Profile:

Fernandez has always been interested in science and engineering. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Physics. He hopes to keep working on analysis wind patterns and develop models for better wind forecasting. He also hopes to keep working on Doppler LIDAR/RADAR development and applications

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NERTO Research Project Title:

Doppler Lidar profiling of tropospheric winds and Aerosols with applications to Atmospheric Dynamics, Weather, and Air Qualit

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NERTO Project Details :

Synopsis: Advances in Doppler Lidar technologies to study complex land/atmosphere interactions is crucial for applications that require understanding the dynamics of boundary layer phenomena. Doppler Lidar observations made from mobile platforms and the expansion of land- based observational networks can improve the representativeness of the measurements and be used to study spatially variable atmospheric flows. Applications to numerical weather forecasting, wind energy, urban planning, wildfire behaviors, air quality and urban energy cycles are a few examples where advancements in Doppler wind Lidar technologies can provide added value.

The student is to carry out research to evaluate the performance of an airborne Doppler Lidar using data collected from a NOAA Twin Otter during winter and spring of 2018. His work will include evaluation of internal navigation/guidance data, Doppler Lidar performance and sensitivity, evaluation of different scan scenarios to retrieve horizontal wind profiles.

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NERTO Outcomes:

I learned the process of carrying an engineering project from beginning to end. I learned to research and purchase for the parts necessary for the project.

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Value of NERTO to the Line Office:

The NERTO research evaluated the performance of an airborne Doppler lidar using NOAA data. With a better understanding of the complex land/atmosphere interactions that the observations provide, OAR can apply the results to improve numerical weather forecasting

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NERTO Skills:

I learned/improved my LabVIEW skills. I also learned to handle optical fibers and other optical equipment.