Sondrestrom Upper Atmospheric Research Facility


The Sondrestrom Upper Atmospheric Research Facility is an ionospheric and atmospheric research facility situated about west of Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. It is commonly known around the town as Kellyville. The facility has been operational since the ionospheric radar was first constructed by SRI International at Stanford, California, then moved to Chatanika, Alaska, where it was operational from November 1971 to March 1982. It was transported to Kangerlussuaq in 1983.
It is operated by SRI International for the U.S. National Science Foundation and the Danish Meteorological Institute. Its principal researcher is Anja Strømme. This facility is host to more than 20 instruments, the majority of which provide unique and complementary information about the arctic upper atmosphere. The centerpiece instrument of the facility is an L band incoherent scatter radar with a fully steerable antenna. It continues to be in high demand by the scientific communities.