DOE/SC-ARM-11-024 - ARM Climate Research FacilityDOE/SC-ARM-11-024. ARM Climate Research Facility ANNUAL REPORT – 2011 Recovery Act HIGHLIGHTS October 2010 • Doppler lidars tested

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DOE/SC-ARM-11-024

ARM Climate Research Facility ANNUAL REPORT – 2011

Recovery Act HIGHLIGHTS

October 2010

• DopplerlidarstestedattheAtmosphericRadiationMeasurement(ARM)ClimateResearchFacility’sSouthernGreatPlains(SGP)site.• FinalinstallationcompletedforthethreeX-bandscanningARMprecipitationradars(X-SAPRs)atSGP.• WeighingbucketraingaugeinstalledatTropicalWesternPacific(TWP)siteinDarwin,Australia.

November 2010• AerosolchemistryspeciationmonitorincorporatedintotheAerosolObservingSystem(AOS)atSGP.• DatacommunicationtowersandradioequipmentforallSGPradarsitesinstalled.• FirstoperationalRamanlidarinthetropicsbegangatheringdatainDarwin.

December 2010• AllthreeX-SAPRscompletedacceptancetestingatSGP.• Ka-bandARMzenithradar(KAZR)replacedmillimeterwavelengthcloudradar(MMCR)atSGP.• Newatmosphericemittedradianceinterferometer(AERI)andDopplerlidarinstalledattheDarwinsite.

January 2011• Highspectralresolutionlidar(HSRL)and3-channelmicrowaveradiometerjoinedtheARMMobileFacility(AMF)

installationinSteamboatSprings,Colorado.• NewAERIinstalledatSGP.

February 2011• C-bandSAPRandW/Ka-bandscanningARMcloudradar(SACR)installedatSGP,completingthenewsuiteoffivescanningradars.

March 2011• HSRLandautosondelauncherinstalledatNorthSlopeofAlaska(NSA)siteinBarrow,Alaska.• Fast-forwardscatteringprobeandfastclouddropletprobeaddedtotheARMAerialFacility(AAF)instrumentsuite.

April 2011• C-SAPRonManusIsland,PapuaNewGuinea,installed,representingthefirstoperationalprecipitationradarintheTWParea.

May 2011

• NewKAZRbeganoperationatNSA,representingthefinalreplacementoftheoriginalMMCRsthroughouttheARMFacility.

June 2011• AcceptancetestingcompleteforX-SAPRatNSA.• Dual-frequencyW/Ka-bandandX/Ka-bandSACRsacceptedfordeploymentatDarwinandManusIslandandaspartoftheAMF.

July/August 2011• X/Ka-SACRinstalledinDarwin.• Threenew3-channelmicrowaveradiometerspassedacceptancetestsatSGP.

September 2011

• FinalRecoveryActinstrumentsreceived,andinfrastructureenhancementscomplete.


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Facility Overview ...........................................................................................................................................4

The Importance of Clouds and Radiation to Climate Change ........................................................5

ARM Climate Research Facility .............................................................................................................6

Cooperation and Oversight Enable Success .....................................................................................7

Budget Summary and Facility Statistics ...............................................................................................8

Key Accomplishments .................................................................................................................................9

Featured Field Campaigns ..................................................................................................................10 •MidlatitudeContinentalConvectiveCloudsExperiment •StormPeakLabCloudPropertyValidationExperiment

Research Highlights ...............................................................................................................................14 •ANewSurface-BasedApproachforDeterminingCloudAlbedo •IceGenerationandGrowthinArcticMixed-PhaseClouds •ARMDataRevealtheStrongestLong-TermNetImpactofAerosolsonCloudsandPrecipitation •LookingforAerosolinAlltheRightPlaces •CharacterizingCloudsatArcticAtmosphericObservatories •AnvilCloudsofTropicalMesoscaleConvectiveSystemsinMonsoonRegions

Infrastructure Achievements ................................................................................................................19 •RecoveryAct •SiteOperations •DataDelivery •Communication,Education,andOutreach

Field Campaign Summary .........................................................................................................................25

On the cover: During April and May of 2011, the Midlatitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment took place at the ARM SGP site in central Oklahoma. The goal of this campaign was to document and monitor precipitation, clouds, winds, and moisture in order to provide a holistic view of convective clouds. For more information, see the FeaturedFieldCampaigns section of this report.

Table of CONTENTS


Facility OVERVIEW


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Review panel states ARM Facility “without peer.” Everythreeyears,DOEOfficeofScienceuserfacilitiesundergoareviewtoevaluatetheireffectivenessincontributingtotheirrespectivescienceareas.ThelatestARMFacilityreviewwasconductedinmid-Februarybyasix-memberreviewpanel.ThepanelconvenedinPoncaCity,Oklahoma,nearARM’sSGPsitetoconducttheirreview.TheirfirstagendaitemwasanSGPsitetour,whichprovidedareal-timeexampleofthescopeandexpertiseofsiteoperationsandincludedademonstrationofthesite’snewlyinstalledprecipitationradars.TheremainderofthereviewconsistedoftechnicalpresentationsbyFacilitymanagement.Notably,inadebriefingfollowingthereview,thepanelstatedthatARMwasa“world-classfacilitywithoutpeer.”

The Importance of Clouds and Radiation to Climate Change

TheEarth’ssurfacetemperatureisdeterminedbythebalancebetweenincomingsolarradiationandthermal(orinfrared)radiationemittedbytheEarthbacktospace.Changesinatmosphericcomposition,includinggreenhousegases,clouds,andaerosols,canalterthisbalanceandproducesignificantclimatechange.Globalclimatemodels(GCMs)aretheprimarytoolforquantifyingfutureclimatechange;however,significantuncertaintiesremainintheGCMtreatmentofclouds,aerosol,andtheireffectsontheEarth’senergybalance.

In1989,theU.S.DepartmentofEnergy(DOE)OfficeofSciencecreatedtheAtmosphericRadiationMeasurement

(ARM)Programtoaddressscientificuncertaintiesrelatedtoglobalclimatechange,withaspecificfocusonthecrucialrole

ofcloudsandtheirinfluenceonthetransferofradiationintheatmosphere.

Designatedanationaluserfacilityin2003,theARMClimateResearchFacility(ARMFacility)isascientificuserfacilityforobtaininglong-termmeasurementsofradiativefluxes,cloudandaerosolproperties,andrelatedatmosphericcharacteristicsindiverseclimateregimes.

TheARMFacilitynowprovidesunmatchedmeasurementcapabilitiesthatpermitthemostdetaileddocumentationofcloudcharacteristicsandtheirevolutioneverobtainedanywhereintheworldandwillhelpscientistsreducethetwolargestuncertaintiesinclimatemodels:therolesofcloudsandaerosolsinclimatechange.

ThisreportprovidesanoverviewoftheARMFacilityandaselectionofachievementsforeachinfiscalyear(FY)2011.

Researchers use data collected from ARM ground-based and airborne instruments to study the natural phenomena that occur in clouds and how those cloud conditions affect incoming and outgoing radiative energy.


ARM Climate Research FacilityThroughtheARMFacility,DOEfundedthedevelopmentofseveralpermanent,highlyinstrumentedgroundstationsforstudyingcloudformationprocessesandtheirinfluenceonradiativetransfer,andformeasuringotherparametersthatdeterminetheradiativepropertiesoftheatmosphere.Toobtainthemostusefulclimatedata,instrumentationwasestablishedatthreelocalesselectedfortheirbroadrangeofclimateconditions.

• Southern Great Plains (SGP)—includesaheavilyinstrumentedCentralFacilitynearLamont,Oklahoma,andsmallersatellitefacilitiescoveringa150-kilometer-by-150-kilometerareainOklahomaandKansas.

• Tropical Western Pacific (TWP)—includesthreesitesspanningtheequatorialregionfromIndonesiatothedateline:Darwin,Australia;ManusIsland,PapuaNewGuinea;andNauruIsland.

• North Slope of Alaska (NSA)—includesasiteatBarrowneartheedgeoftheArcticOcean.

Eachsiteoperatesadvancedmeasurementsystemsonacontinuousbasistoprovidehigh-qualityresearchdatasets.Thecurrentgenerationofground-based,remotesensinginstrumentsincludesthree-dimensional(3D)cloudandprecipitationradars,Ramanlidar,infraredinterferometers,aerosolobservingsystems,andseveralfrequenciesofmicrowaveradiometers,amongothers.

GOAmazon 2014 workshop identifies challenges, opportunities.InJuly2011,DOE’sOfficeofBiologicalandEnvironmentalResearch(BER)heldatwo-dayworkshoptoidentifykeyscientificchallengesandopportunitiesassociatedwithamajorfieldcampaign—GreenOceanAmazon2014,orGOAmazon2014—takingplaceinManaus,Brazil.Duringthecampaign,severalBER programs,includingtheARMFacility,willdeployobservationalresourcestoobtaindataforstudyingoneofthemostcomplexclimateprocessesonEarth:theatmosphere-cloud-terrestrialtropicalsystemsthatdrivetropicaldeepconvectionintheAmazon.

Morethantwodozenprocessandmodelingscientistswithexpertiseinatmosphericandterrestrialecosystemresearchparticipatedintheworkshop,alongwithBERprogrammanagersandinvitedspeakers.TheoutcomesofthisworkshoparesummarizedintheGOAmazon2014WorkshopReport(DOE/SC-0141), includingappendicescontaininganagenda,participantslist,andmeasurementcapabilitiescollection.

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ThroughtheAmericanRecoveryandReinvestmentActof2009(RecoveryAct),theARMFacilityreceived$60milliontopurchaseanddeploynewandupgradedinstrumentation,equipment,andinfrastructure.TheARMFacility’sinstrumentarraysrepresentsomeofthemostsophisticatedtoolsavailableforconductingatmosphericresearch.

MeasurementsobtainedatthepermanentsitesaresupplementedwithdataobtainedfromintensivefieldcampaignsusingtheARMMobileFacilities(AMF)orARMAerialFacility(AAF).

Inaddition,dataonsurfaceandatmosphericpropertiesarealsogatheredthroughforecastmodels,satellites,andvalue-addedprocessing.Oncecollected,theinformationissenttothesitedatasystemsandcarefullyreviewedforquality.ApproveddataarethenstoredintheARMDataArchive(www.archive.arm.gov)forusebytheatmosphericsciencecommunity.

Usingthesedata,scientistsarestudyingtheeffectsandinteractionsofsunlight,radiantenergy,andcloudstounderstandtheirimpactontemperatures,weather,andclimate.Aspartofthiseffort,ARMpersonnelanalyzeandtestthedatafilestocreateenhanceddataproducts,whicharealsomadeavailableforthesciencecommunityviatheARMDataArchivetoaidinfurtherresearch.

Cooperation and Oversight Enable Success NineDOEnationallaboratoriesandnumerousgovernmentagencies,universities,privatecompanies,andforeignorganizationscontributetotheARMFacility.Eachentityservesavitalroleinmanagingandconductingtheoperationandadministrationoftheuserfacility.

TheARMFacilityisdirectedbyDOE Headquarters.AnInfrastructure Management Boardcoordinatesthescientific,operational,data,financial,andadministrativefunctionsoftheARMFacility.An11-memberFacility Science Board,selectedbytheARMProgramDirector,servesasanindependentreviewbodytoensureappropriatescientificuseoftheARMFacility.

Cloud radar overhauled and renamed.Inmid-December2010,anewradarbeganatwo-weekpre-operationaltestalongsidetheARMMMCRatSGP.Thisushersinaneweraforthefixed-positionclouddatapreviouslyacquiredbytheMMCR.TheMMCR(right-handside)hasbeenretiredatallofARM’spermanentresearchsitesinfavorofthenewKAZR(left-handside),whichisexpectedtoprovidesignificantlyimprovedsensitivity.

Sinceitbeganoperatingin1996,theMMCRsetthestandardforprovidingdataaboutcloudboundaries,verticalvelocity,andreflectivity.ThroughtheRecoveryAct,ARMwasprovidedtheopportunitytosignificantlyupdatetheradar’stechnology.Asaresult,theKAZRisessentiallyanewradar.Sourcedbyadifferentmanufacturer,itusesonlytwoofthesamecomponents—theantennaandtransmitter—asthepreviousmodel.Althoughtheusercommunitymustfamiliarizeitselfwithanewinstrumentname,theingesteddataformatisassimilaraspossibletothehistoricalMMCRingest.Inaddition,thechangeshouldbetransparentforresearcherswhousedatafromtheMMCRthroughthewidelyusedActiveRemoteSensingofClouds,orARSCL,value-addedproduct(VAP).


Fiscal Year 2011 Budget Summary and Facility Statistics

FY2011 Budget ($K)

Infrastructure 45,694

User Statistics for the Period of October 1, 2010–September 30, 2011

ARM Facility Component Unique Scientific Users

Unique Non-Scientific Users

Totals

AMF1(Azores) 19 16 35

AMF2(Colorado) 156 43 199

NSA 41 40 81

SGP 149 178 327

TWP 34 28 62

DataManagementFacility 48 67 115

Archive 770 75 845

Total 1217 447 1664

Operational Statistics for the Period of October 1, 2010–September 30, 2011

Data Availability (%)SITE GOAL ACTUAL

AMF 0.95 0.77

NSA 0.90 0.90

SGP 0.95 0.93

TWP 0.85 0.94

Site Average 0.90 0.92

Site average is calculated for fixed sites only.

The AMF did not operate during the fourth quarter of FY2011, so the average is calculated based on data availability during the first three quarters.

2605

470667

2983

Visitor Days by Site

AMF &Other

SGP NSA TWP

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Key ACCOMPLISHMENTS

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Featured Field CampaignsInadditiontoprovidingcontinuousdatacollectionsfromitsfixedsites,theARMFacilitysponsorsfieldcampaignsforscientiststoobtainspecificdatasetsortotestandvalidateinstruments.ThefollowingpageshighlightkeycampaignsconductedinFY2011.AsummaryofallARMFacilitycampaignsthatbeganinFY2011isavailableattheendofthisreport.

Midlatitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment

BeginningApril2011,theARMSGPsiteinnorth-centralOklahomahostedtheMidlatitudeContinentalConvectiveCloudsExperiment(MC3E),thefirstmajorfieldcampaigntotakeadvantageofnumerousnewradarsandotherremotesensinginstrumentationinstalledthroughoutthesitewithfundingfromtheRecoveryAct.

Thecampaignwashighlycomplex,involvingfiveremoteradiosondesites,supplementalradars,coordinatedaircraft,andadensenetworkofdozensofraingaugesanddisdrometers.TheNationalAeronauticsandSpaceAdministration(NASA)alsosponsoredmorethan100flighthourswithtwodifferentaircraft:theER-2andtheUniversityofNorthDakota’s(UND)Citation.TheCitationcarriedtwoprobesbelongingtotheAAFandpurchasedin2010throughtheRecoveryAct.ByheavilysupplementingtheroutinemeasurementsfromtheSGPsite,thegoalofMC3Ewastoprovidethemostcompletecharacterizationofconvectivecloudsystemsandtheirenvironmentthathaseverbeenobtained,providingdetailsfortherepresentationofcumuluscloudsincomputermodelsthathaveneverbeforebeenavailable.

LatespringintheMidwestgeneratedsomeofthemostsevereweathereverrecordedinthestateofOklahomaandproducedavarietyofconvectivecloudconditions.TheseconditionsprovidedMC3Eresearcherswithampleopportunitytostudythecomprehensivedatasetcollectedbythewidearrayofinstrumentsthroughoutthestudydomain.

AsastormsystemmovedovertheSGPCentralFacilityonMay20,2011,itwassampledbyalltheground-basedinstrumentsandradarsandsampledfromaboveandwithinbyaircraftflyingwell-definedcross-sectionsovertheCentralFacility.AtornadoonMay23,2011,wasobservedbythenewC-SAPRabout50kilometerstothenortheastoftheCentralFacility.

OnMay24,2011,anotherseriesofstormcellsspawnednumeroustornadoesthattoucheddowninOklahoma.Oneofthesetornadoespassedwithinaquarter-mileofSGPinstrumentslocatedatasmallSGP“extendedfacility”inElReno.AlthoughoutsideoftheMC3Eradardomain,instrumentationatanOklahomaMesonetsitecollocatedwiththeARMsiteatElRenorecordedwindsofaround150milesperhourandanextremepressuredropasthetornadopassedthrough.

During MC3E, convective clouds like these were measured by NASA research aircraft and numerous radars throughout the SGP site, including ARM’s radars at the SGP Central Facility.

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Results: PreliminaryanalysisofthedatafromtheMC3Ecampaignindicatesthatawidevarietyofcloudandprecipitationconditionsweresampled,includingstrongconvectivelines,isolatedconvectivecells,widespreadstratiformrain,elevatedweakconvection,boundary-layerclouds,andmid-orupper-levelclouds.Thedatacollectedbefore,during,andaftertheseeventswillbeusedtoinvestigateatmosphericprocessesimportantfortheparameterizationofconvectivecloudsinlarge-scaleatmosphericmodels.Themeasurementsthatwillbeusedforthisanalysisinclude:

• Large-scaleradiosondearray:Morethan25participantslaunched4–8weatherballoonsperdayfrom6differentsites,totalingmorethan1400launchesoverthecourseofthesix-weekfieldcampaign.Theprofilesofatmosphericstatevariableswillprovideimportantinformationontheenvironmentinwhichconvectivecloudsprogressthroughtheirlifecycle.Theseprofilesarealsoanimportantinputtolarge-scaleatmosphericmodels.

• NewARMscanningradarsystems:Theseinstrumentsprovidednewobservationsonthedetailsofcloudandprecipitationsystemsduringallstagesoftheirlifecycle.Thevarietyofobservationsatdifferentwavelengthsallowedtheobservationofafullspectrumofcloudsfromsmallnon-precipitatingcloudstolarge,organizedstormsystems,includingsevereweather.

• Coordinatedaircraftobservations:TheNASAER-2andUNDCitationflewcoordinatedflightsinmanyofthedifferentprecipitatingsystemsseenduringMC3E,providingaviewfromabovethecloudsandmeasurementsofthecloudandprecipitationmicrophysicswithintheclouds.

• Disdrometernetwork:Anetworkofmorethan20disdrometersprovidedinformationonthevariabilityofprecipitationdropsizedistributionsatsub-stormsizescalesandinsightsintotheformation,growth,andbreak-upprocessesofthedrops.

Thesecasesprovideanunprecedented,comprehensivedatasetforstudyingcloudandprecipitationprocessesandimprovingclimatemodelsforyearstocome.

These three radar images show observations of a strong convective system with severe weather that moved through the MC3E domain on the afternoon of May 23, 2011. From top to bottom, data were gathered by the southwest X-SAPR, the C-SAPR, and the southeast X-SAPR.

Storm Peak Lab Cloud Property Validation Experiment

FromOctober2010throughApril2011,adensecollectionofremotesensinginstrumentsgathereddatafromthecloudsatfourdifferentelevationsonMountWernerintheSteamboatSpringsskiareaaspartoftheStormPeakLabCloudPropertyValidationExperiment(STORMVEX).Scientistswillusethesedatatostudyhowclouds—especiallythosethatproducerainandsnow—evolveinmountainousterrain.TheywillusethedatatoverifytheaccuracyofmeasurementsusedincomputermodelsoftheEarth’sclimatesystem.

Thegoalbehindthemultipleelevationinstrumentstrategywastocapturea“verticalprofile”ofthecloudsthatmoveacrossthemountainslopes.Todothis,thedepartmentdeployedAMF2withnearlytwodozenremotesensinginstrumentstotakecontinuousmeasurementsfromthreedifferentelevationsbeneathStormPeakLab(SPL),apermanentatmosphericresearchlaboratoryatthetopofMountWerner.SeveraloftheinstrumentsdeployedduringthefieldcampaignwerefundedbytheRecoveryActandhadneverbeendeployedbefore.ThecampaignalsorepresentedtheinauguraldeploymentofARM’ssecondmobilefacility.

Becausecloudsaresodynamicandcancontainice,water,oramixtureofthetwo,theycontinuetobeoneofthehardestcomponentsoftheclimatesystemforscientiststomodelaccurately.Ground-basedinstrumentsprovidemoregeographicandtemporalcoverageofthesecloudsystems.Instrumentsonthegroundaretypicallyusedtoobtain—or“retrieve”—measurementsthatarerelatedindirectlytoimportantcloudprocesses.Inferringthesecloudprocessesrequiresdevelopmentofmathematicalformulas,oralgorithms,toconvertthemeasurementsintocloudproperties.Inordertoensuregreateraccuracyoftheground-basedmeasurements,comparisonsaremadewithmoredirectairbornemeasurements.Duringtheexperiment,SPLwasin-cloud,andtheirarrayofmeasurementsservedasaproxyforaircraftmeasurements.

Aboutadozeninstrumentswerelocatedonthevalleyfloor,nearthebaseofMountWerner,whereresearchersalsolaunchedweatherballoonsseveraltimesaday.MoreinstrumentswerelocatedoutsideThunderheadLodge,amainthoroughfarefortheskiarea.AthirdinstrumentcollectionwaslocatedneartheChristiePeakExpresschairlift.SPL,atthetopofthemountain,hostedseveralinstrumentsinadditiontoitspermanentcollection.

Inaddition,theNationalScienceFoundation-supportedColoradoAirborneMultiphaseCloudStudy(CAMPS)providednearly100hoursofresearchflighttimeovertheSteamboatareabytheUniversityofWyomingKingAirresearchaircraft.InstrumentsandsupportfromNASA’sJetPropulsionLabwerealsocriticalelementsofSTORMVEX.

The SWACR gathered cloud properties data outside the Thunderhead Ski Lodge in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

During STORMVEX, the AOS was located at Christie Peak, along with a sign describing the various elements of the study.


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Results: Understandingthecomplexmicrophysicalprocessesthatlinkairmotionswiththeproductionoffrozenprecipitationinliquidphasecloudsisanimportantbutpoorlyunderstoodprocess.STORMVEXbenefitedfromoneofthesnowiestwintersonrecordinthenorthernColoradoRockyMountainsandenjoyedcloudcoverexceeding60percent.Measurablesnowwasrecordedonmorethan75daysofthecampaign,withmajorsnowfallexceeding10centimetersperdayonapproximately20ofthosedays.Totalmeasurablesnowfallexceeded800centimeters.

Duringthecampaign,AMF2’smajorassetsoperatednearlyflawlesslywithnomajordowntimeofthescanningW-bandcloudradar(SWACR).TheSWACRcollectedterabytesofDopplerspectraandvolumetricradarreflectivitydatafromanareaextending10kilometersinalldirections,includingthecomplexterrainoftheParkRangemountains.

RadiosondeswerelaunchedonaregularschedulefromthevalleybyAMF2andanintrepidcadreoflocalvolunteers.Simultaneously,aerosoldatawerecollectedbytheAOSlocatedonChristiePeakandbyinstrumentsatSPL.AlsoatSPL,measurementsofclouddroplets,icecrystals,andsnowflakeparticleconcentrationswerecollected.InadditiontoSPL’sregularstaff,ateamofgraduatestudentsfromtheUniversityofUtahandtheUniversityofWashingtonmaintainedSPL’sinstrumentsinconditionsthatwereoftenchallenging.

Analysisofthedatasetisjustbeginningtogeneratescientificresults.EarlyanalysisoftheSWACRdataisshowingameasurablepolarimetricsignaturetosnowflakecrystalstructure.TheaerosoldataarerevealingauniquenucleationprocessthatoccurreddailyatapproximatelythesametimeintheafternoonatbothSPLandatChristiePeak.Finally,theSWACRDopplerspectraaredisplayingawelldefinedsignatureoforientedsnowflakesaswellasdepictingauniquedistributionofprecipitation.

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This map of the STORMVEX sites illustrates the various elevations at which measurements were gathered.

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Research HighlightsScientistsaroundtheworldusedatafromtheARMFacilityfortheirresearch.InFY2011,ARMdatawerecitedinatotalof380publications.ThefollowingpagesfeatureaselectionofARMresearchhighlightsfromthesepublications.Formorepublicationsinformation,searchtheARMPublicationsDatabase:

www.arm.gov/publications/publist

A New Surface-Based Approach for Determining Cloud Albedo

OneoftheARMFacility’slongestandbestmeasurementsissurface-basedsolarradiation.Withinthisstudy,researcherscapitalizedonlong-termandhigh-resolutionradiationmeasurementstoaddressthreeoutstandingissuesrelatedtocloud-radiationinteractions.First,itistheoreticallyshownthatrelativesurfacecloudradiativeforcing,definedasthedifferencebetweenclear-skyandall-skysurfacedownwellingsolarradiationnormalizedbytheclear-skysurfacedownwellingsolarradiation,approximatelyequalscloudfractiontimescloudalbedo.Second,basedonthisanalyticalexpression,anewmethodwasdevelopedtoestimatecloudalbedofrommeasurementsoftherelativesurfaceradiativeforcingandcloudfraction.Thenewsurface-basedmethodisevaluatedbycomparisonwithcoincidentandcollocatedsatellitemeasurements.Finally,usingthenewformulation,high-resolution,

decade-longdataonrelativecloudradiativeforcingandcloudalbedoaregeneratedfromtheconcurrentsurface-basedmeasurementsofdownwellingshortwaveradiationfluxandcloudfractioncollectedatSGPsince1997.Thesenewdataarethenusedtoquantifymultiscale(diurnal,annual,andinter-annual)variationandco-variationofsurfacecloudradiativeforcing,cloudfraction,andcloudalbedo.

Thisstudydemonstratestheutilityoftheconceptofrelativecloudradiativeforcing,itsquantitativerelationshipwithcloudfractionandcloudalbedoinstudyingcloud-radiationinteractions,andthepotentialforitsapplicationtootherARM-likesiteswhereradiationisroutinelymeasured.Asimilarframeworkcanbeappliedtoevaluateclimatemodelsintermsofparameterizationofprocesscoupling,anaspectthathasnotreceivedsufficientattention.

(Reference:Liu,Y,WWu,MPJensen,andTToto.2011.“Relationshipbetweencloudradiativeforcing,cloudfractionandcloudalbedo,andnewsurface-basedapproachfordeterminingcloudalbedo.”Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics11(14):7155–7170,doi:10.5194/acp-11-7155-2011.)

2011 Publications Summary

Category Total

AbstractsorPresentations

239

BookChapters 1ConferencePapers 117JournalArticles 117TechnicalReports 23Total 380

Comparison of cloud albedo derived from the new surface-based approach and the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) satellite measurements at SGP. The red and black lines represent the linear fit to all the data points and perfect match, respectively. The different panels account for the different percentage of the occurrence of single-layer clouds.

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Ice Generation and Growth in Arctic Mixed- Phase Clouds

Inexperiencingsignificantchangesinitssurfaceairtemperature,sea-icecover,atmosphericcirculation,precipitation,snowfall,biogeochemicalcycling,andlandsurface,theArctichasprovensensitivetoglobalclimatechanges.Advancedknowledgeofcloud-radiation-dynamicsfeedbacksisneededtounderstandthesecurrentchangesandtoreliablyforecastfuturechanges.DuetotheArctic’slocationanduniquethermodynamicconditions,knowledgeofcloudsinthemiddlelatitudecannotbefullyappliedtoit.Forexample,Arcticcloudsaredominatedbystratiformmixed-phaseclouds,whichhaveamuchloweroccurrenceinthemiddlelatitude.Long-termobservationsatNSAofferopportunitiestounderstandphysicalprocessescontrollingthesecloudsandtheirrolesintheArcticclimatesystem.

Bycombiningmultipleremotesensormeasurements,analgorithmwasdevelopedtoretrieveliquid-andice-phasepropertiesinthesemixed-phaseclouds,whichofferneededinformationforprocessstudies.Basedonsixyears(1999to2004)ofobservationalandretrievaldataatNSA,researchersdeterminedthespringseasonhasdistinctice-liquidmasspartitioninArcticmixed-phaseclouds.Theanalysesofsurfacesamplingsandlidardepolarizationprofilesindicatedahighoccurrenceoflong-rangetransporteddustaerosolsinthespringseason,whichpointstoastrongseasonaldustimpactonicegenerationinArcticmixed-phaseclouds.DuetotheArctic’slongwinterandlowsunelevationangle,thesemixed-phasecloudscanwarmthesurfacethroughdownwardlongwaveradiation.Formoderate,thinmixed-phaseclouds,differenticewatercontentsinthemcanresultinupto9wattspersquaremetermoredownwardlongwaveradiationreachingthesurface.ThisindicatesapotentialsignificantaerosolindirectradiativeeffectinArcticmixed-phasecloudsbychangingice-phaseproperties.

(References:Zhao,M.2011.“Thearcticcloudsfrommodelsimulationsandlong-termobservationsatBarrow,Alaska.”PhDDissertation,UniversityofWyoming.

Zhao,M,andZWang.2010.“ComparisonofArcticcloudsbetweenEuropeanCenterforMedium-RangeWeatherForecastssimulationsandAtmosphericRadiationMeasurementClimateResearchFacilitylong-termobservationsattheNorthSlopeofAlaskaBarrowsite.”Journal of Geophysical Research115:D23202,doi:10.1029/2010JD014285.)

ARM Data Reveal the Strongest Long-Term Net Impact of Aerosols on Clouds and Precipitation

Aerosols—tinyparticlesintheair,likedustorsoot—canaffectcloudsandprecipitationbyservingascloudcondensationnuclei(CCN).Theycanaltercloudmicrophysicsandprecipitationprocessesandmodulateradiativeandlatentenergytochangeatmosphericdynamicsandthermodynamicsthatdictateclouddevelopment.Theseeffectscaneithersuppressorfostercloudandprecipitationprocesses.Variouseffectshavebeenstudiedforindividualcasesunderhighlyconstrainedconditions,butlittlehasbeendonetodecipherlong-termeffectsundergeneralconditions.

Long-term data show the spring season has distinct ice-liquid mass partition in Arctic mixed-phase clouds.


Usinga10-yeardatasetofextensivemeasurementsfromSGP,thelong-termnetimpactofaerosolsoncloudandrainfallfrequencyisrevealedforthefirsttime,andvariouseffectsaresortedoutunderdifferentmeteorologicalandcloudconditions.Cloud-topheightandthicknessarefoundtoincrease—mostsignificantlyinsummer—withincreasedaerosolconcentrationmeasurednearthegroundforcloudswithwarmbase(above15°C)andmixed-phasetops(below-4°C).Fewchangesarefoundforcloudswithnoiceorwithhighcloudbases.Theprecipitationfrequencyincreaseswithaerosolsfordeepcloudsofhighliquidwatercontentanddecreasesforcloudswithlittlewater.Theobservations,successfullyreproducedwithacloud-resolvingmodel,havesignificantimplicationstounderstandinganthropogenicinfluencesonwaterresources,monitoringEarth’sclimatechanges,andsustainingeconomicdevelopment.ThedrasticchangesincloudverticaldevelopmentcanalterEarth’sradiationbalanceandatmosphericdynamics.Becauseeconomicdevelopmentoftenisaccompaniedbyincreasesinaerosolemissions,thefindingsimplyasevereadverseimpactonsustainabledevelopment,especiallyoverregionsvulnerabletoextrememeteorologicalevents(e.g.,droughtorflooding).Increasesinaerosolorpollutiontendtopolarize

precipitation,makingdryplacesdrierandmoistregionswetter,reducingwaterusageefficiency—akeyfactorforsustaininglifeandagriculture.

(Reference:Li,Z,FNiu,JFan,YLiu,DRosenfeld,andYDing.2011.“Long-termoverallimpactofaerosolsontheverticaldevelopmentofcloudsandprecipitation.”Nature Geoscience:doi:10.1038/NGEO1313.)

Looking for Aerosol in All the Right Places

Globalclimatemodelscalculateatmosphericprocessesatscalescloseto100by100kilometers(62milesacross).Aerosols,tinyparticlesofdustorpollutionintheatmosphere,actonmuchsmallerscalesandcanvaryaccordingtolocalatmosphericorgeographicfeatures.Overlookingthesmall-scaleeffectsofaerosolscanhaveanegativeimpactonglobalclimatepredictions.Duringatwo-weekperiodoverMexicoCity,researchersfoundthatthedifferencebetweentheirdetailedaerosolmodelingandthecoarsemodelingusedinmodernglobalclimatemodelswasashighas30percent.Inglobalclimatemodels,theclimateeffectsofthesefeaturesareoftenaveragedoutoverthelarge-scalegrid,distortingtheactualeffectsoftheprocesses.Aerosols,whichscatterandabsorbsunlight,areknowntotiptheenergybalancetowardheatingorcooling,dependingonthetypeofparticleanditselevationaboveEarth’ssurface.Theresearchersidentifiedsmall-scaleprocessesthatcanleadtolarger,accumulatederrorsovertime.Usinga

high-resolutionatmosphericmeteorologyandaerosolmodelcombinedwithextensiveobservationsofaerosolandthesurroundingenvironment,theyfoundthatcertainaerosolemissionsarelikelytocauseerrorduetosmall-scalefluctuationsinatmosphericconditions.Thisstudyprovidesclimatescientistswithamoreaccurateaccountofaerosolsonthesmallscaletohelpanalyzeandpredictglobalclimatechanges.

(Reference:GustafsonJr.,WI,YQian,andJDFast.2011.“DownscalingaerosolsandtheimpactofneglectedsubgridprocessesondirectaerosolradiativeforcingforarepresentativeGCMgridspacing.”Journal of Geophysical Research–Atmospheres116:D13303,doi:10.1029/2010JD015480.)

Changes of cloud top temperature (a) and precipitation frequency (b) with aerosol number concentration (CN) measured at SGP for 10 years. Clouds are differentiated by cloud top temperature (CTT), bottom temperature (CBT), and rainfall amount.

High-resolution simulation for Mexico City (top), shows a more detailed and accurate picture of aerosol pollution compared to representations of a global climate model (bottom). The deep red to light green represents high to low concentrations of aerosol pollution.

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Characterizing Clouds at Arctic Atmospheric Observatories

TobetterobservetherolecloudsplayinArcticatmosphericradiationandhydrologiccycles,researchscientistsassembledcloudobservationsmadeoverthepastdecadeatsixArcticatmosphericobservatories—BarrowandAtqasuk(Alaska),Eureka(Canada),NyAlesund(Norway),Summit(Greenland),andtheBeaufortSea—toinvestigatemanybasiccloudcharacteristics,includingoccurrencefraction,verticaldistribution,persistenceintime,diurnalcycle,boundarystatistics,andphasedistributions.

Continuousground-basedobservations,providedviaacombinationofground-basedcloudlidar,radar,ceilometer,interferometer,microwaveradiometer,and/orradiosondesatthesites,revealannualcloudoccurrencefractionsrangingfrom58to83percent,withclearannualcyclevariabilitywherecloudsareleastfrequentinwinterandmostfrequentinlatesummerandfall(exceptinEureka).Importantly,thisstudyhasalsoprovidedabroaderexaminationofArcticcloudphase,monthlyaveragetotalcloudinessatindividuallocations,mediancloudpersistence,interannualvariability,andcloudphasedistributionsasafunctionofatmospherictemperatureandrelativehumidity.Significantinter-sitedifferencesdooccurinboththefrequencyofoccurrenceforcloudsofdifferentphasesandtheirannualvariability,suggestingthattheprocessesresponsibleforcloudformationandphasedeterminationaresimilaracrosstheArcticwhilelarger-scalemeteorologydeterminestheactualdistributionofcloudsandcloudphaseateachspecificlocation.ThesedataareimportanttobothbetterunderstandandsimulateinnumericalmodelstomoreaccuratelypredicttrendsinArcticclimate.

(References:Shupe,MD,VPWalden,EEloranta,TUttal,JRCampbell,SMStarkweather,andMShiobara.2011.“CloudsatArcticatmosphericobservatories,partI:Occurrenceandmacrophysicalproperties.”Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology50(3):626–644,doi:10.1175/2010JAMC2467.1.

ShupeMD.2011.“CloudsatArcticatmosphericobservatories,partII:Thermodynamicphasecharacteristics.”Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology50(3):645–661,doi:10.1175/2010JAMC2468.1.)

(a) Annual cycles of monthly mean cloud occurrence fraction at six Arctic atmospheric observatories. The average cloud fraction for all sites, equally weighting each site, is given as the black curve with annual averages provided (at right). For comparison, past Arctic cloud fraction climatologies also are provided. Monthly average vertical distributions of cloud occurrence fraction are provided for (b) Barrow, (c) SHEBA, and (d) Eureka.

Developer of the Millimeter Cloud Radar Recognized at the ASR Fall Meeting.DuringtheAtmosphericSystemResearchFallWorkingGroupMeetinginOctober,Dr.KennethMoran,NationalOceanicandAtmosphericAdministration(NOAA),waspresentedwithaplaqueinrecognitionofhis15yearsofoutstandingcontributionstotheARMProgramandARMClimateResearchFacility.AsthedeveloperoftheMMCR,Ken’sexpertiseandprofessionalism,aswellashissubsequentsupportandmaintenanceefforts,havebeeninvaluabletoARM’ssuccess.

ARM Technical Director Jim Mather (left) and ARM Radar Group Lead Kevin Widener (right) present a plaque to Kenneth Moran.


Anvil Clouds of Tropical Mesoscale Convective Systems in Monsoon Regions

Inthetropics,upper-levelcloudscontainingiceandmixturesoficeandliquidwaterstronglyaffectthetransferofradiationthroughtheatmosphereandareassociatedwithdeepconvection.Deepmesoscaleconvectivesystems(MCSs),largerthan~100kilometers,oftendeveloplargestratiformprecipitationregionsandaccountforalargefractionoftropicalprecipitation,anvils,andcirrusclouds;producemostofthelatentheatinginthetropics;andaffectradiativeheating.Thisstudy,whichanalyzedthreelocations:theMaritimeContinent,BayofBengal,andWestAfrica,constructsajointclimatologyofbothprecipitationstructureandanvilcharacteristicsoftropicalMCSstoanalyzetheireffectonradiativeheatinginthetropics.

TheMCSprecipitationstructureswereexaminedusingdatafromtheTropicalRainfallMeasuringMission’s(TRMM)PrecipitationRadar.CloudSatCloudProfilingRadarwasusedfortheanvilcloudstructuresandwasverifiedagainsttheARMverticallypointingcloudradars(NiameyandDarwin)withahighdegreeofconsistency.Theprecipitationstructureswerepartitionedintoconvectiveandstratiformprofiles,andanvilcloudsweresubdividedbythickness.ThedataweredisplayedusingContouredFrequencybyAltitudeDiagrams(CFADs).

Ingeneral,theanvilsgeneratedbyMCSsineachlocationhavesimilarstatistics,althoughtheyaredominatedbymeasurementsoftheextensivethinportionsofMCSanvils.Mostofthevariationinanvilstructureisevidentinthethickportions.TheWestAfricathickanvilsCFAD,indicatingabroad,flatreflectivityhistogramandmaximumreflectivitylowerintheanvils,contrastswiththeBayofBengalthickanvilsCFADthatshowsasharplypeakeddistributionofreflectivityatallaltitudeswithmodalvaluesincreasingdownwardmonotonically.TheMaritimeContinentthickanvilsreflectivityhistogramisintermediatebetweentheothertwo.Theobserveddifferencesbetweenthecontinentalandoceanicanvilstatisticsimplythatfutureparameterizationsandrepresentationsofanvilcloudsinpredictionmodelsmustaccountfordifferentanvilphysicsinthetworegions.

(Reference:Cetrone,J,andRAHouzeJr.2009.“Anvilcloudsoftropicalmesoscaleconvectivesystemsinmonsoonregions.”Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society 135(639):305–317,doi:10.1002/qj.389.)

These contour diagrams show the frequency distribution of CloudSat cloud profiling radar reflectivity as a function of height of thick (>6 kilometers) mesoscale convective system anvils over (a) West Africa, (b) the Maritime Continent, and (c) Bay of Bengal. The contours show bin counts divided by total counts. The contour interval is 0.001, contour values range from 0.001 to 0.018, and bin dimensions are 5 dBZ by 250.

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Infrastructure AchievementsMaintainingmultipleinstrumentedsitesaroundtheworldisnoeasyfeat.TheARMFacilityusesateamofscience,engineering,andtechnicalpersonneltoensureeffectiveoperations,keepupwithtechnologydevelopments,deliverhigh-qualitydata,andprovideoutreachtoaglobalaudience.

Recovery Act

DopplerLidarsMeasureWindinThreeDimensions

ThroughtheRecoveryAct,ARMaddedthreenewDopplerlidarsystemstoitsmeasurementsuite.TheDopplerlidaroperatesinasimilarfashionasaradar;pulsesofenergyaretransmittedintotheatmosphere,andtheenergythatreturnstothetransceiveriscollectedandmeasured.BydetectingtheDopplershiftinthereturnedenergy,theDopplerlidarproducesheight-andtime-resolvedmeasurementsofverticalairvelocityinthelowertroposphere.Inaddition,thenewARMDopplerlidarshavefullupper-hemisphericalscanningcapabilities.Thisenables3Dmappingofturbulencestructureandmeasurementofhorizontalwindprofiles.ThelidarsweretestedattheSGPsitebeginninginOctober2010.Followingthetestperiod,twoofthenewDopplerlidarsweredeployedatSGPandTWPDarwin,whileonesystemiscurrentlydeployedinIndiaandwilltravelwithAMF1.

AGiantLiftforArcticClimateData

UsheringinthefirstoperationalprecipitationradarontheU.S.ArcticCoast,engineerscompletedacceptancetestingforthenewX-SAPRonJune21,2011,atitslocationatoptheBarrowArcticResearchCenterinAlaska.DatafromtheradararetransmittedthroughawirelessconnectiontotheARMsitedatasystem.Withtheradarupandrunning,signalreturnsonJune24,2011,providedanindicationoftheradar’scoverageovertheNorthSlope,reachingdistancesof200–250kilometerstothenorthofBarrowovertheArcticOcean.

The“X-band”referstothe9.5-gigahertzfrequencyatwhichtheradaroperates.Differentfrequenciesdetectdifferenttypesofcloudparticlesandalsodeterminehowfartheradarcandetectthoseparticles.TheX-bandradarissensitivetoprecipitatingparticles,andinthesnowandlightraincommoninBarrow,itcan“see”theseprecipitatingsystemstogreatranges.Thisdual-polarizationDopplerradarprovidesdetailsaboutprecipitationthatallowscientiststomoreaccuratelyestimaterainfall,classifyprecipitationtypes(rain,sleet,snow)andmapwindfields.

A newly installed X-SAPR operates from atop the Barrow Arctic Research Center in Alaska.

Two of the three new Doppler lidars are shown here during testing at SGP in October 2010.


NewRamanLidarProvidesTropicalRemoteSensingData

ThefirstoperationalRamanlidarinthetropicsbegangatheringdataattheTWPDarwinsiteinNovember2010.Nearlyidenticaltothelong-runningRamanlidaratSGP,itistheonlyactiveremotesensinginstrumentattheDarwinsitecapableofprovidingsimultaneousmeasurementsofwatervapor,clouds,andaerosols.Itprovidesausefulcomplementtodatacollectedbytheotherinstrumentsatthesite.

TheRamanlidar(lightdetectionandranging)usespulsesoflaserradiationtoprobetheatmosphere.Atelescopecollectsthebackscatteredradiationthatreturns,andtheopticsinsidethelaboratoryshelterusethatradiationtoderivetime-andaltitude-resolvedprofilesofatmosphericwatervapor,aerosols,clouds,andtemperature.Thesystemishousedintwostandaloneshelters;oneservesasalaboratoryenclosure,andtheothercontainssupportsystemssuchasHVACservicesandpowerconditioning.

Site Operations

NewAircraftProbesinOperationAgain

InApril,researchersbegantheMC3EfieldcampaignatSGP.Aspartoftheairborneresearchportionofthecampaign,NASAsponsoredtheUNDCitationaircraftthatprovidedinsituobservationsofprecipitation-sizedparticles,icefreezingnuclei,andaerosolconcentrations.JoiningtheCitation’sinstrumentpayloadforthecampaignweretwonewaircraftprobes—anairborneultra-highsensitivityaerosolspectrometer(UHSAS-A)anda“version3”high-volumeprecipitationspectrometer(HVPS-3)—purchasedin2010bytheARMFacilitythroughtheRecoveryAct.BothprobescompletedresearchflightsonaGulfstream-1(G-1)aircraftforthefive-weekCalwatercampaigninCalifornia.

TheUHSAS-Ahasincreasedresolutionformeasuringawiderrangeofaerosolsizedistributionsandconcentrationsthanotherinstrumentsofasimilarnature.Meanwhile,theHVPS-3measuresthenumberandsizeofprecipitationparticlesandprovidescompletedigitalimagesofprecipitationparticlesuptonearlytwocentimetersinsize.Inaddition,theHVPS-3’snewslantedprobetipdesignandpost-processingtechniquesareexpectedtoresultinmorerepresentativeparticlesizedistributionsoftheiceinthethunderstormanvilsandwithinprecipitatingclouds,asdatacollectedwitholderprobeshavebeenquestionedduetotheinfluenceof“shattering.”

In March, ARM Aerial Facility scientist Jason Tomlinson met with colleagues at the University of North Dakota to assist in the integration of the probes onto the Citation aircraft and to provide training on the operation of the UHSAS-A (back) and HVPS-3 (front) instruments.

The new Raman lidar in Darwin is nearly identical to the lidar that has been in operation at SGP since 1996.

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ARMComputingClusterAcceleratesLarge-ScaleDataProducts

ThreenewsystemscurrentlybeingimplementedattheARMDataArchivewillprovidedataprocessing,analysis,andvisualizationcapabilitiesforusers.TheARMAnalysisandVisualizationSystemwillcontaindatavisualizationtoolsforvariousvisualizationandsmall-scaledataextractiontasks,allowinguserstointeractwiththelarge-volumedataproductsgatheredbyARMradarsandlidars.Thesystemwillalsobeusedtoproducepre-computedplotsforlargevolumesofscanningdata,aswellasforsoftwaredevelopmentandevaluation.

TheARMLarge-ScaleDataProcessingsystemwillexpeditethecreationandevaluationofdataproductsfromnewlargedatastreams.Aspecializedgraphicsprocessingunit-basedsystemwillalsobeimplemented,allowingintensivecomputationforverticalvelocitymeasurements.Dataoutputfromthesesystemswillbearchivedonalong-termbasisanddistributedtousersthroughtheARMDataArchive.

Data Delivery

Long-Term,Large-ScaleEnsembleForcingDataSetfor DarwinAvailable

AnewdatasetisavailablefortheARMTWPDarwinsiteforlong-term,large-scaleforcingdata.ThesedatawereconstrainedwithC-POLradarretrievedrainfallthroughthevariationalanalysismethod(ZhangandLin1997)byusingtheEuropeanCentreforMedium-RangeWeatherForecasts(ECMWF)analysis.Thisisanensembleforcingdataset(currentlyN=100),whichwasproducedbyconsideringpotentialerrorsinradar-retrievedrainfallestimate,andcoversthreewetseasonsfrom2004to2007.

MoreClimateModelingBestEstimateDataAvailableforMoreSites

InOctober2010,thelatestreleaseoftheClimateModelingBestEstimate(CMBE)datasetaddedsoundingsandsurfacemeteorologicalmeasurementsintheCMBE-ATMdatastreamforBarrow,Alaska,andallthreeTWPsites.Forthesefoursites,thecloudandradiationdatastream,orCMBE-CLDRAD,nowincludesthemostcurrentavailablesourcedata.Inaddition,CMBE-CLDRADhasthemostrecentreleaseofintegratedliquidwaterandwatervapordatafromthemicrowaveradiometer(MWRRET)dataset,whichwasreprocessedforallsitessincethelastCMBErelease.

AlsoprovidedisthestatisticalsummaryoftheCMBEdataforthesefourARMsites.ItincludesbothmonthlymeanandmonthlymeandiurnalcycleandtheirclimatologiesforallthegeophysicalquantitiescontainedintheCMBEdatasets.Formostsites,themostcurrentdataarefrom2010.

Soundings and surface meteorological measurements are now available for five ARM sites in the CMBE data set.

The lower panel shows 100 precipitation time-series derived given potential errors in radar-retrieved rainfall estimate. The upper panel shows the profile of vertical velocity derived using a best-estimate precipitation time-series. Strong rainfall is clearly associated with strong vertical motion in the mid- and upper-levels.

The top plot shows data gathered from a C-SAPR at SGP, and the bottom plot displays a “moment” from that data mapped to a Cartesian grid. These plots were generated using the ARM Analysis and Visualization system, taking about 20 hours and using 8 processors.


OverhaulofDataSystemStatusViewerHitsBull’s-eye

Howdoyoudisplaytheoperationalstatusofnearly200instrumentsatmultiplesitesaroundtheworldonasinglewebpage?InlateJune,ARMimplementedamajorsystemoverhauloftheDataSystemStatusViewer,orDSView—theinteractivedatabaseprovidingoperationalstatusinformationforeveryinstrumentatARM’spermanentsites.NowrunningwithAdobe®Flash®software,thecomplexgridissurprisinglyeasytonavigate.Usinga“bulls-eye”toguidetheviewertothedesiredinstrumentandsite,thenewdisplayalsoincludesoptionsforfilteringinformation,browsingprocessinglogs,andexportingstatusreportstoExcelformat.

ThelatestinstallmentofDSViewhasatotallydifferentlookandfeelthanpreviousversions,ismuchfaster,andiseasilydeployedandinstalled—eachsitehasitsownDSViewwebpagedisplayingonlysite-relevantinformation.Becausecollection,timecheck,andingestprocessesrunonboththesiteandDMFsystems,thisallowsforquickandhelpfulcomparisons.Inupdatingthegridtoanintegratedprocess/dataview,thedisplayisrefreshedeveryfiveminuteswhilecontentinthedatabasehistoryisusedtodisplayatimelineviewofcumulativechangestodetectintermittentevents.

NewDataEvaluationProducts

InordertoensurethatVAPsmeetthehighqualitystandardsoftheARMDataArchive,newproductsprogressthroughan“evaluation”stagebeforetheirfinalrelease.InFY2011,twonewproductsfocusingoncloudpropertiesandradiationmovedtotheevaluationstage.

TheARMCloudRetrievalEnsembleDataSet(ACRED)providesaroughestimateoftheuncertaintiesincurrentretrievedcloudmicrophysicalpropertiesforclimatemodelevaluationanddevelopment.Itwascreatedbyassemblingnumerousexistingground-basedcloudretrievalsfromtheARMFacility’spermanentresearchsites.

OneyearofdatagatheredatSGPisavailableintheRadiativelyImportantParametersBestEstimate(RIPBE)VAP.Thisproductcontainsacompletesetofradiativelyimportantparametersassembledfromvariousinstrumentsonauniformverticalandtemporalgridwithqualitycontrolandsourceinformation.

ThreeDataProductsReleasedforWidespreadUse

Threedataproductsmovedfrom“evaluation”to“operational”status,releasingthedatatotheARMDataArchiveforusebythescientificcommunity.TheSurfaceSpectralAlbedo(SURFSPECALB)VAPcreatesanear-continuousbestestimateofbroadbandandnarrowbanddownwellingirradiance,upwellingirradiances,andsurfacealbedousingthemultifilterradiometers(MFRs)onthe10-meterand60-metertowersandthemultifilterrotatingshadowbandradiometers(MFRSRs)attheSGPCentralFacility.TheVAPidentifiesthedominantobservedsurfacetypeforeachdayateachtowerandthenextrapolatesthe6-channelnarrowband

The upper panel shows the output aerosol extinction field in RIPBE, and the bottom panel shows the quality control (qc) flags on aerosol extinction. Descriptions of the qc flags are given in the netCDF file header. In this case, the gold and pink qc flags on the aerosol extinction indicate periods at the top of the aerosol profile where data were missing in the input file. These data points are marked as indeterminate, and RIPBE either interpolates over the missing data (gold) or uses the closest good value (pink).

This partial window of DSView shows filtering options for various ARM sites on the left. The bull’s-eye can be dragged to any spot in the matrix to highlight a specific site/instrument.

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This sample data plot from MPLCMASK provides several cloud measurements gathered by the MPL.

MFRalbedovaluestohighspectralresolutionatone-minutetemporalresolution.DataareavailableforSGPfromJanuary2004onwards.

TheMicropulseLidarCloudMask(MPLCMASK)VAPprovidescloudbaseheight,cloudtopheight,andbackscattercoefficientfornon-polarizedmicropulselidarmeasurements.Inaddition,depolarizationratioiscomputedforpolarizedandfast-switchingmicropulselidarsystems.ThisVAPprocessesdatafortheSGP,NSA,TWP,andAMFsites.

Finally,theMicrowaveRadiometerRetrievals(MWRRET)VAPhasdataavailablefortheSGP,NSA,andTWPsites,aswellastheBlackForest,Germany,deploymentoftheAMF.AdditionalAMFdeploymentswillbeprocessedinthenextyear.TheMWRRETVAPretrievescolumnprecipitablewatervapor(PWV)andliquidwaterpath(LWP)fromthe2-channelmicrowaveradiometersusingaphysicalretrievalmethodologythatprovidesimprovedretrievalsoverthestandardstatisticalcoefficientmethod.

Communication, Education, and Outreach

ARMJoinsUserFacilityDisplayatCapitolHillExhibition

TobecomebetterinformedabouttheresearchconductedatDOEuserfacilities,membersofCongressextendedaninvitationforthefacilitiestotakepartinascienceexhibitiononCapitolHillonApril7,2011.Asoneofabout40userfacilitiesparticipatingintheexhibition,ARMprovidedcontentforaposterdisplayintheRayburnHouseOfficeBuildingandwasrepresentedattheeventbyJimmyVoyles,ARMChiefOperatingOfficer.Severalcongressmen,staffers,andDOEandnationallaboratorymanagersstoppedbytheARMFacilityposter,whichprovidedanoverviewandimagesofkeyfeaturesoftheFacility,includingsites,instruments,data,outreach,demographics,andpublications.VoylesansweredavarietyofquestionsaboutARM’sdataproducts,collaborations,andcontributionstoclimateresearchadvances.Thepostersessionwasfollowedbyaninformalreceptionwithshortkeynoteaddressesbyinvitedspeakers.

ARMDataFeaturedatUnitedNationsClimate ChangeConference

AttheUnitedNationsClimateChangeConference(COP16)inCancun,Mexico,inearlyDecember2010,anewglobalaudiencegotthechancetolearnaboutARMandhowitsdataareusedtoimproveclimatemodels.LedbytheU.S.DepartmentofState,ARMwaspartofaninteragencymultimediademonstrationaboutU.S.climateresearcheffortsthatwaspresentednumeroustimesthroughouttheconference.

AlongwithNASAandNOAA,DOEprovidedinformationanddatathatwereintegratedintotheStormCenterCommunications,Inc.(SSC)Envirocast®Vision™TouchTablesystem.Consistingofacenterconsolewithaplasmascreenoneachsidetodisplaysupportingvideosandanimations,thesystemallowsuserstoaccess,visualize,andinteractwiththesciencedatainreal-timeusingtouchscreentechnologyandGoogleEarth™.

User facility representatives gather in the foyer of the Rayburn House Office Building to set up their posters for the user facility science exhibition held on April 7, 2011.

Attendees at COP16 gathered in the U.S. Center’s “living room” to learn more about climate change research among the federal agencies. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Department of State.)


TheengagingmultimediaexperienceintheU.S.Center“livingroom”resultedinverypositivefeedbackfromtheaudience,includingmembersofofficialdelegationsandnon-governmentalorganizations.MembersoftheStateDepartmentindicatedthattheUnitedStateswaspresentedexactlyhowtheyenvisioned:anationthatcaresaboutclimatechangeandthatisactingtolearnmore,whileusingthebestsciencetoadapttothechangesthatareoccurring,mitigatewherepossible,andofferassistancetoothernationsthataskforit.

ARMExploresNewFrontierwithAmericanAssociationforthe AdvancementofScience

Reachinganewaudience,theARMFacilityparticipatedforthefirsttimeintheannualmeetingoftheAmericanAssociationfortheAdvancementofScience(AAAS)heldFebruary17–21,2011,inWashingtonD.C.Atotalof8,200meetingregistrants,families,andpressattendedtheevent,themed“ScienceWithoutBorders”toemphasizetheglobalscaleofcomplexscientificchallenges.

UnliketheotherscientificconferencesthatARMtraditionallyattends,AAAShelditspublic“FamilyScienceDays”inthesamehallasthescientificexhibitsandposters.TheresultingcrossflowoftrafficledmanyteacherstotheARMexhibit.OneteacherexpressedinterestinusingARM’slivedatadisplayinherclassroomasanexampleforcommunicatingdata,andseveralscienceteachersaskedaboutusingARMdataforclassroomprojects.Inall,justover200visitorsstoppedattheARMexhibittotalkorpickupmaterialsduringtheevent.About300visitorsstoppedbytheARMeducationexhibit,wherethelessonplanswerewellreceived,andseveralvisitorssigneduptoreceivethebiannualeducationnewsletter.

ProfessorPolarBearGoestoWashington

OnOctober23–24,2010,ARMparticipatedintheU.S.DepartmentofEnergy’sexhibitattheUSAScienceandEngineeringFestivalontheNationalMallinWashingtonD.C.ThenewClimateKidcutoutwasabighit,withchildrenandadultsalikestoppingtotakepictureswithitandProfessorPolarBear.ARMEducationbookmarks,activitybooklets,andlessonplanswerehandedout.AcomputershoweddatafromoneyearagoatARM’spermanentandmobilesites,withexplanationsofwhatmeasurementseachdataplotshowed.AlightmeterandlampsimulatedwhathappenswhencloudspassbetweentheEarthandthesun,andawindmetertrackedthewindspeedandplotteditonachart.

Thetwo-dayeventwastheculminationofatwo-weekfestival,includingeventsinWashingtonD.C.andacrossthecountry.Morethan350organizationsparticipatedintheFestival,includingacademicinstitutions,researchinstitutes,governmentagencies,technologycompanies,museums,andcommunityorganizations.Asmanyas1millionvisitorshavebeenreportedasattending.

Numerous scientists and educators at the AAAS 2011 Annual Meeting stopped at the ARM exhibit to learn about the user facility’s measurement capabilities and data collections.

One of ARM’s Climate Kids debuted at the USA Science & Engineering Festival. Photo courtesy of the Festival.

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Field CampaignSUMMARY

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Dates Campaign Name Status Description

ARM Aerial Facility

October2010–September2012

AirborneOpenPolar/ImagingNephelometerforIceParticlesinCirrusCloudsandAerosols

InProgress Aprovenlaboratoryinstrumentwasmodifiedforairborneapplicationsthatwillmeasurephasefunctionoficecrystalsandaerosolparticleswithoutinlettubes.ThisO-I-Neph(OpenImagingNephelometer)willmakethefirsttrueinsituobservationsofcirruscloudphasefunctionandcontributetocharacterizationofaerosolparticlepropertiesandremotesensingvalidationstudies.Theinstrumentdesignusesanarrow-beamlasersourceandawidefield-of-viewimagingcameratocapturetheentirescatteringphasefunctioninoneimagealmostinstantaneously.Thelaboratoryinstrument’ssensitivityallowsfullyresolvedphasefunctionsofgasmolecules(Rayleighscattering)andlowconcentrationbackgroundaerosolparticles.

October2010–July2012

TheMaturationandHardeningoftheStabilizedRadiometerPlatforms

InProgress Measurementsofsolarandinfraredirradiancebyinstrumentsrigidlymountedtoanaircrafthavehistoricallybeenplaguedbytheintroductionofoffsetsandfluctuationsintothedatathatareduesolelytothepitchandrollmovementsoftheaircraft.TwoStabilizedRadiometerPlatforms(STRAPs)weredevelopedtoaddressthisproblem.AspartofthematurationandhardeningoftheexistingSTRAPinstruments,upgradesweremadetothenavigationalcomputerhardwarecomponents,theplatformcontrolsoftware,andtheoperatingsystemofeachoftheSTRAPs.

October2010–December2011

FurtherDevelopmentoftheHOLODEC2(HolographicDetectorforClouds2)Instrument

InProgress TheHOLODEC2instrumentmeasuresiceandcloudparticleshape,size,and3Dpositionviadigitalinlineholography.Thesamplevolumeisnotdependentonparticlesizeorairspeed,butislargeenoughthatsizedistributionsforclouddropletsandsmalliceparticlescanbeobtainedfromsingleholograms.ThiscampaignwillhardentheHOLODEC2instrumenttoprepareitforregularuseinfieldcampaignsthroughthreemajoractivities:(1)design,configure,andtestanewdatasystemforHOLODEC2capableofreliablyrecordingandstoringdatarecordedinatypicalfullfieldcampaign,(2)furtherdevelopthehologramprocessingcodebydevelopingtoolstoallowtheusertomoreeasilyselectparametersforhologramprocessingandascertainthequalityoftheresults,and(3)refineorreengineerthesubsystemsoftheinstrumentasrequiredfromtheinitialtestflightsresultstomakeitfitforregularfieldcampaignwork.

October2010–September2011

AircraftIntegrationandFlightTestingof4STAR

Completed Thegoalofthisresearcheffortwastodevelopanddemonstrateanairbornesun-skyspectroradiometertoprovideinformationonaerosols,clouds,andtracegasesextendingbeyondwhatcanbederivedfromexistingairbornesunphotometersandtoimprovecompactness,modularity,andversatility.TheproposedenhancedinstrumentwasanairborneSpectrometerforSky-Scanning,Sun-TrackingAtmosphericResearch(4STAR-Air)basedonthegroundprototype(4STAR-Ground)thathasbeendevelopedandextensivelytestedoverthepastseveralyears.Theintegrationeffortofthe4STARandG-1aircraftincludedmechanicalaccommodationaswellaselectricalanddatacommunicationdetails.

TheARMFacilityroutinelyhostsfieldcampaignsatallitssites,plusspecialdatacollectioneffortsandoff-sitecampaigns.Manyoftheseactivitiesspanseveralyears.ThefigurehereshowsthetotalnumberoffieldcampaignsandspecialdatasetcollectionsthatoccurredinFY2011,includingtheseongoingefforts.ThesubsequenttablesummarizesjustthosecampaignsthatbeganinFY2011.Formoreinformation,visittheFieldCampaignwebpageat

www.arm.gov/campaignsTotal 2011 Field Campaigns

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February2011–March2011

CalwaterFieldCampaign Completed ThegoalofthisprojectinvolveddetermininghowaerosolsimpactcloudsandprecipitationpatternsinCalifornia.Specifically,flightswereconductedthroughprecipitatingandnon-precipitatingcloudstodeterminewhethertherewerechemicalorphysicaldifferencesinthecloudnucleiformingtheclouds.Thesourcesofthekeycloudseedsweredeterminedusingsingle-particlemassspectrometry.Cloudphysicsandchemistrywereprobedinadditiontohighlevelmeteorologicaldata.Meteorologicaldatawereacquiredduringflightsaswellasatseveralground-levelsamplingsites.ThegoalwastounravelthekeyparametersleadingtohighlevelsofrainandsnowinCaliforniaversussustainedcloudcoverwithverylittleprecipitation.

March2011–April2011

MACPEX/SPARTICUSContinued

Completed Inaninvestigationofpropertiesofcirrusandcirrusanvils,afast-forwardscatteringspectrometerprobe(FFSSP)andafastclouddropletprobe(FCDP),installedontheSPECLearjet,flewincirruscloudsoverSGPinconjunctionwiththeNASAWB-57FintheMACPEXfieldcampaign.

ARM Mobile Facility

November2010–April2011

StormPeakLabCloudPropertyValidationExperiment(STORMVEX)

Completed StormPeakLab(SPL),locatedeastofSteamboatSprings,Colorado,isawell-establishedcloudandaerosolresearchfacilityoperatedbytheDesertResearchInstitute.SPLislocated3210metersabovesealevelandisabovecloudbase25percentofthetimeduringthewinterseason.ThealreadyextensiveinstrumentsuiteatSPLwasaugmentedwithadditionalstate-of-the-artinstrumentstypicallyusedforairbornecloudresearchbytheStrattonParkEngineeringCorporation(SPEC).SPLandSPECcollectedinsitucloudandprecipitationpropertymeasurementswhiletheAMF2operatedatalocationapproximately2.4kilometerswestand2,078metersinelevationduringthewinterseason.

June2011–March2012

GangesValleyAerosolExperiment(GVAX)

InProgress GVAXisusingtheAMFtomeasurerelevantradiative,cloud,convection,andaerosolopticalcharacteristicsovermainlandIndiaduringanextendedperiodofseveralmonths.Theaerosolsinthisregionhavecomplexsources,includingburningofcoal,biomass,andbiofuels;automobileemissions;anddust.TheextendedAMFdeploymentwillenablemeasurementsunderdifferentregimesoftheclimateandaerosolabundanceinthewetmonsoonperiodwithlowaerosolloading;inthedry,hotsummerwithaerosolsdispersedthroughouttheatmosphericcolumn;andinthecool,drywinterwithaerosolsmostlyconfinedtotheboundarylaterandmid-troposphere.

North Slope of Alaska

January2011–December2014

Cosmic-RayMoistureProbeonNorthSlopeofAlaska

InProgress Anewsoilmoisture/snowmonitoringinstrumentwasinstalledattheBarrowsiteintheArctic.Thisinstrumentdetectscosmic-rayneutronsasaproxyforsoilmoistureandsnowcover.Dependingupontheresultsachieved,thismayleadtoanetworkofprobesforinstallationintheArctic.

January2011–December2013

SeaIceEffectonArcticPrecipitation-Extension

InProgress Precipitationsamplesforeachstormthatbringsabout2millimeterswaterofrain(or2centimetersofsnow)arecollectedattheBarrowandAtqasuk,Alaska,sites.Foragivenstorm,coastalandinlandsitesoftenhaveadifferentmoisturemixfromsubtropicalversuslocalsources.Bylookingattheweatherpatternsthatareresponsibletoagivenstorm,scientistswillbeabletodeterminewhatpartoftheoceansurfacecontributestothemoisturebudgetofthestorm.Theresultswillbeinterpretedfortheindividualinfluencesoftheice-freeareaoftheArctic,ofstormtracks,ofatmospherictemperaturesatbothmoisturesourcesandprecipitationsites,andofcirculationchangesassociatedwiththeArcticOscillationand/ortheNorthAtlanticOscillation.


June2011–May2021

AtqasukGPSBaseStation InProgress AglobalpositioningsystembasestationinAtqasukprovidesalocalsourceofgeodeticqualitydifferentialcorrectionsforGPSdatapost-processingbyscientistsandothersoperatingintheAtqasukareaontheAlaskanNorthSlope.ThestationislocatedattheARMClimateResearchFacility,whichprovidessecurity,power,andEthernetcommunications.Thestationrunscontinuously,and15-secondsampleratedataarearchivedattheUniversityNavstarConsortium(UNAVCO)andavailabletothepublic.Alldataareavailableviatheinternet.

Off-Site Campaigns

February2011–November2014

FourCornersAerosolCloudClimateExperiment

InProgress FourCorners,NewMexico,isoneofthelargestpointsourcesofnitrogenoxidesintheUnitedStatesfromtwopowerplantsintheregion,inadditiontosulfates.Thiscreatesacidicaerosolsthataretransportedtodownwindregionswheretheyinteractwithorganicemissions(sesquiterpenes)frompineforestsinsouthernColorado.Thedeploymentwillbeusedtoobserveboundary-layerheightstoprovidethedynamicalcontextforasolartrackingFourierTransformSpectrometerthatwillmeasuregreenhousegases,aerosolprecursors,andradiationfieldsonaregionalscale(10–100kilometer).

May2011–May2012

915-MHzWindProfilerforCloudForecastingatBNL

InProgress Insupportoftheinstallationofa37megawattsolararrayonthegroundsofBrookhavenNationalLaboratory(BNL),astudyoftheimpactsofcloudsontheoutputofthesolararrayhasbeenundertaken.Emphasisisonpredictingthechangeinsurfacesolarradiationduetotheobserved/forecastcloudfieldonafive-minutetimescale.The915-MHzwindprofilerisbeingoperatedatBNLtoprovideinformationontheverticalprofileofwinds,especiallyprofilesinthelowertroposphere,asanadditionalinputtoshort-termcloudmodelingstudies.Asecondaryfocusisontheobservationofdynamicsandmicrophysicsofprecipitationduringcoldseason/winterstormsonLongIsland.

June2011–August2011

AerosolLifeCycleIOPatBNL

Completed AtBNL,intensiveaerosolobservationswereconductedusingtheMobileAerosolObservingSysteminaregionexposedtoanthropogenic,biogenic,andmarineemissionswithatmosphericprocessingtimesdependingonairmasstrajectoriesandtimeofday.

June2011–November2011

EvaluationandUpgradestoARMFFSSPandFCDP

InProgress BothFCDPandFFSSPprobeswereacquiredbyDOEundertheRecoveryActprocurementprogram.Theseareadvancedversionsofthefast-forwardscatteringprobe(FSSP)andclouddropletprobe(CDP).BoththeFCDPandFFSSPincorporatestate-of-the-artelectronicsthatprocessandrecordparticle-by-particlemeasurementsthatareusedtoremoveshatterediceparticles,coincidenceandadditionalstatisticalmeasurements.TheFCDPalsoincorporatesaslit-basedopticalsystemthatisdesignedtoreduceuncertaintiesinsamplevolumedetermination.

Southern Great Plains

December2010 IRCloudCameraFeasibilityStudy

Completed DuringDecember2010,aprototypelong-wavelengthinfraredcloudcamerasystemwasdeployedattheSGPGuestInstrumentFacility.Thesystemconsistedofamicrobolometercamera(~7–15meters)tocaptureskyimagery,ablackbodycalibrationsource,andaGPSreceiverusedtoestimateatmosphericcolumnwatervaporandconstrainatmosphericcompensation.Thecamerasystemcollectedcalibratedskyradianceimagesco-incidentwiththeSGPCentralFacilitywiththegoalofquantitativelyassessingitsabilitytodetectthincirrusclouds.

January2011 ARRAAERIComparison Completed TheARMFacility,usingRecoveryActfunds,acquiredanewAERIinstrumentfortheSGPsite.Thisnewinstrumentwasrunside-by-sidewiththeoperationalAERIattheSGPCentralFacilitytoevaluateitsaccuracyandnoiseperformance.

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March2011–April2011

MiddleLatitudeAirborneCirrusPropertiesExperiment(MACPEX)

Completed NASAWB57aircraftflewpatternsabovetheVanceceilingduringApril.Aircraftflightplansincludedsteppedhorizontallegsandspiralup/downincirrus.

March2011–February2012

PGSValidation2011 InProgress ApairedtreatmentcontrolexperimentcontinuesattheAgriculturalResearchServicesSouthernPlainsRangeResearchStation(SPRRS).Theongoingexperimentcomparesenergyandcarbonfluxesfromafieldrecentlyplantedtoswitchgrass(apotentialbiofuelcrop)withfluxesfromwinterwheat.TheongoingexperimentisbeingconductedinacollaborationthatincludesSPRRSstaffandresearchersfromtheUniversityofOklahoma.

March2011–February2012

RadonMixing(RAMIX2011–2012)

InProgress Thiscollectionofradonmixingratiodatafromthe60-metertowerhastheobjectiveofusingtheradonmeasurementstohelpestimateregionalcarbondioxide(andlatermethane)exchange.TheprojectisbeingconductedwithexistinginstrumentationalreadyoperationalatSGP.

March2011–March2012

ContinuousLightAbsorptionPhotometer(CLAP)

InProgress TheCLAPwillbeinstalledatSGPinFebruaryof2011.Duringaone-yearcomparisonperiod,aerosolabsorptioncoefficientsfromtheCLAP,particlesootabsorptionphotometer(PSAP),andphoto-acousticabsorptionphotometer(PAAS)willbecomparedandtheCLAPperformanceevaluated.AspartofGVAX,theCLAPwillalsobeinstalledattheAMFinparalleltothePSAP.TheinstallationinIndiawillgiveanopportunitytoevaluatetheCLAPandPSAPunderconditionsofhighorganicaerosolloading.

April2011–April2014

ReFresh InProgress TheReFreshinvestigationistakingplaceattwosites:SGPandtheCapeGrimsiteinTasmania,Australia.TheNASADC-8isflyingabovethetopsoftheweathersystems,providingcloudandrainfallprofilesfromacombinationofW-,Ka-andKu-bandradars.Asecond,lower-altitude,aircraft,theCIRPASTwinOtter,providesinsituprofilesofcloudmicrophysicalandaerosolmeasurements,icenucleiconcentrations,cloudchemistry,andwaterisotopiccompositioninthelowercloudregions.

April2011–June2011

MidlatitudeContinentalConvectiveCloudsExperiment(MC3E)

Completed ThisjointfieldcampaigninvolvingNASAGlobalPrecipitationMeasurementProgramandASRinvestigatorswasconductedinsouth-centralOklahoma.TheexperimentleveragedtheunprecedentedobservinginfrastructureavailableinthecentralUnitedStates,combinedwithanextensivesoundingarray.Thegoalwastoprovidethemostcompletecharacterizationofconvectivecloudsystemsandtheirenvironmentthathadeverbeenobtained,providingconstraintsformodelcumulusparameterizationsthathadneverbeforebeenavailable.Severaldifferentcomponentsofconvectiveprocessestangibletotheconvectiveparameterizationproblemweretargeted,suchaspre-convectiveenvironmentandconvectiveinitiation,updraft/downdraftdynamics,condensatetransportanddetrainment,precipitationandcloudmicrophysics,influenceontheenvironmentandradiation,andadetaileddescriptionofthelarge-scaleforcing.

May2011–June2011

MiddleLatitudeAirborneCirrusPropertiesExperiment(MACPEX)Continued

Completed AsacontinuationoftheMiddleLatitudeAirborneCirrusPropertiesExperiment(MACPEX),theNASAWB57aircraftwasflowninpatternsabovetheVanceceiling.Aircraftflightplansincludedsteppedhorizontallegsandspiralup/downincirrus.

May2011–October2011

FieldTestofaHighDynamicRangeSkyImagingSystem

InProgress TheHighDynamicRangeSkyImagingSystem(HDR-SIS)willbedeployedattheSGPCentralFacilityfora4-monthperiod.TheHDR-SISisaninnovativedigitalimagerandcontrolsystemdesignedforimprovedimagingofatmosphericconditionsandradianceacrossthefullskydome(includingtheexposedsolardisk)withoutradiometricsaturationorlossofinformationassociatedwithuseofashadingdevice.InitialtestsoftheHDR-SIShavebeenhighlysuccessfulandsuggestpromiseforapplicationstoquantitativestudiesofclouds,aerosolsandradiation.Thisfieldcampaignisdesignedtoevaluatethispotential.


June2011–August2011

HumidityExperiment—Infrared(HUMEX-I)

Completed ThisexperimentdeployedtwoAERIsatSGPattwoofthethreeX-bandradarsitesforanextendedperiodoftimetohelpcharacterizethehorizontalinhomogeneitiesinthewatervaporfieldovertheSGPdomain.Thesedatawillbeusedtocharacterizetheverticalandhorizontaldistributionofwatervaporintheboundarylayer,especiallyforpre-convectiveenvironments,tobetterunderstandtheconnectionbetweeninhomogeneitiesinthewatervaporfieldandconvectiveinitiation.

July2011–August2011

HumidityExperiment2011(HUMEX)

Completed Thermodynamicparameters,includingwatervaporandtemperature,arehighlyvariableinspaceandtime.Therefore,itisimportanttoobservewatervaporandtemperatureprofileswithhighvertical,horizontal,andtemporalresolution.Remotesensinginstruments,includingmicrowaveradiometersandRamanlidars,canprovidewatervaporandtemperatureprofiles.Thisfieldexperimentmeasurestheseatmosphericparameterswithaverticalresolutionof50–100metersinthelowest3kilometersofthetropospherewithhightemporalresolution.

September2011–October2011

2011Full-ColumnGreenhouseGasSampling

InProgress TheSGPsitehasbecomeadefactofocalpointforevaluationofnewremotesensinginstrumentsthatdeterminegreenhousegas(GHG)mixingratiosfromtheground,airborne,andsatelliteplatforms.TheseactivitiesallrequirevalidationagainstinsitumeasurementsoftheverticalprofilesofGHGmixingratios.ThiscampaigndirectlysupportsbothcarboncyclesciencebeingconductedbythejointARM/LawrenceBerkleyNationalLaboratoryCarbonProjectandalargecomponentoftheothermajorGHGremotesensingmissionsconcernedwithaccurateassessmentoftheradiativeforcingderivedfromatmosphericGHGs.

On the inside covers: New and enhanced radars at SGP provide enhanced measurements of cloud properties and wind speed.

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Documents

DOE/SC-ARM-11-024 - ARM Climate Research FacilityDOE/SC-ARM-11-024. ARM Climate Research Facility ANNUAL REPORT – 2011 Recovery Act HIGHLIGHTS October 2010 • Doppler lidars tested