AGS-FIRP Track 1: Enhancing Undergraduate Education of the Planetary Boundary Layer during the 2024 Solar Eclipse

该项目团队将进行大气研究和教育设施（FARE）社区仪器和设施（CIF）威斯康星大学麦迪逊空间科学与工程中心的便携式大气研究中心设施的教育部署，以利用2024年4月的日全食调查瓦尔帕莱索大学附近的行星边界层（PBL）的动态。该系统将主要用于为本科气象学学生提供大气科学中真实数据收集，数据分析和数据解释的实践经验。特别是，学生将获得更深入的了解PBL的昼夜转换相比，可能发生在日食期间的快速过渡。收集的数据将为日食对PBL动态的影响提供新的见解，并将为本科生和高中生提供宝贵的教育和宣传机会。要求使用高光谱分辨率激光雷达（HSRL）和大气发射辐射干涉仪（AERI），天文台将于月食发生时，在沿着最有可能出现晴朗天气的地点，展开观测工作。收集的数据将与气球发射和在瓦尔帕莱索进行的微波辐射计垂直剖面测量进行比较。虽然在日全食期间有可能出现云层覆盖，但可以根据仍然可以使用太阳能电池板设施进行的观测来解决替代科学问题。将为瓦尔帕莱索大学气象学学生开设一个学分的预备课程。该奖项反映了NSF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。

The project team will conduct an educational deployment of the Facilities for Atmospheric Research and Education (FARE) Community Instrumentation and Facilities (CIF) University of Wisconsin-Madison Space Science and Engineering Center’s Portable Atmospheric Research Center (SPARC) facility in order to leverage the April 2024 total solar eclipse to investigate the dynamics of the planetary boundary layer (PBL) near Valparaiso University. The SPARC will be used primarily to provide undergraduate meteorology students practical experience with real-world data collection, data analysis, and data interpretation within the atmospheric sciences. In particular, the students will gain a deeper understanding of the diurnal transition of the PBL compared to the rapid transition that might occur during the solar eclipse. The data to be collected will provide new insights into the impact of solar eclipses on PBL dynamics and will serve as a valuable educational and outreach opportunity for undergraduate and high school students.The SPARC facility is requested with the High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) and the Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer (AERI), and SPARC will be deployed at a strategic location along the eclipse totality path where the chance of clear skies is highest. Collected data will be compared to balloon launches and vertical profile measurements by a microwave radiometer taken in Valparaiso. While there is the potential for cloud cover during the total solar eclipse, alternative science questions can be addressed based on the observations that could still be taken with the SPARC facility. A one-credit preparatory course for meteorology students at Valparaiso University will be developed. Additionally, outreach to local high schools will be conducted.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.