Development of the Geospace and Middle Atmosphere Lidar (GeoMAL) for Arctic Atmospheric Research at Poker Flat Research Range, Chatanika, Alaska
The Geospace and Middle Atmosphere Lidar (GeoMAL), funded by the National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation (NSF-MRI) grant, is designed to advance research on the Arctic middle atmosphere and polar geospace. Equipped with a diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser and fiber-coupled receivers, GeoMAL will provide high-precision measurements of temperature, density, aerosols, and water vapor in the 30–100 km altitude range.
By combining Rayleigh, Mie, and Raman lidar techniques, GeoMAL will investigate key atmospheric phenomena, including wave dynamics, space weather impacts, and climate processes. Situated at the Poker Flat Research Range (PFRR), the system will also support active water release experiments to explore atmospheric thermodynamics and the effects of space traffic. GeoMAL will contribute significantly to the understanding of water vapor distribution and Arctic atmospheric coupling, offering valuable insights into high-latitude atmospheric dynamics.