SMART-Radar team wins NSF Award

The University of Oklahoma and NSSL SMART-Radar team received the National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation Award to upgrade one of the mobile C-band Doppler radars to dual-polarimetric capability. During Fall-Winter 2008, SR-2 will be rebuilt with the ability to perform simultaneous transmit/receive dual-polarization measurements. Radars with dual polarization capabilities (radio waves that are sent out both horizontally and vertically) can more accurately determine precipitation types and amounts (http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/research/radar/dualpol.php).

The radar is expected to be fully functional again in time for the VORTEX-2 project beginning in May 2009.