The Remote Sensing and Space Sciences (RSSS) group conducts many different research activities in order to study the Earth's upper atmosphere. These range from instrument development to leading experimental campaigns to analyzing the results of such campaigns. Our research is funded through a variety of agencies including the National Science Foundation, NASA, the Naval Research Laboratory, Office of Naval Research, and the Office of Air Force Sponsored Research. Below are short descriptions of ongoing RSSS projects. If you are interested in becoming involved in any of these projects, we suggest contacting the Principle Investigator listed with each project.
A consortium of resonance and Rayleigh lidars
Gary R. Swenson (PI), Alan Liu (Co-I)
National Science Foundation
Aug 2006-Dec 2010
Four middle and upper atmosphere lidar groups collaborate to unify the scientific and technological applications of resonant lidar systems now at the University of Illinois, the Alomar Observatory in Norway, and at Colorado State University. The consortium structure coordinates simultaneous performance of the lidar systems and the sharing of existing data, coordinates data taking strategic planning within the upper atmospheric lidar community, facilitates more rapid dissemination of technical lidar advances, and coordinates education, training, and outreach activities. The consortium establishes a Technology Center that focuses on unified establishment of robust and stable lidar operation, the exploration of advanced laser and optical technologies, and the expedition of technology transfer within traditionally isolated and competing lidar groups. The initial goal of the consortium is to make regular nighttime and daytime measurements of temperatures and winds in the upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere commonplace and consistent at the three primary lidar sites.
Coordinated Imaging and Scintillation Study of the Conjugate Nature of Equatorial Plasma Irregularities
Jonathan J. Makela (PI), Brent M. Ledvina (Co-I; Virginia Tech)
National Science Foundation
Feb 2006-Jan 2009
Ionospheric irregularities severely affect systems that transmit radio waves through the ionosphere. These systems include satellite-based technologies on which our society's infrastructure is becoming increasingly dependent. At the magnetic equator, it is well known that irregularities can develop in the post-sunset ionosphere causing outages in communication and navigation systems over a vast area. This study examines the conjugate nature of both the large-scale features (as seen in airglow images) and smaller-scale features (as measured by GPS L1 scintillation monitors). The goal is to gain a better understanding of the differences in the scintillation environment of conjugate hemispheres during periods of equatorial irregularities caused by varying conditions in the local ionospheres.
A suite of instruments will be fielded at two astronomical sites in South America: Neiva, Colombia and Cerro Tololo, Chile. The instruments, including an ionospheric imaging system and GPS L1 scintillation monitors, will operate autonomously over the duration of the proposal. The data collected will be analyzed with other datasets in the region (e.g., Jicamarca observations, GPS total electron content data, C/NOFS measurements, etc.) when available to gain a broader understanding of how the local data fits into the physics of the entire magnetic flux tube. The data is to be analyzed jointly both between the different types of instruments and at the different locations.
MAUI/MALT: Lidar investigation of mesosphere dynamics
Gary R. Swenson (PI), Alan Liu (Co-I), Xinzhao Chu (Co-I)
National Science Foundation
Mar 2004-Feb 2007
Observational research with a Na wind and temperature lidar, currently located at the Maui Space Surveillance Complex (a USAF facility) on Mt. Haleakala, HI, is continued. The 3.7 m aperture lidar is the centerpiece of a suite of optical and radar instrumentation located nearby for the purpose of collaborative studies of dynamics in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MALT). The research focus is three-fold. The first task quantifies the gravity wave induced vertical flux of horizontal momentum including directional information relevant to ducting. The directional aspect of gravity waves is used to help determine the location of generating sources. The second task is quantification of gravity wave phase and velocity using both optical and radar measurement techniques, to detect and compare both high frequency and low frequency wave phase and wave speed. The third task is to study and quantify gravity wave induced heat and constituent fluxes in the MALT region.
The Remote Equatorial Nighttime Observatory of Ionospheric Regions (RENOIR) project
Jonathan J. Makela (PI)
Office of Naval Research
Mar 2006-Mar 2007
Through this project, we will acquire equipment comprising a single remote equatorial nighttime observatory for ionospheric regions (RENOIR) station. The station consists of a single wide-field imaging system, two Fabry-Perot interferometers, a dual-frequency GPS receiver, and an array of single-frequency GPS scintillation monitors. When installed, the RENOIR station will provide an unprecedented view of the nighttime ionosphere/thermosphere system. Through the construction and deployment of a RENOIR station, we hope to come to a better understanding of the variability in the nighttime ionosphere and the effects this variability has on critical satellite navigation and communication systems. We intend to field of the RENOIR station in collaboration with the International Heliophysical Year. More information can be found on the RENOIR homepage.
Studies of Ionospheric Plasma Structuring at Low Latitudes from Space and Ground, their Modeling and Relationship to Scintillations
Jonathan J. Makela (PI)
Naval Research Laboratory
Aug 2005-July 2008
Studying ionospheric irregularity processes at low latitudes has become a major focus of the Space Weather and Aeronomy communities over the past decade. This is due to the recent proliferation of space-based assets, such as satellite communication and navigation systems. Irregularities in the ionosphere can cause these systems to become temporarily unreliable or unusable. Significant work has already been performed and a general understanding of the processes responsible for the generation of these irregularities at low latitudes has been gained. However, we still lack a fundamental understanding of how the drivers of the instability process interact and, thus, do not have a complete understanding of the day-to-day variability of this phenomenon.
This project combines observations and modeling of the low-latitude nighttime ionosphere to come to a better physical understanding of the factors that contribute to the day-to-day variability of the development of equatorial irregularities. The observations to be used come from the Global Ultraviolet Imager (GUVI) on NASA's Thermosphere, Ionosphere, Mesosphere, Electrodynamics (TIMED) satellite which provide global images of the Earth's ionosphere. The data collected by GUVI will be compared to the SAMI3 model developed at the Naval Research Laboratory. The input parameters (electric fields and neutral winds) of the SAMI3 model will be varied to match the output of the model to the GUVI observations. Once validated in this way, the output of the SAMI3 model will be run through the NRL bubble model to determine if irregularities would form. The results of the NRL bubble model will be compared to observations of the irregularity environment made by various instruments (e.g., the SCINDA network). Finally, the NRL Portable Ionospheric Camera and Small-Scale Observatory (PICASSO) will be deployed to Colombia to collect additional ground-based data to be compared to the modeling results.
