Project Page Views: [ 737 ]
| Project Metadata Element | Details |
| Project Title | Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Sinks, and Management Systems |
| Research Area | Water |
| Project Acronym | |
| Principal Investigator or Lead Irish Partner | Colin O'Dowd |
| Lead Institution or Organisation | National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG) |
| Lead Country | Ireland |
| Latitude, Longitude (of Lead Institution) | 53.27905, -9.05794 |
| Lead Funding Entity | Environmental Protection Agency |
| Approximate Project Start Date | 09/04/2008 |
| Approximate Project Finishing Date | 09/01/2009 |
| Project Website (if any) | |
| Links to other Web-based resources | |
| Project Keywords | Cloud Radar; Water vapour profile; Aersol-Cloud Interactions; Infrastructure |
| Project Abstract | Specification: The MIRA is a Ka-band (33-37GHz/8.7 mm) doppler cloud radar with sensitivity allowing observations of light to heavy clouds. It is designed for unattended long-term operation. This will be the first deployment of such a radar in a temperate oceanic environment. Rational: The cloud radar will deliver cloud micro-physical parameters such as liquid water path and effective radius. When used in conjunction with a ceilometer (lidar) and water vapour profiler, one can derive cloud droplet concentration. Additional properties such as cloud optical dept and precipitation are also retrievable products. The cloud radar will, in addition to the lidar and water vapour profiler, form a CLOUDNET suite which will be used in combination with an advanced suite of aerosol physics, aerosol chemistry and cloud condensation nuclei instruments to enable the most advanced aerosol-cloud interactions research programme to date. The research programme will specifically address the 1st and 2nd indirect aerosol radiative effect (i.e. the modification of cloud microphysical and radiative properties by aerosols and the impact of aerosols on precipitation and cloud lifetime, respectively). Funding: 77.78% of the cost is already funded by the HEA's PRTLI4 infrastructures programme. The facility will be used for continuous monitoring and for participating in large scale intensive field campaigns such as the FP6 IP EUCAARI Supersite/Lagrangian Experiments. |