i6 Membership for Southwest Sciences, Inc Phase II proposal #0646479 i6 Proposal #: 1119658
Southwest Sciences, Inc has requested support for a one year membership to the New Mexico Technology Ventures Corporation that was recently selected as the recipient of the Economic Development Administration's Region 5 i6 award.
The goal of the proposed project is to improve the marketability of the diode laser hygrometer developed in this SBIR project. Funding of this project will permit Southwest Sciences to participate as a partner company in the i6 Challenge Grant awarded to Technology Ventures Corporation (TVC) of Albuquerque, NM (EDA Austin Region award). During the supplemental project, the prototype Phase II instrumentation will be refined and improved so that it can be marketed for direct sales to customers in the atmospheric research community.
Water vapor is the most important atmospheric gas in regard to climatic impact. However, measurement inadequacies exist that prevent a full understanding of its role in weather and climate. In particular, existing sensors have large measurement uncertainties in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. Measurements in this region are critical for predicting future climate change, ozone photochemistry, and improving short-term weather prediction. Development of more accurate and precise balloon borne water vapor sensors are needed to improve our understanding in these areas. In this project, a hygrometer which uses a diode laser for performing the water vapor measurement was developed for use on a common weather balloon platform. The low power laser is similar to the lasers used in the communications industry. The hygrometer measures the optical absorption of water vapor at a known water vapor absorption line in the near infrared. The system contains a small open multipass optical cell. The cell which consists of two 2.5 cm diameter mirrors spaced ~17 cm apart, provides 4 m of optical path. This pathelength is adequate for measuring water vapor in the lower stratosphere. Water vapor is present in a few parts per million at this altitude at a pressure 1/100 of that at ground level. The electronics and laser are housed inside a Styrofoam box to keep them warm. Temperature in the lower stratosphere is typically -60 C. The optical system is mounted well above the box so that it is exposed to a fresh flow of air which is not contaminated by the Styrofoam housing . The system weighs slightly more than 1 kg. Advantages of the optical measurement include linearity of response, fast time response, wide dynamic range, and no hysteresis. The flight of the instrument is followed using RF and satellite communications that report the system location using onboard GPS. During the project, flight testing of the instrument was performed by the National Center of Atmospheric Research and the National Oceanic Adminstration Agency groups located in Boulder, CO (see photograph). These groups continue to test the instrument and compare it to other techniques used to measure water vapor at high altitudes. These tests include both laboratory and field (flight) measurements. Currently, the World Meteorological Organization is creating a small network of base stations to perform high quality measurements is being created. The laser hygrometer is a possible instrument for this network.
