(U) Cloud Profiling System

(The effects of any budget/program decisions made since the information was collected during 1997-98 are NOT reflected in the National Security Space Road Map (NSSRM).)

Overview: (U)
(U)  The principle element of the Cloud Profiling System is the Cloud Profiling Radar.  This unique radar is the design of NOAA's (National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration) for the Department of Energy's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program to provide observations of non-precipitating and weakly precipitating clouds. 

Description: (U)
(U)  The principle element of the Cloud Profiling System is the Cloud Profiling Radar.  This unique radar is the design of NOAA's (National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration) Environmental Technology Laboratory (ETL) for the Department of Energy's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program to provide observations of non-precipitating and weakly precipitating clouds. 

(U)  The Cloud Profiling Radars are to be located at ARM Cloud and Radiation Testbed (CART) sites.  NOAA's ETL is constructing five of these radars for ARM and another one for the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic (SHEBA) program.  The ARM systems, known as Millimeter-wave Cloud Radars (MMCR) are intended to operate continuously for at least 10 years to help scientists understand the role of clouds in radiative aspects of climate change. 

(U)  The first MMCR began operations at ARM's CART site in northern Oklahoma in November 1996 and has run nearly continuously through its first 6 months of service.  This unit uses a 3m diameter antenna with a simple protective radome; the beam width is 0.2 degrees.  A more easily transported 2m antenna will be used at the CART sites in the tropical western Pacific and in Alaska.  Excluding the antenna, the entire radar hardware weights about 140 kg and occupies about 2 meters cube of space. 

(U)  The radar's Doppler processor provides estimates of reflectivity, mean vertical velocity, and spectral width simultaneously at each gate, typically from 0.1 to 15.1 km above the ground.  

(U)  In addition to revealing the macrophysical structure of clouds (layer heights, thicknesses, etc.) in detail, the MMCR is expected to become the central instrument for a number of experimental techniques for estimating microphysical features of clouds (particle sizes, concentrations, mass contents) when combined with the data of collocated radiometers or lidars, such as those available at the CART sites.  In addition to climate research applications, these radars have potential uses for aviation safety by operational monitoring of detailed cloud conditions at airports and air bases. 

User Impact: (U)
(U) To be supplied.

Programmatics: (U)
(U) Concept/Technology.
	(U) IOC: 10/2004 (1QFY2005).
		(U)  The IOC date is an approximate date used only to show that the initiative is a future concept/technology.  The correct IOC date will incorporated as it is identified.

Related Initiatives: (U)
(U) Improved Space Env. Models, Improved Spectral Imager, Space Weather Analysis

Related Requirements: (U)
(U) None.

Related Categories: (U)
(U) Space-Based Sensors

Road Map Placements: (U)
(U) ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING.

Lead Office: (U)
(U) NOAA.

Date of Information: (U)
12 September 1997

(The effects of any budget/program decisions made since the information was collected during 1997-98 are NOT reflected in the National Security Space Road Map (NSSRM).)