SA13C-02
First operations of the RISR-C incoherent scatter radar
Monday, 14 December 2015: 13:55
2016 (Moscone West)
Robert G Gillies1, Anthony P van Eyken2, Emma Spanswick1, Michael J Nicolls2, John D Kelly2, Mike J Greffen2, David J Knudsen1, Martin G Connors3, Mark Schutzer2, Todd Alan Valentic4, Moyra Malone2, Jean-Pierre St-Maurice5 and Eric Donovan1, (1)University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada, (2)SRI International Menlo Park, Menlo Park, CA, United States, (3)Athabasca University, Athabasca, AB, Canada, (4)SRI International El Granada, El Granada, CA, United States, (5)University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
Abstract:
The Canadian face of the Resolute Bay Incoherent Scatter Radar (RISR-C), the newest Advanced Modular Incoherent Scatter Radar (AMISR), recently began routine operations and has been taking detailed measurements of the polar cap ionosphere. Like other AMISR radars, RISR-C has the ability to use electronic beam steering to simultaneously sample ionospheric plasma parameters in several different line-of-sight directions (over 4000 possible beam directions, of which, typically 10-50 are used in a given experiment). Electron density, electron and ion temperatures, and line-of-sight (LOS) plasma velocities are measured along these beam directions at several ranges in (typically) 1-minute intervals. Combining LOS velocity measurements from several different beam directions allows full 3-d ionospheric plasma velocities to be resolved within the field-of-view of the radar. Ionospheric measurements from the southward facing RISR-C are complemented by measurements by the co-located northward facing RISR-N radar operated by SRI International and the REGO redline optical camera operated by the University of Calgary. Initial comparisons between these instruments demonstrate that RISR-C is operating well and will provide vital new measurements of the polar cap ionosphere.
