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University of Cologne instruments at UNIS
Contact: Kerstin Ebell
![The University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) is located in Longyearbyen
[[https://www.awipev.eu/|AWIPEV]] is the French-German Arctic Research Base operated by the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research [[http://www.awi.de/|(AWI)]] and the French Polar Institute Paul Emile Victor [[http://www.institut-polaire.fr/language/en/|(IPEV)]]. AWIPEV is part of the [[https://nyalesundresearch.no/|Ny-Ålesund Research Station]]. Within the Transregional Collaborative Research Centre TR 172 "ArctiC Amplification: Climate Relevant Atmospheric and SurfaCe Processes, and Feedback Mechanisms (AC)³" ([[http://ac3-tr.de|(AC)³]]), the University of Cologne collaborates with AWI in the long-term observations at the Atmospheric Observatory. \\
Ny-Ålesund is located on the northwest coast of Svalbard, on the south side of Kongsfjorden. The area is mountainous, featuring seasonal snow cover, a typical tundra system, and glaciers.
{{:wiki:nya:nya_svalbard.png?400|](/lib/exe/detail.php?id=lyr&media=wiki:lyr:lyr_instruments_map.png "The University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) is located in Longyearbyen
[[https://www.awipev.eu/|AWIPEV]] is the French-German Arctic Research Base operated by the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research [[http://www.awi.de/|(AWI)]] and the French Polar Institute Paul Emile Victor [[http://www.institut-polaire.fr/language/en/|(IPEV)]]. AWIPEV is part of the [[https://nyalesundresearch.no/|Ny-Ålesund Research Station]]. Within the Transregional Collaborative Research Centre TR 172 \"ArctiC Amplification: Climate Relevant Atmospheric and SurfaCe Processes, and Feedback Mechanisms (AC)³\" ([[http://ac3-tr.de|(AC)³]]), the University of Cologne collaborates with AWI in the long-term observations at the Atmospheric Observatory. \\
Ny-Ålesund is located on the northwest coast of Svalbard, on the south side of Kongsfjorden. The area is mountainous, featuring seasonal snow cover, a typical tundra system, and glaciers.
{{:wiki:nya:nya_svalbard.png?400|")
The instruments of the University of Cologne are located on the roof of the AWIPEV Atmospheric Observatory (location A in map). The coordinates of the AWIPEV atmospheric observatory are
- Latitude: 78° 55' 22.8“ N = 78.92327 °N
- Longitude: 11° 55' 15.6” E = 11.92216 °E
- Altitude: 11 m asl (ground) + 8 m (height of roof platform)
Scientific Goals
Within (AC)³, researchers at the University of Cologne, University Bremen, and AWI characterize the thermodynamic structure, clouds, aerosols, and trace gases in the atmospheric column at Ny-Ålesund on a long-term basis. In Cologne, the research focus is on remote sensing of the thermodynamic structure, water vapor, cloud macro- and microphysical properties and precipitation by combining the established observations at AWIPEV and Uni Cologne instrumentation, e.g., a cloud radars, micro rain radar. The ground-based observations at Ny-Ålesund are accompanied by satellite, aircraft, and ship measurements, as well as modeling studies on various scales.
Specific scientific questions are
- To what extent and with which accuracy can we gain insight into the thermodynamic, trace gas, aerosol, and cloud macro- and microphysical properties at Ny-Ålesund?
- What is their impact on the radiation and energy budget throughout the vertical extent from the surface to the lower mesosphere?
- How do Arctic low-level clouds respond to global climate change?
- How representative are the Ny-Ålesund observations across other Arctic sites?
Publications
A list of the project related publications can be found here.
Data quicklook browser
Overview of instruments
If you are interested in data, please contact Kerstin Ebell
| Instrument | Time of operation | Measurements | Related Products |
|---|---|---|---|
| JOYRAD94 94 GHz cloud radar Quicklooks | 10 Jun 2016–26 Jul 2017 | Doppler spectrum moments, Doppler spectrum, 89 GHz brightness temperature | vertical cloud and precip structure, Cloudnet hydrometeor classification and cloud microphysical products |
| 14 Jun 2019–22 Jun 2022 | |||
| 02 Jun 2023– ongoing | |||
| MiRAC-A 94 GHz cloud radar Quicklooks | 28 Jul 2017–08 Oct 2018 | Doppler spectrum moments, Doppler spectrum | vertical cloud and precip structure, Cloudnet hydrometeor classification and cloud microphysical products |
| 23 Jun 2022–03 Mar 2023 | |||
| NYRAD35 35 GHz cloud radar | 01 Oct 2021–06 Mar 2024 | Doppler spectrum moments, Doppler spectrum, polarimetric variables | in combination with 94 GHz cloud radar, info on ice habit, particle concentration and sizes |
| 25 Jan 2025–ongoing | |||
| GRaWAC 167.3/174.7 GHz cloud radar Quicklooks | 25 Jan 2025–04 Mar 2025 | Doppler spectrum moments, Doppler spectrum | water vapor profiles in cloudy and precipitating conditions |
| Micro Rain Radar Quicklooks | 27 Apr 2017–ongoing | Doppler spectrum moments, Doppler spectrum of precipitating particles | snowfall and rainfall rates |
| Parsivel Quicklooks | 29 Apr 2017–22 Jun 2022 | Precipitation particle size distribution and fall velocities | Precipitation type, rain rate (for liquid precip) |
| Parsivel (new instrument) Quicklooks | 23 Jun 2022–ongoing | Precipitation particle size distribution and fall velocities | Precipitation type, rain rate (for liquid precip) |
| Pluvio Quicklooks | 02 Aug 2017–13 Nov 2024 | Precipitation amount/intensity | |
| Pluvio (new instrument) Quicklooks | 21 Oct 2025–ongoing | Precipitation amount/intensity |
Acknowledgements
We gratefully acknowledge the funding by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft DFG712 (German Research Foundation) - project number 268020496 - TRR 172, within the Transregional Collaborative Research Center “ArctiC Amplification: Climate Relevant Atmospheric and SurfaCe Processes, and Feedback Mechanisms (AC)3”. We deeply thank the AWIPEV station team for technical support, maintenance, and operation of the instruments within the project AWIPEV_0016.