A METEOROLOGICAL SUPERCOOLED WATER AND RIME SENSOR FOR CLOUD PHYSICS RESEARCH

WE PROPOSE A NEW QUANTITATIVE SUPERCOOLED WATER AND RIME-ICE ACCRETION SENSOR TECHNOLOGY FOR USE IN ATMOSPHERIC AND CLOUD-PHYSICS RESEARCH. THE DEVICE HAS NO MOVING PARTS, IS ELECTRONIC RATHER THAT MECHANICAL, AND WEIGHS LESS THAN 1 OUNCE. IT USES THE BASIC PHYSICS OF LOW FREQUENCY PHASE-LOCKED INDUCED SAMPLE QUADRATURE CURRENT TO CONFIGURE A FROZEN WATER SPECIFIC QUANTITATIVE SENSING PROBE. IN PHASE I WE WILL CONSTRUCT AND EVALUATE A PROTOTYPE IN THE LABORATORY TO DEMONSTRATE TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY. IN PHASE II WE WILL REENGINEER THE PROTOTYPE TO AN AIRWORTHY SENSOR AND SUBJECT IT TO A RESEARCH PROGRAM OF RAWINDSONDE AND AIRCRAFT FLIGHT TESTS IN SUPERCOOLED CLOUD CONDITIONS IN COOPERATION WITH DR. WAYNE SAND OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING. THE GOAL OF THESE BASIC RESEARCH EFFORTS IS THE DESIGN OF A NEW RESEARCH INSTRUMENT TO INVESTIGATE AND MEASURE SUPERCOOLED WATER AND ATMOSPHERIC RIMING CONDITIONS. WE EXPECT THE TECHNOLOGY WILL BE LIGHT AND LOW-POWER ENOUGH TO BE ROUTINELY USED ON RAWINDSONDE BALLOONS TO IMPROVE AVIATION ICING FORECASTS.