Development of weatherproofed housing for temperature radiometer TEMPERA-C
Universität Bern
Lay summary
Continuous temperature observations in the middle atmosphere are rare, but important to understand the vertical coupling and the evolution of the trace gases of water and ozone. In particular, the ozone chemistry is temperature dependent and requires precise, continuous temperature observations for a comprehensive understanding of how atmospheric dynamics impact the generation and destruction of ozone. This atmospheric region is too high for in-situ observations with aircraft and balloons and too dense for satellites to fly through. Although ground-based lidars are capable of measuring temperature and winds at these altitudes, the observations are weather dependent and often limited to short periods or just nighttime. Microwave radiometry opens a possibility of conducting continuous temperature soundings using passive remote sensing. Currently, the Microwave Physics department is developing a new TEMPERA-C instrument to measure middle-atmospheric temperatures at altitudes between 20-65 km with a high temporal resolution to retrieve the dynamical variability due to atmospheric waves down to periods of about 1-2 hours. The new instrument is supposed to be operated in Arctic and Antarctic environments or at high altitudes. The SPI grant supports the development of a weatherproofed housing and beam pointing as well as the climate stabilization for the new instrument for deployments in extreme environmental conditions. The prototype will perform a campaign observation at the Sphinx observatory Jungfraujoch.
Details
| Regional focus | High-altitude |
| Location | High-altitude Research Station Jungfraujoch |
| Funded amount | 38,060 CHF |
| Project dates | 15th February 2021 – 28th February 2025 |
| Category | SPI Technogrants |