Instrument : Vaisala Ceilometer (VCEIL)
Beneficiary of Recovery Act funding.
Instrument Categories
Cloud Properties
Picture of the Vaisala Ceilometer (Model CT25K)
General Overview
The Vaisala ceilometer (VCEIL) is a self-contained, ground-based, active, remote-sensing device designed to measure cloud-base height at up to three levels and potential backscatter signals by aerosols. Model CT25K has a maximum vertical range of 25,000 ft.
The ceilometer transmits near-infrared pulses of light, and the receiver detects the light scattered back by clouds and precipitation.
Output Datastreams
- vceil25k : Vaisala Ceilometer (VCEIL): cloud base heights, 25,000 feet max range
Primary Measurements
The following measurements are those considered scientifically relevant.
Locations
- North Slope Alaska (NSA)
- Central Facility, Atqasuk AK (C2)
- Central Facility, Barrow AK (C1)
- Southern Great Plains (SGP)
- Central Facility, Lamont, OK (C1)
- Hillsboro, KS (Boundary) (B1)
- Morris, OK (Boundary) (B5)
- Purcell, OK (B6)
- Vici, OK (Boundary) (B4)
- SHEBA (Surface HEat Budget of the Arctic) (SHB)
- Ice Station SHEBA (C1)
- Tropical Western Pacific (TWP)
- Central Facility, Darwin, Australia (C3)
- Central Facility, Manus I., PNG (C1)
- Central Facility, Nauru Island (C2)
- ARM Mobile Facility (FKB)
- Black Forest, Germany (M1)
- ARM Mobile Facility (GAN)
- Gan Airport, Gan Island, Maldives (M1)
- ARM Mobile Facility (GRW)
- Graciosa Island, Azores, Portugal (M1)
- ARM Mobile Facility (HFE)
- Shouxian, Anhui, China (M1)
- Tai Hu (lake), Zhejiang/Jiangsu, China; Supplemental (S1)
- ARM Mobile Facility (NIM)
- Niamey, Niger (M1)
- ARM Mobile Facility (PGH)
- ARIES Observatory, Nainital, Uttarkhand, India (M1)
- ARM Mobile Facility (PYE)
- Point Reyes, CA (M1)
- ARM Mobile Facility (SBS)
- Steamboat Springs CO, Valley Site (M1)
Contact(s)
Victor Morris
(509) 372-6144
victor.morris@pnnl.gov










