On October 19 and 20, 2004 a series of aircraft flares were ignited at the ARM Climate Research Facility Southern Great Plains (SGP) site on behalf of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency. While the flares burned, measurements were collected from infrared sensors on board the High-Altitude Laser Observatory (HALO) aircraft developed and operated by L3-Aeromet.…

Representing the first of several planned improvements to the Aerosol Observing System (AOS) at the SGP site, the ARM Climate Research Facility operations staff completed installing a new pump shelter for the system in late September, followed by relocation of the pumps and connection of the electrical hookups in October. Though the enclosure was designed…

The ARM Climate Research Facility’s Data Quality Office has developed a new way to help data quality analysts, instrument mentors, and site scientists quickly and easily view diagnostic data quality plots, without making multiple selections to see just one plot. The new Plot Browser is a part of the Data Quality Health and Status (<!a…

During the Mixed-Phase Arctic Cloud Experiment (M-PACE), taking place in October 2004 at the ARM Climate Research Facility North Slope of Alaska (NSA) locale, radiosonde systems are being deployed at Atqasuk, Toolik Lake, and Oliktok Point. Critical to the success of the experiment is the ability to transmit radiosonde data—as well as routine data from…

This fall, the ARM-Unmanned Aerospace Vehicle Program—specifically, the Proteus aircraft—is participating in the Mixed-Phase Arctic Cloud Experiment (M-PACE) in Alaska. However, several of the aircraft’s onboard instruments have been modified since its last deployment in November 2002. To verify instrument operation and calibration prior deployment as part of M-PACE, in late September 2004, ARM researchers…

During the past several years, the sensitivity of the 8-year old Raman lidar at the ARM Climate Research Facility Southern Great Plains (SGP) site has decreased between a factor of 3-4, resulting in a lower maximum altitude and increased random error in the geophysical properties (such as water vapor mixing ration and aerosol extinction profiles)…

In September 2004, the ARM Climate Research Facility Operations staff installed a new 2-channel Narrow Field of View (NFOV) radiometer at the Southern Great Plains (SGP) site. They also installed a repaired 1-channel NFOV radiometer that had been damaged by lightning in June 2002. As reported in August, the 1-channel NFOV measures spectral radiance at…

Site Data Systems are a critically important element of the ARM Climate Research Facility’s ability to collect and transmit data on clouds and radiative properties from research instrumentation in the field. To increase system reliability and reduce the potential for server crashes resulting in data loss, ARM Climate Research Facility operations staff began upgrading the…

For several years, the ARM Program has collected global satellite data for wind speed, precipitable water vapor, cloud liquid water, and rain rate over the ocean. From ascending and descending satellite passes, these data represent atmospheric state information that is useful for driving and diagnosing climate models, particularly in the tropics. The data sets, produced…

With a new school year looming, ARM Climate Research Facility staff involved in the Education and Outreach Program worked with the ARM communications team to develop and implement an updated Education website. The redesigned website includes updated content and a fresh look to complement the recent ARM website redesign. For continuity, the website still features…