Sondrestrom Upper Atmospheric Research Facility

The Sondrestrom Upper Atmospheric Research Facility is an ionospheric and atmospheric research facility situated about 15 km (9.3 mi) west of Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. It is commonly known around the town as Kellyville. The facility has been operational since the ionospheric radar was first constructed by SRI International at Stanford, California, then moved to Chatanika, Alaska, where it was operational from November 1971 to March 1982. It was transported to Kangerlussuaq in 1983.[1]

Sondrestrom Upper Atmospheric Research Facility
Sondrestrom Upper Atmospheric Research Facility
Location(s)Qeqqata, Greenland, Kingdom of Denmark
Coordinates66°59′09″N 50°56′44″W
OrganizationDanish Meteorological Institute
National Science Foundation
SRI International 
Altitude196 m (643 ft)
Wavelength1.4 GHz (21 cm)
Telescope styleIncoherent scatter
radar
radio telescope 
Diameter32 m (105 ft 0 in)
Websiteisr.sri.com
Location of Sondrestrom Upper Atmospheric Research Facility
Related media on Wikimedia Commons

It is operated by SRI International for the U.S. National Science Foundation and the Danish Meteorological Institute. Its principal researcher is Anja Strømme.[2] This facility is host to more than 20 instruments, the majority of which provide unique and complementary information about the arctic upper atmosphere. The centerpiece instrument of the facility is an L band incoherent scatter (IS) radar with a 32 m (105 ft) fully steerable antenna. It continues to be in high demand by the scientific communities.[3]

References

  1. M. A. McCready & C. J. Heinselman (2013-02-21). "The Chatanika and Sondrestrom Radars – a brief history" (PDF). History of Geo- and Space Sciences. 4 (4): 1–6. Bibcode:2013HGSS....4....1M. doi:10.5194/hgss-4-1-2013.
  2. "Contact". Sondrestrom Research Facility. SRI International. Retrieved 2014-08-23.
  3. "About Sondrestrom". Sondrestrom Research Facility. SRI International. Retrieved 2012-03-16.
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