Profiling Airborne Microwave Radiometer - PAMR

Description

There is no commercially available airborne microwave radiometer on the market. A few airborne radiometers exist, but they were built for a particular aircraft as research instruments. They are unique, built for a specific platform. Any updates or improvements or modifications for such instruments are very costly, thus, generally not available. The data from these instruments are unique to the instrument, thus their calibration, processing and analysis is not an easy task either. In addition, all existing microwave radiometers are notoriously large and demanding of electrical power, so they present a challenge to airborne observations.

Yet, passive microwave sensors, radiometers, are unique in the observations they provide. There is no other instrument that can measure integrated cloud liquid content and integrated water vapor column during a flight. Temperature and humidity profiles are also be derived from the PAMR radiometer observations.

Profiling Airborne Microwave Radiometer – PAMR – is being built as a commercially available solution capable to fly on various aircraft, including medium size UASs (Unmanned Aerial Systems). One of the possible platforms for PAMR operation could be DOE ArcticShark. The PAMR is a small (83 cm long with 100 mm diameter), low weight (~4.6 kg), low power consuming (~75 W), and autonomous instrument. Only power is required from aircraft, PAMR measures its position (GPS), attitude, and pressure, temperature, humidity independently of the aircraft. Data are stored locally or provided through the Ethernet. Since PAMR observes simultaneously below and above aircraft during a flight, it is capable to provide a complete information on the status of the atmosphere in the vicinity of the aircraft.

PAMR can also operate on the new ARM Aerial Facility aircraft Bombardier Challenger 850 regional jet.

We will update ARM scientists on our progress in PAMR development.