MRI Track 1: Development of a Geospace and Middle Atmosphere Lidar

This Major Research Instrumentation proposal seeks funds to develop a laser radar or Lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) system, which will be installed at the Poker Flat Research Range (PFRR) in Alaska. The goal of the proposal is to support discoveries in polar Geospace and middle atmosphere research areas. Located at the PFRR rocket launch facility.

This new lidar will support several innovative research topics that will strengthen inter-disciplinary collaborations. The topics include (a) simultaneous observations during active water release experiments (with temperature and aerosol measurements) that will address atmospheric thermodynamics and societal impacts due to space traffic, (b) studies of atmospheric waves, wave generation and dynamic instabilities (with measurements of temperature and density), (c) dynamic coupling between the lower, middle and upper atmosphere, nonlinear wave-mean flow interactions, and the impact of meteorological processes on space weather, (d) water vapor measurements to advance our knowledge of radiative forcing of the atmosphere, cloud formation, weather patterns, and long-term climate trends, (e) studies of clouds (with temperature, density, and aerosol measurements) that address meteorological processes and climate change.

The research will facilitate academic growth of three early-career faculty members, and training of next generation of scientists/engineers at a Minority Serving Institution.

The new Geospace and Middle Atmosphere Lidar (GeoMAL) utilizes a single diode-pumped solid-state Nd:YAG laser transmitter coupled with an upgraded large-aperture telescope receiver. The laser operates at 100Hz with 650 mJ at 1064 nm, 335 mJ at 532 nm, and 200 mJ at 355 nm. The receiver enables diverse measurements, with three operation modes: Mode 1 for Rayleigh-Mie-Raman measurements of atmospheric density, aerosols, nitrogen, and water vapor; Mode 2 for Rayleigh-Mie measurements of atmospheric density, aerosols, and polarized light; and Mode 3 for similar measurements at different wavelengths.

These modes serve distinct purposes from investigating the stratosphere to studying water ice habits in the mesosphere and troposphere. This system is designed to yield measurements at higher accuracy and precision than previous studies and will provide measurements of the atmosphere between ~30-100 km altitude ranges. This research intends to support investigations of the Arctic middle atmosphere and Geospace.

This project, managed by the Aeronomy program, is jointly funded by the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), and MRI program.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.