SuomiNet is an international network of global positioning system (GPS) receivers, configured and managed to generate near real-time estimates of precipitable water vapor in the atmosphere, total electron content in the ionosphere, and other meteorological and geodetic information. Last fall, scientific collaborators at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Forecast Systems Laboratory* identified a…

On a given day, the ARM Climate Research Facility Data Management Facility (DMF) handles anywhere from 2.4 to 2.9 gigabytes of raw atmospheric data collected by instruments from sites around the globe. Once at the DMF, the data is processed into meaningful data sets that scientists can use to conduct their research. The DMF will…

While the ARM sites contain extensive instrumentation for measuring the outflow of convective cloud (storm) systems, they include very little capability for characterizing the convection that produces that outflow. Electrical energy produced by lightning is a useful indicator of convective potential. In December 2004, the Tropical Western Pacific site in Darwin, Australia, began hosting the…

Springtime in the Arctic produces reactive halogen gases, such as bromine monoxide, that form from evaporating sea salt. These gases destroy ground-level ozone and convert gaseous mercury into toxic snow-bound mercury ions that can end up in the ecosystem. To better understand this atmospheric chemistry and the subsequent impacts to environmental and human health, researchers…

As the focus of the Boundary Layer Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Intensive Operational Period (IOP) starting in March, science collaborators at ITT Industries and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Langley Research Center (LaRC) will conduct flights over the Central Facility at the ARM Climate Research Facility’s Southern Great Plains (SGP) site using a newly…

Safe and sound at Point Reyes, the ARM Mobile Facility instrumentation is set up on the roof of a shelter until a fence is installed to keep out the curious local cattle. ARM file photo. On February 9, the ARM Mobile Facility (AMF) withstood an accident on the way to its deployment location at Point…

As part of the Balloon Borne Sounding System, radiosondes launched at the the ARM Climate Research Facility sites are supplied by Vaisala, one of the market leaders of this technology. Vaisala began phasing out production of the RS90 radiosondes at the end of calendar year 2004 in favor of their new RS92 model. The new…

In early February, the arm.gov website took one more step towards the goal of helping users access data. The ARM Climate Research Facility website staff published a significant reorganization to a major portion of the website—specifically, the instrument and data web areas—and also added a measurements area. The reorganization will assist new users in learning…

A key addition to the ARM Climate Research Facility scientific infrastructure is ready to roll…literally. In February, the ARM Mobile Facility (AMF) is being packed up and shipped from Richland, Washington, to the Point Reyes National Seashore north of San Francisco, California. There, it will be reassembled in preparation for its first deployment as part…

From November 19, 2004, to December 17, 2004, a new Shortwave Spectrometer (SWS) was deployed at the ARM Climate Research Facility Southern Great Plains (SGP) site as part of the engineering design process. The instrument, a modified version of the National Aeronautic and Space Administration’s airborne Solar Spectral Flux Radiometer, is configured in a zenith-viewing…