AGS-CIF: A Sea-Going and Land Deployable Polarimetric (SEA-POL) Radar for the Science Community

Colorado State University, Fort Collins CO

Investigators

Abstract

This Community Instruments and Facilities (CIF) award is for support of the Colorado State University Sea-Going Polarimetric (SEA-POL) radar. SEA-POL is a unique community resource as the only advanced technology, community-requestable, sea-going radar facility. The radar can be used to address a wide range of maritime or land-based science topics that deal with precipitation. The radar will also be used as an educational and outreach tool, providing opportunities for students to interact with state-of-the-art instrumentation. SEA-POL is a C-band, dual-polarimetric radar that is capable of being deployed at sea or on land. The radar is designed to be portable and rugged, with platform stabilization for oceanic environments, while still having high-quality polarimetric capabilities for all-purpose use. Through 2020, SEA-POL has been deployed in four research cruises on ships in the U.S. Academic Research Fleet (ARF) and is planned for an island-based deployment in the 2022 PRECIP campaign. This award will enhance the ability of the broader scientific community to use the radar through the AGS field campaign request process. 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.