The Center for Atmospheric and Space Sciences is recognized both nationally and internationally as a progressive research center in advanced space and upper atmospheric research programs. Today, CASS and space researchers throughout the world are tackling the adverse consequences of space weather. Space weather is a result of solar storms and affect satellites, man-in-space, communications systems, GPS accuracy, as well as major ground based technology systems. Solar storms launch both electromagnetic and plasma disturbances in the solar wind, which when they impinge upon the Earth’s outer magnetospheric regions result in space weather effects that adversely impact technology and humans in space as well as on the ground. CASS research teams study these effects from the stratosphere through the mesosphere and into the ionosphere using various remote sensing and satellite instruments. Their models and analysis results represent major contributions to our knowledge of the space weather phenonema.
Research Areas & Groups
Observatories
Atmospheric Lidar
The Atmospheric Lidar Observatory (ALO) is used by the Rayleigh Lidar Group "Green Beam" managed by Vincent Wickwar, and the Na Lidar Group "Gold Beam" managed by Tau "Titus" Yuan.
Both groups utilize the ALO to take detailed measurements in the mesosphere (the area of the atmosphere that is too high for airplanes and balloons, but too low for satellites). This advances research in areas like global warming, atmospheric temperature, among others, which validates satellite data and contributes to a fuller understanding of the dynamics of the upper atmosphere.
Bear Lake
Mike Taylor directs the Bear Lake Observatory (BLO), a mid-latitude upper atmospheric-ionospheric observatory that supports satellite and other ground-based measurement campaigns.
They gather data on all-sky airglow imaging, temperature mapper, meteor radar winds, rocky mountain chain, airglow tomography, and RIFS.
Our Researchers
Our team inlcuded faculty, graduate, and undergraduate researchers.