LIDAR RESEARCHER: Dr. Richard L. Collins.

RESEARCH ASSOCIATES: Dr. Timothy J. Kane.

MAILING ADDRESS: Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, MC 757320, 903 Koyukuk Drive, Fairbanks, AK 99708, USA.

TELEPHONE NUMBER: 907-474-7607

FAX NUMBER: 907-474-7290

E-MAIL ADDRESS: rlc@gi.alaska.edu

WEB SITE: http://splidar.gi.alaska.edu

DATE: October 28, 2003, 2003

LIDAR LOCATION (CITY, COUNTRY, LAT., LONG.):

Chatanika, Alaska, USA (65 N, 147 W).

SITE ELEVATION: 394 meters.

PARAMETER(S) OR CONSTITUENT(S) MEASURED:

Mesospheric metal concentration profiles (e.g. sodium, iron).

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES:

Polar mesospheric wave structure and neutral metal layer chemistry.

SPONSOR: U.S. National Science Foundation.

MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUE: Broadband resonance backscatter.

MEASUREMENT RANGE: 70 - 110 km.

VERTICAL RESOLUTION: 75 meter.

FREQ. OF MEASUREMENT (TYPICALLY): 5-10 hours per week at night or in twilight.

MEASUREMENT TIMES (TYPICALLY): 100 second resolution at night.

LASER TYPE (s): Lambda Physik excimer-pumped tunable dye laser. Excimer model LPX210i. Dye model Scanmate 2.

WAVELENGTH: 589 and 372 nm.

LASER ENERGY/PULSE: 25 mJ/pulse

PULSE REPETITION RATE: 10-50 Hz

RECEIVER SIZE AND CONFIGURATION: 60-cm diameter, Newtonian

DETECTORS USED: Photomultiplier Tube.

SIGNAL PROCESSING: Photon counting.

ANALOG-T0-DIGITAL CONVERTER: Multichannel scaler

COMPUTER: Windows-based PC.

PUBLICATIONS (5 recent and/or significant):

J. M. Holmes, M. Conde, and R. L. Collins, Ground-based optical imaging of sporadic sodium clouds near the summer mesopause, using resonantly scattered sunlight , AAAS 53 rd Arctic Science Conference , Fairbanks, AK, 18-21 September, 115, 2002.

T. Hou, T. E. Stern, J. Breese, M. A. Peshave, R. L. Collins, Experimental analysis of iron Boltzmann technique for lidar studies of the middle atmosphere , Lidar Remote Sensing in Atmospheric and Earth Sciences, Reviewed and revised papers presented at the twenty-first International Laser Radar Conference (ILRC), Quebec, Canada, 8-12 July, 477-479, 2002.

K. A. Lynch, L. J. Gelinas, R. L. Collins, J. Ulwick, M. Widholm, E. MacDonald, M. C. Kelley, Multiple sounding rocket observations of mesospheric dust in the polar winter mesosphere, AGU Spring Meeting , Washington, DC, 28-31 May, 2002.

L. J. Gelinas , K. A. Lynch, R. L. Collins,T. Hou, T. E. Stern, E. MacDonald, M. Widholm, J. Ulwick, M. C. Kelley, Measurement of mesospheric charged dust, iron, and sodium in the polar winter mesosphere, AGU Spring Meeting , Washington, DC, 28-31 May, 2002 .

COMMENTS: This metal resonance lidar is located at a rocket range. It has been in routine operation since 1999 .