MRI: Acquisition of A Meteor Radar for the Andes Lidar Observatory

这项核磁共振奖将获得一个最先进的流星雷达(MR)系统，该系统将取代位于智利塞罗帕雄的安第斯激光雷达天文台(S 30.26W，70.74W，ELV)的老化流星雷达。2530米)。这一晴朗的天空位置非常适合观测与安第斯山脉上空的地面风所产生的山波相关的高度动态环境。这个位置也非常适合探测在地磁赤道附近运行的阿普尔顿喷泉效应向高海拔输送的钠粒子。这两种机制都使安第斯动力环境成为世界上独一无二的“热点”，在美国没有类似的研究。ALO是一个高层大气观测站，支持光学遥感仪器，包括工作在钠波长(589 Nm)的风/温度(W&T；T)激光雷达和几个气辉仪器。激光雷达系统在每个月的低月期间以高垂直(1公里)和时间分辨率(~1min)同时测量中间层和低热层(MLT)区域(80-105公里)的温度、风和气辉强度的夜间大气波动(与重力波有关)。MR数据提供了对背景潮汐风的测量，从而可以确定研究重力波传播物理所需的固有相速度。这些结果旨在通过模拟比较湍流结构形态的数据来实现对大气波和湍流结构的详细研究。该项目将支持ERAU的工程学本科生，从而有助于将ERAU的STEM本科生教育工作扩展到遥感领域。一名毕业生和一名本科生将直接参与这个项目。此外，磁共振数据质量的提高使这些应用成为可能，这将为研究生培训雷达遥感技术以及让这些学生从事有关高层大气研究中的新问题的研究提供新的机会。参与的学生将通过正式讲座和非正式的动手互动学习MR遥感技术的原理。研究生参与的活动有现场雷达噪声测量、雷达安装过程及后续硬件维护。学生还将负责数据检索、验证和档案处理。这名本科生将帮助建立Madrigal服务器，并更新ERAU网站上有关流星雷达状态的信息。这些活动将为这些学生提供如何成为实验科学家的培训。MR还将支持ERAU的本科生和研究生教育，因为该系提供空间物理本科生课程，一门空间科学实验方法MS级课程，以及两门博士级课程：高层大气物理和遥感：主动和被动。学生将学习MR涉及的高级技术，并将MR数据用于各种课程项目。学生们可以设计自己的流星识别、风和温度反演软件。MR在与激光雷达观测到的高度范围相同的高度范围内连续(白天和夜间)测量水平风，垂直距离约2公里，分辨率为1小时。它通过提供背景潮汐风场信息来补充光学激光雷达测量，该背景潮汐风场信息对于获取重力波(GW)的内在参数以及了解GW波在反射、导流和耗散过程中的传播现象是至关重要的。连续测风的MR能力对于分辨大气潮汐和行星波等较长时间尺度的振荡以及研究它们与小尺度波的相互作用是必不可少的。新的MR不仅将继续MR风测量系列，还将提供新的能力来推断温度、湍流扩散系数和GW动量通量的日变化。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This MRI award would acquire a state-of-the-art meteor radar (MR) system that would replace an aging meteor radar located at the Andes Lidar Observatory (ALO), located in Cerro Pachon, Chile (30.26 S, 70.74 W, elev. 2530 m). This clear sky location is ideally situated for making observations of the highly dynamical environment associated with the mountain waves generated by the surface winds blowing over the Andes. This location is also well suited for detecting sodium particles transported to high altitude by the Appleton fountain effect that operates near the geomagnetic equator. Both of these mechanisms make the Andes dynamical environment a "hot spot" that is unique in the world with nothing equivalent available for study in the United States. ALO is an upper atmosphere observatory that supports optical remote sensing instruments, including a wind/temperature (W&T) lidar operating at the sodium wavelength (589 nm) and several airglow instruments. The lidar system measures simultaneously nighttime atmospheric wave perturbations (associated with gravity waves) of temperature, wind and airglow intensities in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) region (80-105 km) at high vertical spatial (1 km) and temporal resolutions (~1 min) during the low moon period of each month. The MR data provides measurements of the background tidal winds that allow the determination of the intrinsic phase speeds needed for studying gravity wave propagation physics. These results taken together are aimed at achieving a detailed study of atmospheric waves and turbulence structures through modeling comparisons of data with turbulent structure morphology. This project will support engineering undergraduate students at ERAU thus helping to extend the STEM undergraduate education effort at ERAU into the remote sensing area. One graduate and one undergraduate student would be directly involved in this project. Moreover, these applications made possible by the enhanced quality of the MR data would provide new opportunities for graduate student training in the radar remote sensing technology as well as having these students undertake studies regarding new questions in upper atmosphere research. Students involved will learn the principles of the MR remote sensing technique through the use of formal lectures and informal hands-on interactions. Activities involving the graduate student are site radar noise survey, the process of radar installation and subsequent hardware maintenance. The student would also be responsible for data retrieval, validation and archival processing. The undergraduate student would help set up the Madrigal server and update the ERAU website concerning the meteor radar status. These activities will provide training to these students on how to become an experimental scientist. The MR would also support undergraduate and graduate education at ERAU as the department offers an undergraduate course in Space Physics, one MS level course Experimental Methods in Space Science, and two PhD level courses Upper Atmosphere Physics and Remote Sensing: Active and Passive. Students will learn advanced techniques involved in MR and use the MR data for various course projects. Students can design their own software for meteor identification, wind and temperature retrieval. The MR measures horizontal wind continuously (day and night) in the same altitude region as the height range observed by the lidar with ~2 km vertical and 1 hr resolutions. It complements the optical lidar measurements by providing background tidal wind information that is critical for deriving gravity wave (GW) intrinsic parameters and understanding the phenomenology of GW wave propagation with regard to reflection, ducting, and dissipation processes. The MR capability for continuous wind measurement is essential for resolving longer time scale oscillations such as atmospheric tides and planetary waves, and for the study of their interactions with small-scale waves. The new MR will not only continue the MR wind measurement series but also provides new capabilities to infer temperature, turbulence diffusion coefficient, and the diurnal variation of GW momentum flux.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.