BNL Research Truck

The radar observatory in collaboration with the Brookhaven National Laboratory has developed a mobile laboratory containing sensors that measure winds, air quality, precipitation, and other variables is being deployed in urban and coastal areas as part of a larger effort to improve local forecasting capabilities in complex environments.

Features

• A portable scanning Doppler lidar for detecting wind speed and direction in the atmospheric boundary layer (lowest 2–3 km of the atmosphere) under all weather conditions, with a maximum range of 10–12 km
• A profiling lidar for estimating the depth of the boundary layer and distribution of aerosols overhead
• A profiling radar for estimating precipitation levels
• Drones for estimating air quality and the transfer of energy in the atmosphere as the air responds to changes in temperature, pressure, and volume
• Visible- and infrared-light cameras to observe the environment and measure temperature