MRI: Acquisition of Mobile Facility for Providing High-Resolution Input to Hydrologic Observatories

这项主要研究仪器（MRI）计划的资金将用于支持爱荷华大学土木与环境工程系采购四个拖车安装的x波段偏振/多普勒雷达系统。双偏振雷达设计将允许高空间（1.5度波束宽度或在10公里范围内约250平方米像素）和时间（约1-2分钟扫描时间）遥感降雨分布/率，3-D风场，并区分10-30平方公里区域的降雨，冰雹和雪。ProSensing公司将建造四个完整的定制移动x波段（3cm波长）雷达系统。该系统将包括6英尺直径的雷达天线以及仰角和方位角可变基座。这些系统将安装在配备液压调平系统的卡车拖车上，并安装在120伏交流电发电机上。移动雷达网络将支持气象和水文研究，这些研究需要对区域风暴单元内的降水变化进行高分辨率观测。当前气象学和水文学领域的多个前沿研究将受益于拟议的雷达网络，包括：1)对测量流域降雨参数雷达测量不确定性的基础研究；2)降雨事件的多雷达和激光雷达成像，研究国家NEXRAD（下一代雷达）s波段网络（平均4 km2像素分辨率，最大反射率范围~ 230 km）与弹性扫描激光雷达（米尺度像素分辨率，距离= 1-2 km）之间的非线性标度效应；3)城市化对气象水文过程的影响研究；4)未计量流域洪水预报；5)土壤侵蚀过程。更好地了解风暴事件与流域水文系统动态之间的关系，对水土资源管理和减轻灾害具有明显的社会意义。移动雷达网络将促进气象学和流域水文学学科之间的合作研究，设备将提供给外部用户。所获得的数据将以无线方式实时传输，并最终提供给社区使用。学生将通过在土木工程系和电气与计算机工程系开设遥感和雷达应用课程，参与雷达系统的使用和开发。PI活跃在爱荷华大学研究生教育和教授联盟（AGEP）项目中，该项目的主要目标是显著增加在科学、技术、工程和数学领域未被充分代表的美国少数族裔学生获得博士学位的数量。AGEP支持学生暑期实习，为他们提供实践研究经验。

Funds from this Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program grant will support acquisition of four trailer mounted x-band polarimetric/Doppler radar systems by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Iowa. The dual polarization radar design will allow for high spatial (1.5 deg beamwidth or ca. 250 m2 pixels at 10 km range) and temporal (ca. 1-2 minute scan times) remote sensing of rainfall distribution/rate, the 3-D wind field and to discriminate between rainfall, hail and snow over regions of 10-30 km2. Four complete custom-built mobile x-band (3 cm wavelength) radar systems will be built by ProSensing Inc. The systems will include the 6 ft. diameter radar antennae and elevation and azimuth variable pedestals. These systems will be mounted on truck trailers equipped with hydraulic leveling systems and on board 120 VAC generators. The mobile radar network will support meteorological and hydrologic research requiring high resolution observations of precipitation variability within regional storm cells. Research on multiple fronts of current interest in meteorology and hydrology will benefit from the proposed radar network including: 1) fundamental studies of uncertainty in radar measurement of rainfall parameters in gauged basins; 2) multi-radar and LiDAR imaging of rainfall events to study non-linear scaling effects between the range of the national NEXRAD (Next Generation Radar) s-band network (avg 4 km2 pixel resolution, maximum range of reflectivity ~ 230 km) and elastic scanning LiDAR (meter scale pixel resolution; range = 1-2 km); 3) studies of the effects of urbanization on meteorological and hydrologic processes; 4) flood prediction in ungauged basins; and 5) soil erosion processes. A better understanding of the relationships between storm events and hydrologic system dynamics of watersheds have clear societal relevance for water and soil resources management and hazards mitigation. The mobile radar network will facilitate collaborative research across the disciplines of meteorology and watershed hydrology and the equipment will be made available to external users. Data acquired will be wirelessly transmitted in real-time and will ultimately be made available for community access. Students will be engaged in the use and development of the radar system through the creation of courses in remote sensing and radar applications in both the departments of Civil Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering. The PI's are active in the University of Iowa Alliance for Graduate Education and Professoriate (AGEP) program for which the primary goal is to significantly increase the number of PhD degrees awarded to underrepresented U.S. minority students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. AGEP supports summer internships for students to provide them with hands-on research experiences.