To validate the space-based carbon dioxide retrievals by the Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) through comparative carbon dioxide measurements, ARM’s Tropical Western Pacific site in Darwin, Australia, is hosting a ground-based solar-viewing Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) mobile laboratory, sponsored by the OCO Science Team. Between January 15 and February 7, 2006, overflights of the FTS site,…

Most of the WACR is mounted on top of one of the AMF shelters. The WACR computer and chiller (used to keep the WACR cool in temperatures up to 47 degrees C) are located in the shelter below the radar. ARM file photo. A W-band ARM Cloud Radar (WACR) recently joined the suite of baseline…

The balloon-borne sounding system consists of a small sensor package—called a radiosonde—attached by a long string to a large balloon. As the balloon rises, atmospheric measurements recorded by the radiosonde are picked up via an antenna on the ground. ARM file photo. In April, ARM operations staff at the North Slope of Alaska will begin…

With a new Chief Scientist at the helm, just over 300 ARM scientists and ARM infrastructure staff took part in the 16th ARM Science Team meeting held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on March 27-31, 2006. After an initial day of focused meetings among the ARM Working Groups, Dr. David Thomassen, Acting Associate Director of DOE’s…

Red dots indicate extended facilities at SGP with the new IRTs installed; green dots indicate future installations. ARM file image. As reported in April 2005, a network of infrared thermometers (IRT) is being installed throughout the ARM Southern Great Plains (SGP) site for the purpose of measuring cloud base temperature and inferring cloud base height…

Titled “Climate Change: Science and Traditional Knowledge,” ARM’s latest education kiosk is now on permanent display at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory in Darwin. ARM file photo. A handful of ARM scientists involved in the Tropical Warm Pool – International Cloud Experiment (TWP-ICE) field campaign took time out from their research…

Billed as the largest international meeting of atmospheric scientists, the American Meteorological Society’s 86th Annual Meeting ventured south this year to the Peach State. Held at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia, this year’s meeting drew more than 2,200 academics, government officials, private researchers, and leading atmospheric scientists, who participated in 1500 scientific…

Vigilant facility personnel and hardy local utility workers helped avert what could have been a serious data and equipment loss at the Barrow site in ARM’s North Slope of Alaska locale. Wintry weather of 0°F and icing conditions began contributing to power problems throughout the Barrow area in early February. Consistent winds at 20-25 mph…

While on the ground, the Twin Otter (left) and Proteus (right) are sharing hangar space at the Royal Australian Air Force base for the duration of TWP-ICE field operations. ARM file photo. Two days after a highly successful media day, January 21 marked the official start of flight operations for the Tropical Warm Pool International…

Beginning on January 9, the ARM Mobile Facility began officially collecting atmospheric data from a location at the airport in Niamey, Niger, Africa. As part of the RADAGAST field campaign, the AMF will measure the effects of absorbing aerosols from desert dust in the dry season, and the effects of deep convective clouds and associated…