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

该MRI合同将获得最先进的流星雷达（MR）系统，该系统将取代位于智利Cerro Pachon （30.26 S, 70.74 W，海拔）的安第斯激光雷达观测站（ALO）的老化流星雷达。2530米)。这个晴朗的天空位置是观测高度动态环境的理想地点，这些环境与安第斯山脉上空吹过的地面风产生的山波有关。这个位置也非常适合探测由阿普尔顿喷泉效应输送到高海拔的钠粒子，这种效应在地磁赤道附近运行。这两种机制使安第斯山脉的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，包括在钠波长（589nm）工作的风/温度（W&amp；T）激光雷达和几个气辉仪器。激光雷达系统在每个月低月期间同时测量夜间大气波扰动（与重力波相关）在高垂直空间（1公里）和时间分辨率（~1分钟）下在中间层和低层热层（MLT）区域（80-105公里）的温度、风和气辉强度。MR数据提供了背景潮汐风的测量值，从而可以确定研究重力波传播物理所需的本征相速度。这些结果结合在一起，旨在通过与湍流结构形态数据的建模比较，实现对大气波和湍流结构的详细研究。该项目将支持ERAU的工程本科学生，从而帮助将ERAU的STEM本科教育工作扩展到遥感领域。一名研究生和一名本科生将直接参与这个项目。此外，核磁共振数据质量的提高使这些应用成为可能，这将为雷达遥感技术方面的研究生培训提供新的机会，并使这些学生就高层大气研究中的新问题进行研究。参与的学生将通过正式的讲座和非正式的动手互动来学习MR遥感技术的原理。涉及研究生的活动是现场雷达噪声调查，雷达安装过程和随后的硬件维护。该学生还将负责数据检索、验证和存档处理。该名本科生将协助建立牧歌服务器，并更新欧洲气象研究联盟有关流星雷达状况的网站。这些活动将为这些学生提供如何成为实验科学家的培训。该基金还将支持ERAU的本科和研究生教育，因为该系开设了一门空间物理学本科课程、一门空间科学实验方法硕士课程和两门高层大气物理学和遥感：主动和被动课程。学生将学习核磁共振的先进技术，并将核磁共振数据用于各种课程项目。学生可以设计自己的流星识别软件，风力和温度检索。MR在与激光雷达观测高度范围相同的高度区域连续测量水平风（白天和黑夜），垂直分辨率为~2公里，分辨率为1小时。它通过提供背景潮汐风信息来补充光学激光雷达测量，这对于推导重力波（GW）的内在参数和理解GW波传播的反射、传导和耗散过程的现象学至关重要。连续风测量的MR能力对于解决较长时间尺度的振荡，如大气潮汐和行星波，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，而且还提供了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。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值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.