• Profiling
  Microwave Radiometers
• Atmospheric Window
  Microwave Radiometers
• Microwave
  Radiometer Systems
• Antennas and
  Microwave Components
• Marine Profiling
  Radiometer
• PRACO
   

Marine Profiling Radiometer MPR

Boulder Environmental Sciences and Technology is developing a marine boundary layer profiler - the Marine Profiling Radiometer (MPR) - based on precision microwave scanning radiometry. The MPR instrument will continuously provide water vapor and temperature profiles and communicate the data in a user-specified format to a remote base terminal. The frequency of profile measurement is nominally one hour, but can be continuous depending on the amount of available power. A significant degree of environmental hardening, including use of use sealed components, has been incorporated into the design to permit long term operation in a marine environment on a buoy or ship. The hermetically sealed MPR is designed to operate through high seas, salt spray, and even after short term saltwater immersion. The overall power consumption is 120-200 Watts depending on weather and data measurement period.

Boundary layer temperature and moisture profiles obtained using the MPR in coastal areas are expected to be extremely valuable for nowcasting and forecasting maritime and coastal weather. Improvements in marine operations through use of MPR profiles are the result of adding this unique and presently unavailable information on the offshore boundary layer.

The mechanical design of the MPR is based on a suite of precision Dicke-switched profiling radiometers enclosed in an environmentally-hardened spinning scanhead. General specifications are:

• Overall MPR size: ~60 cm by 60 cm (~23.5")
• Overall MPR weight: less than ~50 kg
• The scanhead drum encloses radiometers operating at several channels within microwave water vapor and oxygen absorption bands and window channels.
• A optimized scan rate and diameter provide adequate temporal sampling of the atmosphere within the coherence time of radiometer drift noise, maximize the shedding of liquid moisture from the hydrophobic antenna surface, and minimize power requirements, weight, and cross-section.
• The rotating design aligns the polarization basis of the instrument to that of the surface, thus improving surface calibration and yielding a precise radiometric signal and accurate boundary layer profile.

Please contact BEST, LLC for further information about MPR or a quotation to purchase.