AGS-CIF: COWNET--COW, Mini-COW, Rapid-Scan DOW, CROW-X, and Mobile Mesonet

The Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences (AGS) operates the Community Instruments and Facilities (CIF) program to enhance the scientific community’s access to instrumentation that is otherwise too costly or complicated to operate for most institutions. This award is for COWNET, which is a set of mobile radars and instruments that are used to study a variety of societally impactful topics, from tornadoes to snowfall. The COWNET instruments will also be used to teach younger generations through outreach events and hands-on training. COWNET is comprised of two C-band radars (COW and Mini-COW), two X-band radars (Rapid Scan DOW and CROW-X), and a network of 4 vehicles with instruments to measure temperature, humidity, pressure, and wind. The COWNET facility is available for studies of severe and high impact weather, convective initiation, storm transitions and upscale growth, winter storms, orographic precipitation, precipitation microphysics, hydrological processes, tornado and hurricane structure, weather modification validation/refutation, fire weather, land use impacts, and more. COWNET is also available for outreach and/or educational purposes. 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.