The Platteville Atmospheric Observatory was envisioned in 1962 by what is now the Institute of Telecommunication Sciences (ITS), a part of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), as a site for high-powered radio experiments. While the initial experiment, that took place in 1968, studied over-the-horizon radar, the majority of later experiments used high power radio waves to modify the ionosphere in a process that is sometimes called ionospheric heating because it raises the electron temperature in the ionosphere.

The ionospheric heater was still used until 1984, when the last ionospheric experiments were performed. In the same year, the transmitters were loaned to the Office of Naval Research and sent to HIPAS in Alaska where they are still used.

With the removal of the transmitters, the focus of the facility changed to smaller-powered observation of the atmosphere rather than modifying it. In 1988 the 404 MHz RASS was installed and the ownership of the facility was transferred from NTIA to NOAA-ERL.
 

SOURCE: Platteville Atmospheric Observatory

Wind measurements of MLT region using the Platteville,
CO MEDAC 50MHz meteor radar

Abstract:

Meteoroids enter the earth’s atmosphere constantly, producing a trail of ions due to their interaction with the air
molecules. Using radar techniques, these trails are detected and used as tracers of the atmospheric winds by measuring the Doppler shift of the return echo as the trails drift with the wind. We present initial results of the atmospheric wind estimates in the mesosphere/lower thermosphere (MLT) region measured using an improved Meteor Echo Detection and Collection (MEDAC) system. For the data presented in this work, the MEDAC is operated with an all-sky 50MHz radar system at the Platteville Atmospheric Observatory, located at 401N, 1051W. A five receiver interferometer is used to detect and estimate the precise location of the trail. Further processing yields mean wind estimations for the height range in between 80 and 110 km. Spectral analysis show strong diurnal and semidiurnal oscillations for the resulting wind estimates.

© 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Meteoroids; Mesosphere; Radar; Winds

SOURCE: PDF File

SOURCE: PDF File

Surname: McQuerry
First Name: Shawn
Status= studentyes
Institution: University of Colorado
E-mail: mcq@colorado.edu
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Title: 
The Platteville Atmospheric Observatory
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Authors: 
S.McQuerry, S.Avery, J.Avery, D.Thorsen, E.Lau, S.Palo, 
R.Schafer, P.Johnston, R.Strauch, M.J.Post, A.Manson, 
C.Meek
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Abstract: 

Since its founding in 1966, the Platteville Atmospheric Observatory has been at the forefront of 
atmospheric science.  The observatory's purpose has broadened beyond its original use for ionospheric heating, 
by housing instruments including wind profilers, a MF radar, meteor radars, and hydrology instrumentation.

In 1997, a Major Research Instrument Grant was awarded by the NSF, which has facilitated major upgrades, 
renovations and the installation of new instrumentation.
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Discipline Category: Instruments

SOURCE: cedarweb.hao.ucar.edu

Earth System Research Laboratory 
The NOAA Boulder Atmospheric Observatory (BAO)

For more details contact Dan Wolfe, 303-497-6204

Completed in 1977, the BAO is a unique research facility for studying the planetary boundary layer and for testing and calibrating atmospheric sensors. The centerpiece of the facility is a 300-m tower instrumented at five levels with slow-response temperature and wind sensors, a variety of remote sensing systems, and a real-time processing and display capability that greatly reduces analysis time for scientists. The BAO has been the host of several large national and international experiments and numerous smaller ones.

SOURCE: http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/psd/technology/bao/

CSU-CHILL National Weather Radar Facility

The CSU-CHILL National Weather Radar Facility, located in Greeley, CO, is home to the CSU-CHILL radar, an advanced, transportable dual-polarized S-band weather radar system. The facility is operated by Colorado State University, under the sponsorship of the National Science Foundation and the University.

SOURCE: CSU CHILL

Related Links and Papers:

• A Description of the CSU–CHILL National Radar Facility - [PDF][Archived]
• NSF FADB Resource 671
• RECENT DATA SYSTEM AND ANTENNA UPGRADES TO THE CSU-CHILL RADAR - [PDF][Archived]