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Applying for UK Time on the EISCAT Radars

Introduction

Time for UK experiments on the EISCAT Mainland and Svalbard Radars is awarded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), to whom application must be made. Such experiments may be either:-

• Specific User: where time is granted to named individuals, who have sole access to the data for the first year.
• Multi-User: for which the experimenters are considered to be the entire UK community, and the data is available to all UK scientists.

Applications for specific user experiments must be made by one of the individuals concerned after consultation with colleagues. This could be part of an international consortium of EISCAT users, with different countries offering time; however the UK application is the same as if the request was a stand alone experiment.For Multi-User experiments, application is normally made by a convenor on behalf of the UK community. In either case, an application may be made for a new experiment or for a further award of time for a existing one. Applications for UK EISCAT time are considered by a time allocation panel convened by the NERC Atmospheric Radar Facilities Sub-Committee (NARFSC). Instructions will be found below on how and when one should apply, and to whom applications should be sent. The notification of the result of an application is then discussed, followed by an account of the procedure to be followed once time has been awarded.

As well as time on the EISCAT radars, UK users can also apply for time on the Canadian RISR-C radar. This is part of a research agreement between Canada and the UK. Applications for RISR-C time are made in the same way as for EISCAT time.

How to Apply

A UK EISCAT time application consists of a form plus a scientific case. Each is discussed separately below.

The Application Form

On this form, one needs to provide information such as a title and objectives of the experiment, the EISCAT facilities to be used and the manner in which they are to be employed, and the accounting time required. Details are also required of when the experiment is to be run, the necessary geophysical conditions, and of any related experiments. Copies of the form are available in both Microsoft Word and PDF. Advice on how to complete the form will be found in a set of Notes for Guidance. A separate application form must be completed for each experiment, and each must be accompanied by a separate scientific case. The latter is discussed below.

The Scientific Case

The purpose of the scientific case is both to amplify the information provided on the form and to provide evidence in support of the application. Some Guidelines are available on how to construct such a case. These cover applications both for new experiments, and for existing experiments for which additional time is being requested.

Submission of an Application

Applications must be submitted by email to both Ian McCrea (ian.mccrea@stfc.ac.uk) and Andrew J. Kavanagh (andkav@bas.ac.uk).

When to Apply

UK EISCAT time applications are considered during two rounds each year. These are in February and August, the closing dates being:-

• 15 February.
• 15 August.

Applications should reach Prof. McCrea and Dr. Kavanagh by the above dates.

When preparing an application, please consider the time of year that you wish to run the experiment and the deadlines for EISCAT scheduling. All EISCAT experiments for a given month must be requested by the 10th day of the preceding month. For example if you wish to run an experiment in November, the deadline for requesting a slot in the schedule is the 10th October. Therefore if you want to run an experiment in September (March), it is no use applying during the August (February) round. You should also consider the time it may take to review your application.

Consideration of an Application

All applications for UK EISCAT time are considered by NARFSC. This is a NERC committee, whose current Chairman is Robin Hogan of the University of Reading. EISCAT time applications are, however, considered by a small panel coordinated by Ian McCrea of RAL. (His postal and e-mail addresses are given above.) Consideration is usually by correspondence, and the procedure should be completed within three weeks. During this time, additional information may be sought from applicants. Time will not normally be awarded until a reply to such an enquiry is received.

The Result of an Application

Applicants will be formally informed of the result of their application by electronic mail from NERC Swindon Office. This letter will state whether the application has been successful, and, if so, the time which has been awarded. One should note that this might not be the full amount of time originally requested. This is often the case for new experiments, especially if they propose to employ any of the EISCAT facilities in a novel manner. Any restrictions which the panel may have placed on the use of the time will also be stated, as will any comments or queries which they might have expressed. If the full amount of time requested has not been granted, then an explanation should always be given. The same will apply if an application is unsuccessful.

When Time has been Awarded

EISCAT time awarded by NERC is normally available for immediate use. One should note that - unless NARFSC stipulate otherwise - the use of UK EISCAT time is not limited to any particular year or to part of any year. There is also normally no date by which the time must be used. However, any experiment for which time remains used for a period of two years will be closed - i.e. the time balance reduced to zero - unless a case for retention is approved by NARFSC. The closure of an experiment under these circumstances does not preclude an application for further time for the experiment at some future time.

One should note that it is not as a rule possible to make use of EISCAT time immediately after it has been awarded. The rules of the EISCAT Scientific Association state that time on the EISCAT facilities must be booked by the 10th of the month before it is to be used. This means that time awarded cannot be booked until the month after the application was considered and cannot used until he month after that. (In view of the closing dates and the time needed to consider applications, there could be a delay of a further month.) Thus, if an experiment was awarded time in February, it cannot be run before April or, more likely, May. This time lag should be borne in mind when submitting an application. It may be possible in an emergency to shorten the timescale, but one should not rely on this. To make the point clearer, a timetable has been provided. This both summarises the above timescale for each round, and provides guidance on the latest round by which an application must be submitted for an experiment which is to run in a particular month.

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