ARM Enhanced Shortwave Experiment (ARESE)
September 25 - November 1, 1995
Standard Operating Procedure for Radiometer Network
Greg Schuster, NASA/Langely
I. Introduction
This document outlines the standard operating procedures used by NASA Langley researchers when setting up and operating the radiometry network.
II. System Description
A. Overview
The radiometry network consists of various radiometers located at 4 different field sites within 5 to 15 kilometers of the central facility and of each other. Each site has one set of uplooking and one set of downlooking radiometers. Ideally, each downlooker will overlook a different vegetation type. The uplooking platforms will have one Eppley PSP (spectral response 0.3 -- 3.0 um), one Licor LI-210 (~0.5 -- 0.6 um), and one Licor LI-200 (~0.4 -- 1.1 um) on a 6-foot high tripod. The downlooking platforms will have one Eppley PSP and one Licor LI-210 on the end of a 3-foot boom attached to a pole that is 20 feet tall. The radiometers will operate continuously, with the data being stored in a single datalogger at each site
B. Power
The radiometers and dataloggers are powered by 10-watt solar panels mounted on the 6-foot tripods.
III. Set-Up Procedures
A. Transportation
The Langley crew (2 people) will arrive about one week early to set up the radiometers. All hardware will be shipped to Oklahoma prior to the arrival of the Langley crew. A truck will be rented in Ponca City for transporting the hardware to the various locations.
B. System Set-Up
1. Downlookers
The downlooker pole pivots on a stake plate. The pole is raised by one person pushing it upwards while another person pulls the guy wire opposite the first person. After the pole is raised it is guyed, and the guys are adjusted so that the radiometers are level. The downlookers will be outfitted with ground lightning rods.
2. Uplookers
The uplooker tripod is set up about 60 feet away from the downlooker. A platform containing the radiometers is attached to the top of the tripod and leveled. The tripod is staked. A weatherproof box is mounted to the tripod and the datalogger installed inside of it and wired to the radiometers. Once the setup is complete, the box is locked.
C. Personnel
Two Langley personnel will set up the sites. Once the sites are operational, one Langley person will remain to retrieve the data from the dataloggers and to maintain the system.
IV. Data Collection
A Langley person will retrieve data from the loggers daily via a data dump to a laptop computer, and ftp it back to Langley from the hotel room. The buffer will hold data for multiple days so that the data will not be lost during inclement weather.
V. Potential Hazards
The system is low voltage, lightweight, nontoxic, and nonradioactive, so hazard potential is low. The 20-foot poles are not freestanding when unguyed, so they require constant attention while being set up. The 20-foot poles are also susceptible to lightning strikes, which could be hazardous if personnel are nearby. Ample buffer space will be allocated in the dataloggers so that personnel will not need to retrieve data in inclement weather.
