Space Science and Engineering Center University of Wisconsin-Madison

The Antarctic Meteorological Research and Data Center (AMRDC) is an observational research and data center providing an accessible and reliable method of obtaining Antarctic meteorological data. In addition to establishing a data repository for Antarctic meteorological campaigns and projects, the AMRDC generates and hosts real-time Antarctic meteorological data from throughout the community, including data from the UW-Madison Automatic Weather Station (AWS) Program and Antarctic satellite composite imagery.

A ground-based instrument developed by SSEC, the Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer (AERI) measures temperature, water vapor, and trace gases in the boundary layer.

This project derives algorithms for and global databases of infrared land surface emissivity using input from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), as well as a combined MODIS-ASTER database.

SSEC has developed two LIght Detection And Ranging (Lidar) instruments to take highly detailed atmospheric measurements used in numerical model development: the Volume Imaging Lidar and the High Spectral Resolution Lidar.

SSEC, in collaboration with other departments on campus, maintains a Reliable Automated Instrumentation Network (RAIN) for research purposes. On the AOSS building rooftop, instruments measure atmospheric parameters, while North, South, East, and West facing cameras record weather events. A buoy on Lake Mendota monitors lake quality and weather conditions.

The SSEC Portable Atmospheric Research Center (SPARC) is a vehicle outfitted with a suite of instruments to make ground-based measurements used for studying the atmosphere during field campaigns across the country. The SPARC is part of the U.S. National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Facilities for Atmospheric Research and Education (FARE) Community Instruments and Facilities (CIF) program.

This project detects and characterizes sea ice leads (fractures in the ice sheet) using data from the polar orbiting Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instruments.

Using satellite data, NOAA and CIMSS scientists are studying sea ice trends in the polar regions.

This cryosphere research involves algorithm development to identify ice and snow cover and estimate ice concentration and ice surface temperature over water surfaces using information from satellite observations and other products.

The snowfall microphysics + radar observatory research program collects and catalogs sustained snowflake particle size distribution and habit type measurements to understand how microphysical details affect radar signatures.