Advanced Modular Incoherent Scatter Radar (AMISR) Operations and Maintenance

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The Advanced Modular Incoherent Scatter Radar (AMISR) facilities, including the Poker Flat Incoherent Scatter Radar (PFISR), the associated optical instrumentation in Alaska, the Resolute Bay Observatory (RBO), and the Resolute Bay Incoherent Scatter Radar North Face (RISR-N), are National Science Foundation (NSF) Research and Educational Facilities that serve a broad community of researchers in atmospheric and geospace science. These incoherent scatter radars (ISRs) are used to examine the properties of the electromagnetically charged layers of Earth's atmosphere. AMISR science is directly relevant to several societally important aspects of space weather, including geomagnetically induced currents, satellite drag, radio scintillation, radio absorption, the radiation belt particle environment, and space weather impacts on transpolar aviation. In addition to maintaining infrastructure that enables research and education, student involvement in AMISR research is supported by prioritizing student experiments, attending community workshops, recruiting undergraduates through the SRI Research Experience for Undergraduates program, recruiting undergraduates at UAF to assist with optical data analysis, and participating in the annual ISR summer school. The project includes the continued operation and maintenance of these facilities at their current locations with no new construction or major repairs. The AMISR facilities offer unique observational capabilities that continue to enable a variety of scientific investigations related to multiple Solar and Space Physics Decadal Survey goals for Solar Wind-Magnetosphere and Atmosphere- Ionosphere-Magnetosphere interactions. RBO is the only incoherent scatter radar site in the world above 80 degree geomagnetic latitude. This location deep in the polar cap permits unique investigations of the polar geospace environment. The combination of the advanced radar capabilities of PFISR, the extensive suite of optical instruments in Alaska, the sounding rocket launch capabilities at the Poker Flat Research Range (PFRR), and the location of PFRR in the main auroral oval make PFRR one of the premiere sites in the world for research in upper atmospheric physics, auroral plasma physics, and magnetosphere- ionosphere coupling. The AMISR operations and maintenance team will proactively support user-driven science through a variety of community engagement activities. Furthermore, the SRI team will develop new data products and documentation to enable future science investigations. SRI International (SRI), the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), and ATCO Structures and Logistics (ATCO) will jointly manage this project. The operation and maintenance plan includes managing user-requested experiments for each radar, continued operation of continuous low duty cycle operations at PFISR, routine analysis and distribution of data, maintenance of existing hardware, and logistical support for all other instruments at RBO. Additionally, several engineering studies to formulate long-term maintenance plans for the facilities.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.