Operations Updates
ARM Climate Research Facility Operations Update - July 15, 2007
This bimonthly report provides a brief summary of significant accomplishments and activities in the operations area of the ARM Climate Research Facility (ACRF).
Conditions Range from Classic to Record-Breaking as Field Campaign Concludes
Closely resembling a rice paddy, this soggy cotton field near Chickasha, Oklahoma, on June 27 exemplifies the atypical surface conditions throughout the CLASIC experiment domain as the campaign drew to a close. (Photo courtesy Tom Jackson, USDA.)
Not even record-setting precipitation could dampen the spirits of the Cloud and Land Surface Interaction Campaign (CLASIC) science team as the campaign at the ACRF Southern Great Plains (SGP) site drew to a close on June 30. While the extreme weather near the end of the campaign hampered efforts to obtain some desired data of land-atmosphere energy exchange, it also provided other rare and valuable data sets for analysis. Fortunately, ideal conditions prior to the onset of the heavy rains provided plenty of opportunities to obtain surface and cloud property data directly related to the campaign's scientific objectives. These included several coordinated A-Train satellite overpass validation missions involving all seven CLASIC aircraft and numerous stacked flights over the site.
On June 19, the G-1, Cessna 206, and Twin Otter pilots came within one statute mile of the target point (box labeled "C") at the appointed time, with the Twin Otter at a separation of only 0.15 mile. The planes flew in stacked formation within 1000 feet of the ground track of the satellites, shown as a thin green line in the image. Not shown are the NASA King Air and Duke University helicopter, which flew at the top and bottom of the stack, respectively.
Two satellite overpass validation missions occurred on June 12 and 19 under the desired conditions. Broken clouds on June 12 presented an ideal fair weather cumulus case. Several aircraft flew over each of the CLASIC surface "supersites" throughout the day, in addition to the afternoon satellite validation mission and SGP Central Facility overpass. On June 19, five aircraft flew in a stacked formation along the satellite track, converging at various altitudes above the target amid shallow broken clouds at the time of the overpass. In addition, two aircraft completed simultaneous survey patterns over the CLASIC domain and two other aircraft completed profiles over the SGP Central Facility and Little Washita surface sites.
As luck would have it, Oklahoma endured unprecedented amounts of rainfall in June, shattering a 70-year old precipitation record. An unexpected benefit of this weather was the opportunity to sample extremely clean air. On the last day of the campaign, the CIRPAS Twin Otter obtained a rare data set of a very clean atmosphere to contrast with the more normal aerosol-laden conditions in the area during this part of the year. Another unexpected data set resulting from the monsoon-like conditions was obtained on June 28, when the ER-2 aircraft flew above the Twin Otter at the edge of a "tropical" squall line, which deepened throughout the flight. A corresponding satellite overpass will allow ARM scientists to evaluate the effectiveness of the various radar retrievals under these types of conditions.
Throughout the 3-week campaign, enhanced surface instrumentation at the SGP Central Facility and CLASIC supersites obtained information about surface and atmospheric energy and carbon exchange. Intensive weather balloon launches from the SGP boundary facilities—8 per day for 10 consecutive days at the four boundary sites—supplemented the routine 4 per day launches at the SGP Central Facility and will be used to help characterize the large scale environment. Several carbon flux towers were added at the supersites, and two prototype scanning radar systems were deployed near the SGP Central Facility. These radars include an additional cloud radar frequency and advanced signal processing techniques that enable cloud microphysical processes to be observed with a new level of detail. The wide array of surface and airborne data obtained during CLASIC will be analyzed by climate scientists for years to come.
Climate Education Kiosk Launched on Manus Island
Staff of the Papua New Guinea National Weather Service pose with the soon-to-be-revealed ACRF kiosk.
On June 12, 2007, the last of the three ACRF educational kiosks in the Tropical Western Pacific was launched in Lorengau, Manus Island. Inspired by a number of studies showing that indigenous people tend to understand and embrace science more fully when presented in the context of traditional ecological knowledge, ACRF's educational interactive kiosks enable users to select and listen to interviews about climate change and climate research taking place in their communities in their native language. More than 200 people attended the dedication ceremony, which coincided with the community's observance of World Environment Day.
To kick off the kiosk dedication, students from selected schools marched in uniform around the open market in Lorengau where people gathered to participate in the festivities. Several students made speeches about various environmental issues specific to the island, such as revitalizing the mangrove tree population and repairing coral reefs. Speeches by local administrators highlighted the significance of the collaboration between the country of Papua New Guinea and U.S. Department of Energy to operate the ACRF site on Manus Island. After a short demonstration of the kiosk on a laptop computer by ACRF Education and Outreach director Andrea Maestas, the gathering then moved to the local supermarket where the kiosk will remain on permanent display. The governor of the island gave a short speech, cut the ribbon that enveloped the kiosk, and invited attendees to try it out.
Because most students were attending class during the kiosk dedication, Maestas traveled to area schools to demonstrate the interactive kiosk program. Designed to be played on classroom or personal computers, the kiosk program will be distributed on disc to interested teachers and students throughout Manus Island and Port Moresby, where the Papua New Guinea National Weather Service headquarters is located. For more information on this event and other ACRF educational kiosks, see the ARM Education website.
