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UWKA: Capabilities and Plans

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

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  1. UWKA: Capabilities and Plans Al Rodi Facility Manager Prof. and Head

  2. UWKA • Bit of history (milestones) • Where we are in the development • Where we are going

  3. Department Facilities * King Air Research Aircraft Balloon Launch Facility * Wyoming Cloud Radar Elk Mountain Observatory

  4. 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

  5. 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

  6. 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

  7. 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

  8. 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

  9. Airframe modifications • Nose boom • Wing-tip pods • Universal mounting ports on fuselage • Aerosol inlets • WCR radar “wing”

  10. 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

  11. 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

  12. Photo by Vanda Grubisic Wyoming Cloud Radar (WCR) http://www.atmos.uwyo.edu/wcr

  13. 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.

  14. 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.

  15. WCR

  16. WCR Damiani, Vali and Haimov, 2006: JAS, 1432–1450 [HiCU03]

  17. Where we are we going? • WCR-2 • Airborne lidar (WCL) • Elastic • Raman • WCR/WCL integration • Upgraded cloud physics instruments • Upgrade flux instruments

  18. 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

  19. 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

  20. Wyoming Cloud Lidar (WCL) Specifications: Eye-safe (UV) at 60 m

  21. WCL • Tested early 2007 • Projects: • ICE-L (this fall) • VOCALS (late 2008)

  22. WCL View of Lidar Port (top of fuselage looking forward)

  23. 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.

  24. Supercooled Water WCR Reflectivity WCL Backscatter WCL Depolarization 2-DC Concentration LWC WCL Ice precipitation

  25. WCL/WCR combined retrievals WCR Ze WCL Power WCL Extinction IWC Dge

  26. Education and outreach • Our educational mission • Graduate and undergraduate education • Outreach

  27. Safety • Safety management system certification • International Business Aviation Council • IS-BAO standard • Certification almost complete

  28. 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

  29. Where from here?

  30. A more modest goal

  31. 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

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