The Bath Atmospheric Dynamics Group Radars
The Atmospheric dynamics group carries out active experimental studies of the MLT region using a global array of ground-based VHF radars. The radars are situated in key latitudinal regimes, their locations can be viewed on the globe below and photographs of the radar sites can be seen in The Gallery.
| Latitude | Location | Operational Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Arctic | Esrange, (68°N, 21°E) | October 1999 | PPARC-funded Skiymet |
| 2. Middle latitude | Castle Eaton, UK (51°N, 2°W) | January 1988 | PPARC-funded collaboration |
| 3. Middle latitude | Bear Lake, Utah (42°N, 111°W) | February 2008 | PPARC-funded collaboration Skiymet |
| 4. Equatorial | Ascension Island, 8°S, 14°W | May 2001 | PPARC-funded Skiymet |
| 5. Middle latitude | Tierra del Fuego,(54°S, 70°W) | In deployment | PPARC-funded Skimet |
| 6. Antarctic | Rothera, (68°S, 68°W) | February 2005 | NERC-funded Skiymet |
The group's radars observe the dynamics of the atmosphere at heights of ~ 80-100 km by recording the drifting of meteor trails as they are carried by the atmospheric flow. Most of the radars are Skiymet systems, equipped with an interferometric array of receiver antennas. This allows determination of meteor heights and so enables investigation of the vertical structure of the atmosphere in the MLT region.
1. The Arctic Esrange radar (68°N) was deployed in August 1999. Apart from a single break of 12 days, it has produced un-interupted data.
2. The middle latitude Castle Eaton, UK radar (51°N) is no longer operational but the 16-year dataset is one of the longest available.
3. The middle latitude Bear Lake, Utah radar (42°N) was deployed in February 2008.
4. The equatorial Ascension Island radar (8°S) was deployed in 2001 and provided data from October of that year to April 2007.
5. The Tierra del Fuego radar (54°S) is a project in development and is due for deployment in 2008.
6. The Antarctic Rothera radar (68°S) was installed in February 2005 as part of a joint project with P.J. Espy of the British Antarctic Survey, funded by the NERC Antarctic Funding Initiative.
The Rothera and Esrange radars are sited at conjugate latitudes, making them ideal for use in collaboration to investigate inter-hemispheric differences between the Arctic and Antarctic atmospheres.
