Show more...
Abstract:
The facility in Adventdalen can determine atmospheric parameters such as winds and turbulence from a few km altitude to over 100km and at a wide variety of spatial and temporal resolutions (which parameters are derived depends on altitude of the measurement).
The Sousy Svalbard Radar (SSR), is a so-called "mesosphere-stratosphere-troposphere" (MST) radar, operates at 53.5 MHz and is located in Adventdalen approximately 10km SW of Longyearbyen. The system is of the phased array type and as such has a low visual impact on the environment. Typical average power is only 200W - and thus a negligible radiation hazard (think of looking at 2 or 3 lightbulbs from several kilometers away). The MST radar is complemented with a meteor detection system extending the set of parameters.