On December 14, 2020 a total solar eclipse will cross South America, specifically, Chile and Argentina. Researchers and students from several Space Grant Consortia (Montana Space Grant Consortium [MTSGC], Oklahoma Space Grant Consortium [OKSGC], Kentucky Space Grant Consortium [KYSGC], and Idaho Space Grant Consortium [ISGC]) will record comprehensive atmospheric observations with a focus on stratospheric gravity waves. The teams will gather high temporal resolution lower and middle atmospheric data, flying radiosondes on helium-filled weather balloons from four sites along the path of totality. Radiosondes record in-situ temperature, pressure, relative humidity, wind speed, and wind direction. The resulting data will allow for an in-depth study of gravity waves induced by the eclipse as well as continued comparison of boundary layer atmospheric effects.
The specific objectives for the field campaign are to:
• Train the teams to operate observation systems on a schedule, following standard protocols;
• Perform first order quality control of the data, and properly store the data for analysis;
• Carry out the field campaign in a coordinated effort across the four sites; and
• Disseminate the data, research and findings.
Training will occur during Summer 2020 and in Fall 2020 prior to the two-week long campaign in South America. The current planned travel dates are December 7 to December 20, 2020. Additionally, two or more weeks of undergraduate research will focus on data analysis after the campaign. Students participating in the project will be able to interact with experts in the field during all phases of the project from planning to field campaign to final data analysis.
U.S. Citizenship is required to be eligible to participate in this project.
Application Deadline: May 11th, 2020 at 11:59 PM PDT
