
NSF Org: |
AGS Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences |
Recipient: |
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Initial Amendment Date: | October 18, 2019 |
Latest Amendment Date: | October 18, 2019 |
Award Number: | 1930907 |
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: | November 1, 2019 |
End Date: | October 31, 2024 (Estimated) |
Total Intended Award Amount: | $198,323.00 |
Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $198,323.00 |
Funds Obligated to Date: |
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History of Investigator: |
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Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
21 N PARK ST STE 6301 MADISON WI US 53715-1218 (608)262-3822 |
Sponsor Congressional District: |
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Primary Place of Performance: |
WI US 53715-1218 |
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): | Physical & Dynamic Meteorology |
Primary Program Source: |
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Program Reference Code(s): | |
Program Element Code(s): |
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Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.050 |
ABSTRACT
The accurate measurement of water vapor in the lower atmosphere is one of the keys to unlocking improved forecasts of cloud, precipitation, and severe weather. Through NSF funding, researchers have developed a network of lidars that can run unattended and provide research-quality water vapor measurements. This project will enhance the capability of those lidars to provide measurements in space and time by using advanced signal processing techniques that are already in use in the medical imaging community. Beyond the potential to improve forecasting, the project could allow for a change in how future instruments are constructed, lowering the cost and allowing for more coverage. This also represents the first NSF award for an early-career scientist.
The research plan is to apply a new signal processing technique to the micro-pulse differential absorption lidar (MPD) network to increase the capability of the instrument to retrieve water vapor measurements. The Poisson Total Variation (PTV) technique is used as a signal processor framework for lidar applications and can be conceptualized as an approach where the spatial and temporal resolutions of the observations are systematically and optimally adjusted based on the signal-to-noise ratio. The PTV is based on well-established signal processing techniques that have been used in medical imaging. The short-term objective of the project is to further validate the preliminary PTV techniques and improve it where necessary by processing several MPD datasets that have coincident radiosonde water vapor retrievals. The long-term objective is to refine the technique to be more computationally efficient and integrate it to the MPD testbed data processing system.
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.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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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.
Water vapor is one of the fundamental thermodynamic variables that defines the state of the atmosphere and influences many important processes related to weather and climate. The importance of continuously monitoring low altitude water vapor has been stressed in a survey done by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The National Research Council (NRC) and the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). These institutions identified that measurements of water vapor at different altitudes are needed at large scales to improve severe weather and rainfall predictions.
To meet the needs identified by NASA, NRC and NAS, Montana State University (MSU) and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) have developed a low cost lidar instrument called the micro pulse differential absorption lidar (MPD) that continuously measures water vapor at different altitudes from 500 feet up to 4 miles high in atmosphere. The MPD is designed for unattended network deployment, using low-power, low-cost, high-reliability diode lasers that enable eye-safe transmitted lasers. Because of this unique capability of the MPD the MPD can provide continuous water vapor measurements for the benefit of weather prediction.
For the work that we have done in this product we developed an advanced signal-processing method to extend the scientific capability of the MPD instrument. With the new methods we developed, we show that the maximum altitude at which the MPD can make water vapor measurements can be extended up to 5 miles. This extra mile of measurements increases the usefulness of the MPD water vapor measurements.
Last Modified: 04/18/2025
Modified by: Willem Jacobus Marais
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