Dr Ryan Neely III – School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds
72N to 72S: Adventures with Polar Cloud Radars
Since 2010, I have used radar observations to investigate cloud and atmospheric processes in polar regions, with a particular focus on work conducted at Summit Station, Greenland (72°N) as part of the NSF–NERC-funded ICECAPS project. More recently, I have contributed to establishing the Integrated Cloud Observatory at Troll, Antarctica (72°S)—a major new facility offering unprecedented insight into the atmosphere over East Antarctica’s complex escarpment terrain.
In this talk, I will reflect on what my team and I have learned from over a decade of radar-based observations at Summit, and introduce the first results and potential of the new Troll observatory. I will also consider how advances in technology and evolving research practices between these two projects are reshaping the field of polar atmospheric science. Finally, I will present an overview of an ambitious new effort to develop a autonomous, sustainably power cloud observatory and highlight two upcoming opportunities for possible collaboration.