International Society for Atmospheric Research Using Remotely-Piloted Aircraft (ISARRA) Meeting Support; Boulder, Colorado; July 9-12, 2018

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The 2018 conference of the International Society for Atmospheric Research using Remotely piloted Aircraft (ISARRA) will be held during July 9-12, 2018 in Boulder, Colorado. This meeting has provided a platform for the presentation of scientific results resulting from the use of unmanned aircraft in atmospheric science. Additionally, ISARRA has served as a community forum for advancing technology, sampling techniques, flight permissions, and general knowledge on this topic. The meeting will feature several days of science talks, poster sessions, industry events and, perhaps most importantly, ample time for discussion of current frontiers in this rapidly evolving field. In addition to the meeting, a 1-week flight period is planned for researchers from around the world to participate in the collection of scientific data in the San Luis Valley of Colorado. This work will entail a mini-field campaign in which a variety of cutting edge tools are deployed to advance our understanding of boundary layer phenomena in a high-altitude mountain valley. The project will support participation of early-career and underrepresented scientists in both the conference and flight week. Additionally, support to deploy several University of Colorado researchers to the flight week to provide local knowledge and operating capabilities is requested.Intellectual Merit:The ISARRA meeting and the associated flight week have become important platforms for advancement of the use of unmanned aircraft in atmospheric science. Discussions surrounding best practices, the latest instrumentation, improved sampling techniques, airspace access, and critically the scientific results from such activities have helped to accelerate the use of these systems in developing our understanding of the Earth's atmosphere. Additionally, the ability of the society to act as a platform through which to engage industry, legislators and funding bodies through a common voice has helped to draw attention to the use of these systems. The flight week helps to bring all of these discussions and groups together into a "real-world" environment where the group ultimately truly evaluate what works and what doesn't. The experience of conducting such trials benefits atmospheric science by elevating our knowledge of strengths and weaknesses of individual sampling techniques, instruments and operational modes. Engaging early-career and under-represented scientists in these activities and in this community is a critical step towards continuing the advancement of unmanned aircraft deployment in the atmospheric sciences.Broader Impacts:In addition to the above-discussed knowledge gained through the ISARRA conference and associated flight week, the ISARRA community will offer significant opportunities foroutreach and societal benefits. First, this project will help support participation of the next generation of atmospheric scientists using unmanned aircraft in their research. Such advancement is critical, particularly at a time when this area of research is growing at a very rapid pace and the demand for such expertise is very high. Secondly, the project will work with a variety of media and communications teams at the institutions covered by the organizing committee to help spread the word about the benefits of using unmanned aircraft (a.k.a. drones) in atmospheric research. Finally, the discussions and progress resulting from this gathering are likely to accelerateprogress in the use of these systems in key areas of atmospheric science which are critically important to society. The example of use of UAS to advance hurricane forecasts is used, though additional examples, including ones related to understanding Arctic climate and clouds and their impact on the reduction of sea ice, exist.