| NSF Org: |
AGS Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | September 1, 2017 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | June 11, 2018 |
| Award Number: | 1727052 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Nicholas Anderson
nanderso@nsf.gov (703)292-4715 AGS Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences GEO Directorate for Geosciences |
| Start Date: | September 1, 2017 |
| End Date: | August 31, 2020 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $684,462.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $684,462.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
210 N 4TH ST FL 4 SAN JOSE CA US 95112-5569 (408)924-1400 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
One Washington San Jose CA US 95192-1000 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | Integrat & Collab Ed & Rsearch |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.050 |
ABSTRACT
This Major Research Instrumentation award is for the acquisition of a radar system for the study of wildfire plumes and cloud and precipitation processes. The small radar system will be deployable on a trailer that can be towed by a pickup truck, allowing for up-close data collection on wildfires. The system will also be used in a stationary mode to collect data on cloud and precipitation processes in coastal and mountainous environments. The ability to better predict fire plume behavior and fire-atmosphere interactions will help to inform fire fighters and other emergency personnel in their efforts to fight fire safely and make informed decisions. The radar system will also be used as an educational tool at a Minority Serving Institution, providing hands-on experience to students.
The research team will acquire a Ka-band dual-polarization radar for studies of wildfire smoke plume dynamics and clouds and precipitation in coastal and mountainous regions. The radar will be trailer-mounted and incorporated into SJSU's existing mobile atmospheric profiling system. When the radar is not remotely deployed, it will be placed at a rooftop observatory on the SJSU campus. For wildfires, the retrieved data will include mean and turbulent plume properties, ash particle size and shape distributions, and details pertaining to the onset of pyro-convective clouds, including the formation of ice in the upper troposphere. These data will significantly advance the nascent science of wildfire plume dynamics. Cloud study topics will include orographic and convective lifting mechanism and the formation and evolution of orographic cirrus clouds.
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
A new mobile Ka-band polarized Doppler radar has been deployed to wildfire incidents in the western US to better observe plume dynamics and wildfire behavior. The radar allows for the first time, real-time and high-resolution observations of plume structures and microphysics that will allow fire management and the scientific community to better understand extreme fire behavior. The radar is mounted on a 4x4 small flatbed truck that can be leved in the field quickly allowing for fast deployments. Observations have shown unique aspects of plume dynamics including ash and debris lofting throughout the entire plume column and within pyrocumulus clouds. This new tool will allow researchers the ability to better track firebrand and ember transport and provide new data to test next-generation fire behavior models.
Our observations have shown that the highest reflectivity regions of the plume are associated with the strongest updraft cores suggesting that ash and debris are ejected out the top of the plume downwind of the active burning zone. This process may be responsible for long-range transport of embers and firebrands that lead to spot fire ignition during extreme conditions.
The new radar system has allowed training and experential training of both undergraduate and graduate students and because of its portability can be used as an outreach tool for the atmospheric sciences.
Last Modified: 12/31/2020
Modified by: Craig B Clements
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