MRI: Acquisition of a Portable Doppler Wind Lidar for Atmospheric Science Research and Education

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This Major Research Instrumentation award is for the acquisition of a compact, portable Doppler Wind Lidar system. Doppler Wind Lidars use an eye-safe laser to remotely sense characteristics of the atmospheric boundary layer, such as wind, turbulence, and aerosols. This system will enhance the research capabilities at the University of Louisiana-Monroe into important topics for public safety and human health, such as the initiation of thunderstorms and air quality. The instrument will also be used as an educational tool for use by a diverse and under-served student population.The research team will acquire a Halo Photonics Stream Line XR, which is a pulsed Doppler Wind Lidar with an eye-safe laser, high pulse rate, low pulse energy, and coherent heterodyne detection. The team will incorporate the Lidar into a package with existing instrumentation such as a microwave radiometer, rawinsonde system, and surface instrumentation so it can be used in a mobile configuration for field studies or at a fixed-site location on campus. Topics of study that will be enhanced by the acquisition include: 1) Convective initiation and onset of severe weather, 2) Lake and sea breeze circulations and coastal processes, 3) Precipitation and cloud physics, and 4) Aerosol science and air pollution.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.