The Resolute Bay Incoherent Scatter Radar - Canada
The Resolute Bay Observatory is a US National Science Foundation research station, operated by SRI International. The observatory is home to NSF's Resolute Bay Incoherent Scatter Radar - North (RISR-N), and the University of Calgary's RISR-C (Canada) radar. The twin radars point in opposite directions, RISR-N to the North and RISR-C to the South. Together they provide detailed measurements of ionospheric parameters (electron number density, plasma velocities, etc.) across a vast swath of the sky. This information is key to studying the coupling between our space environment and the upper atmosphere.
RISR-C is funded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation and led by the University of Calgary's Auroral Imaging Group, in partnership with UofC Geomatic Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, Athabasca University and SRI International.
The supporting cast - auroral and GPS measurements
The RISR-C radar is the cornerstone of an imaging facility that will provide key information about Earth's space environment and its effects on the upper atmosphere and technology. To support the space science goals of RISR-C, the University of Calgary designed highly sensitive auroral imagers and Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). The GNSS systems are deployed alongside the radar and measure the front end signals transmitted from GPS satellites. The
The Auroral Imagers, designed by the UofC Auroral Imaging Group, are targeted "redline" auroral imagers that sample a narrow band of the visible spectrum (630nm) associated with the precipitation of low energy electrons.