Project Overview

• Background– The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) operates a Gulfstream

V mid-altitude jet aircraft primarily to conduct National Science Foundation (NSF) sponsored atmospheric research

– This aircraft is known as the High-performance Instrumented Airborne Platform for Environmental Research (HIAPER)

– A millimeter wave radar was considered an essential part of HIAPER’s instrumentation payload, which consists of both in-situ and remote sensing instruments

– So, a community survey was conducted to establish the basic characteristics of this radar…

Project Overview

• Background

• Community preference was for a dual-wavelength system (option 3)• Unfortunately the cost of option 3 exceeded available funds so a three phased

approach was proposed:– Phase A: Scanning, airborne, W-band Doppler radar – HIAPER MREFC funds– Phase B: Adds Polarimetry (H-V), pulse compression – currently unfunded, CAPRIS?– Phase C: Adds Second wavelength (Ka-band) – currently unfunded, CAPRIS?

Three options were presented to the research community

Option 1 Option 2 Option 3 Option 4

W-band, polarimetric, dual-Doppler radar

Ka-band, polarimetric, dual-Doppler radar

Dual-wavelength (W- and Ka-band), polarimetric, Doppler radar with unmatched beams

Dual-wavelength (W- and Ka-band), polarimetric, Doppler radar with matched beams

Project Overview

• Background• Scientific Motivation

– Study Cloud microphysics (cloud boundaries, LWC and IWC)

– Study Cloud dynamics

– CloudSat intercomparison/verification studies