AGS-FIRP Track 1: Enhancing Undergraduate Education of the Planetary Boundary Layer during the 2024 Solar Eclipse

The project team will conduct an educational deployment of the Facilities for Atmospheric Research and Education (FARE) Community Instrumentation and Facilities (CIF) University of Wisconsin-Madison Space Science and Engineering Center’s Portable Atmospheric Research Center (SPARC) facility in order to leverage the April 2024 total solar eclipse to investigate the dynamics of the planetary boundary layer (PBL) near Valparaiso University. The SPARC will be used primarily to provide undergraduate meteorology students practical experience with real-world data collection, data analysis, and data interpretation within the atmospheric sciences. In particular, the students will gain a deeper understanding of the diurnal transition of the PBL compared to the rapid transition that might occur during the solar eclipse. The data to be collected will provide new insights into the impact of solar eclipses on PBL dynamics and will serve as a valuable educational and outreach opportunity for undergraduate and high school students. The SPARC facility is requested with the High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) and the Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer (AERI), and SPARC will be deployed at a strategic location along the eclipse totality path where the chance of clear skies is highest. Collected data will be compared to balloon launches and vertical profile measurements by a microwave radiometer taken in Valparaiso. While there is the potential for cloud cover during the total solar eclipse, alternative science questions can be addressed based on the observations that could still be taken with the SPARC facility. A one-credit preparatory course for meteorology students at Valparaiso University will be developed. Additionally, outreach to local high schools will be conducted. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.