Research Summaries

Back Meteorological Measurements Supporting HELCAP Atmosphere Risk Reduction

Fiscal Year 2021
Division Graduate School of Engineering & Applied Science
Department Meteorology
Investigator(s) Yamaguchi, Ryan T.
Sponsor Naval Surface Warfare Center-Dahlgren Division (Navy)
Summary The Boundary Layer Processes Group at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) Department of Meteorology (MR) conducts research and deploys measurements relating to turbulent processes in the marine atmospheric boundary layer (MABL). Nearest to the surface in the MABL, known as the marine atmospheric surface layer (MASL), the strongest thermodynamic gradients and turbulence exist, which directly affect electromagnetic/electro-optical wave (EM/EO) propagation. In particular, high energy laser (HEL) operating in the MASL experience system performance (power, beam quality, etc.) degradations due to defocusing via scintillation (structure function parameter of index of refraction, Cn2) and transmission via aerosol extinction (scattering and absorption). It is imperative to conduct measurements to characterize and quantify these atmospheric effects along or near the HEL propagation path. In the past, our group has deployed optical turbulence and extinction measurements aboard various platforms including ships, land sites, and aircraft. Recent field experimentation locations have included Sea Range aboard USS Portland, NBVC Point Mugu, San Nicolas Island, White Sands Missile Range, and Surface Combat Systems Center (SCSC) Wallops Island. It is intended to measure optical turbulence with point and path integrated sensors at San Nicolas Island to support the HELCAP program's Atmosphere Risk Reduction (ATMO-RR) project.
Keywords High Energy Laser (HEL) OPTICAL TURBULENCE Electro-Optical Propagation
Publications Publications, theses (not shown) and data repositories will be added to the portal record when information is available in FAIRS and brought back to the portal
Data Publications, theses (not shown) and data repositories will be added to the portal record when information is available in FAIRS and brought back to the portal