Wyoming King Air as a National Facility

怀俄明大学将继续提供国王航空公司(UWKA)、怀俄明州云雷达(WCR)和怀俄明州云激光雷达(WCL)，作为国家低层大气观测设施(LAOF)套件的一部分。UWKA是一种双涡轮螺旋桨飞机，高度可用于10公里(33,000英尺)高度的大气层测量。WCR和WCL是复杂的遥感仪器，提供对云的三维结构及其随时间演变的观测。这项合作协议为操作、维护和改进飞机、云雷达和云激光雷达设施的科学家、工程师、技术人员、飞行员和机械师提供基地支持。在本绩效期间(2014-2018年)，怀俄明大学将部署King Air飞机以及WCR和WCL仪器，以支持被同行审查程序认为具有特殊价值的研究项目。工作人员还将升级飞机和现有的仪器，以促进大气动力学、大气化学和云物理领域的尖端研究。智力优势：怀俄明大学国王航空公司在NSF支持的低层大气观测设施套件中发挥着独特的作用，是大气研究人员可用的唯一小型、轻型飞机。UWKA配备了一套最先进的仪器，用于测量大气的物理和化学性质，了解云的形成和演变及其与大气气溶胶的相互作用，以及调查造成和维持恶劣天气，特别是冬季风暴和强降水的动力机制。计划中的新仪器的开发和获取将促进大气科学界解决与天气和气候有关的问题的研究。广泛的影响：作为一所授予高级学位的机构，怀俄明大学及其UWKA设施为本科生和研究生提供了独特的机会，学习和获得观测大气科学几乎所有方面的实践经验。这些机会对来自华盛顿大学和其他学术机构的学生开放，也对参加航空天气暑期课程的高中生开放。UWKA的大多数部署包括针对当地社区、媒体和学校的教育计划或扩展到当地社区、媒体和学校，使普通公众接触到这种独特的科学、技术和工程专业知识的应用。

The University of Wyoming will continue providing the King Air aircraft (UWKA), Wyoming Cloud Radar (WCR) and Wyoming Cloud Lidar (WCL) as part of the national Lower Atmosphere Observing Facility (LAOF) suite. The UWKA is a twin turbo-prop aircraft highly instrumented for measurements throughout the atmosphere up to altitudes of 10 km (33,000 ft). WCR and WCL are sophisticated remote-sensing instruments that provide observations of the three-dimensional structure of clouds and their evolution over time. This cooperative agreement provides base support to a staff of scientists, engineers, technicians, pilots and mechanics who operate, maintain and improve the aircraft, cloud radar and cloud lidar facilities. During this performance period (2014-2018), the University of Wyoming will deploy the King Air aircraft and WCR and WCL instruments in support of research projects deemed to be of exceptional merit by the peer review process. Staff will also upgrade the aircraft and available instrumentation to facilitate cutting edge research in the areas of atmospheric dynamics, atmospheric chemistry, and cloud physics.Intellectual Merit: The University of Wyoming King Air fulfills a unique role in the suite of NSF-supported lower atmosphere observing facilities, serving as the only small, light aircraft available to atmospheric researchers. UWKA carries a state-of-the-art complement of instrumentation for measuring the physical and chemical properties of the atmosphere, for understanding the formation and evolution of clouds and their interaction with atmospheric aerosols, and for investigating the dynamical mechanisms that cause and maintain severe weather, especially winter storms and heavy precipitation. Planned development and acquisition of new instrumentation will facilitate research by the atmospheric sciences community as it tackles questions related to weather and climate.Broader impacts: As an advanced-degree-granting institution, the University of Wyoming and its UWKA facility provide unique opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students to learn about and obtain hands-on experience with nearly every aspect of observational atmospheric science. These opportunities are open to students from UW and other academic institutions, as well as to high school students taking a summer course on aviation weather. Most deployments of the UWKA include educational programs for or outreach to local communities, media, and schools, which exposes the general public to this unique application of science, technology and engineering expertise.