm wavelength (S-Band) • Dual polarization 1o beamwidth antenna with interactive scan control • Separate H and V Klystron transmitters • Each transmitter has individual digital controller, drive pulse coding, etc. • Separate H and V digital receivers • Flexible signal processor programming

5. CSU PAWNEE 40 km to north of CHILL Formerly the HOT at ISWS Dual-Doppler Conventional, Doppler radar 300 kW, 1.5 degree beamwidth Data available in real time at CHILL and on network

6. CHILL-Pawnee Project Support • NSF funded projects at Greeley or remote deployments (STEPS 2000), reviewed by NSF and OFAP process (1-2 per year) • 20-hour projects, support provided by Facility, projects at home base (4-5 per year) • Requests forms available at www.chill.colostate.edu • Significant in-house research, radar meteorology and radar engineering activities • Questions: Pat Kennedy 970 491 6248 (pat@lab.chill.colostate.edu)

7. CSU-CHILL Radar Subsystems Remote Display Dual Independent Transmitters Programmable Transmit Controller Firewall Antenna Controller Disk Storage System Controller Dual Receivers Time-series Server Digitizers Legend: Signal Processor Local Display/Monitoring Existing Hardware Updated Hardware

8. The VCHILL Concept Schools Presentations Home Users Klystron Power Amplifiers Digital Transmitter Control Signal Processor Classrooms Archiver CHILL Network The Internet Gateway Displays Receiver Front End Digital Receiver Radar Controller CSU-CHILL Radar Site VCHILL Users

9. Google Earth Video Java VCHILL VCHILL Technology • In-class tours of the radar site • Polycom H.323 video-conferencing • VCHILL realtime streaming data from the radar, viewed through Java VCHILL client • Browsing offline data through Java VCHILL Greeley, CO The Internet Radar Servers Video Conference

10. VCHILL End Users

12. Student Visits and Projects NSF-sponsored visits REU Students visit CHILL • NSF-sponsored student visits from Junior High students • Research Experience for Undergraduates • 10 week projects for undergraduates, using the CHILL facilities and data

13. Student Project Activities • Student Projects are actively encouraged • Once completed, they become part of the facility • Digital Transmitter/Receiver (J. George) • Pulse Compression (A. Mudukutore) • Radar Calibration (K. Gojara, D. Khanjonrat) • Phase Coding (N. Bharadwaj) • Multiple Radar Realtime Analysis (B. Dolan) • Hydrometeor Classification (S. Lim) • Power Transfer System (Undergraduate Project) • Hail Detection (T. Depue)

14. The CASA Prototype radar was validated against the CHILL radar CHILL Observation CASA Observation CASA Radar System Validation CASA Prototype Radar at the CSU-CHILL Site

15. Example data: Pulse-type severe thunderstorm: 29 June 2007

16. Data Collected in 20 December 2006 Blizzard KDEN closed around 2137 UTC

17. New CSU-CHILL antenna, offset feed Development of a dual-wavelength system, S- and X- band, 0.25 degree beamwidth at X-band. High resolution rainfall mapping, microphysics -35 db x-pol isolation demonstrated

18. Pouring new radome foundation: 6 July 2007

19. New foundation elements: Antenna pedestal base and radome attachment ring

20. CSU-NCAR Multi-function Observational Research Facility …….early in the process

21. NSF-funded S-band radar facilities CSU-CHILL; supports NSF funded projects, strong role in education; develops advanced polarimetric measurement techniques and other algorithms; routinely collects data at home base NCAR S-pol, supports national/international projects, supports NEXRAD program NSF has encouraged a new vision for these facilities Better serve the needs of the community for the future—10 year vision

22. Highlights • Create a multifunctional radar observatory along the Front Range supporting scientific data collection, education and technology advancement---a community asset! • Location favorable for a variety of weather phenomena • Observatory would initially consist of CSU-CHILL, CSU-PAWNEE and NCAR S-pol radars (S-pol operational in the network when not remotely deployed) • S-pol would continue to be deployed for remote operations; maintain CHILL in a transportable configuration • Supplemented by KCYS and KFTG NEXRAD systems • Technological advancement: Phase 1 would focus on MORF development and dual-wavelength development and applications • Technological advancement: Phase 2 would include other sensors such as network lidars, radiometers, profilers, shorter wavelength radars (e.g. CAPRIS, HIAPER CR) • Provide for target of opportunity data collection in a wide variety of weather situations following the CSU-CHILL philosophy • Network to support high resolution numerical model simulations and data assimilation studies

23. Aspects of the MORF • Integrate engineering, technical and scientific oversight activities, foster full exchange of engineering developments (e.g., current CHILL antenna on S-pol) • Move towards common engineering systems, display systems, signal processing systems, data stream/format/archival/analysis activities, cross-training of staff • MORF would serve as a magnet for various observational and modeling (data assimilation) projects • Broad student opportunities, including graduate and undergraduate, engineering and science

24. Possible experimental design Supplement with other instruments and networks, for example, a 3-D Lightning Mapping Array Would be a “magnet” for a wide variety of field projects Intelligent networking following CASA ideas S-pol operated “remotely”