ACRF staff at the 2005 American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting provided information about the ARM science program and ARM Climate Research Facility to interested attendees.

Following a successful premier last year, ACRF staffed its exhibit for a second time at the 2005 American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting held December 5-9 in San Francisco. As a record setting 11,904 scientists gathered to discuss the latest issues affecting all areas of earth and space sciences, ACRF staff took the opportunity to share information about the program’s mission and goals with attendees. Many conference attendees inquired about data availability and accessibility, and some participants requested more information about using the ARM Mobile Facility.

ACRF participated in the Student Exploration of Research in the Earth and Space Sciences (EXPRESS) program held on the last day of the 2005 AGU Fall Meeting.

On the last day of the meeting, ACRF exhibit staff participated in the first ever Student Exploration of Research in the Earth and Space Sciences (EXPRESS) program. Local middle school students were invited to visit the AGU Exhibit Hall to learn about research and careers in earth and space sciences, meet scientists, view demonstrations, and take home fun activities. The ACRF Education and Outreach climate change coloring and activity book was received with enthusiasm by interested teachers and students.

This year, 189 posters and presentations included ARM researchers or data. During a special session on Mixed-Phase Clouds and Their Impact on Weather and Climate, one of ARM’s 2004 field campaigns, the Mixed-Phase Arctic Cloud Experiment, was a key topic of discussion. Researchers sponsored by ARM/ACRF routinely attend the regularly scheduled AGU meetings each year. The AGU is an international scientific society of over 41,000 members, and is a leader in the increasingly interdisciplinary research area of geophysical sciences.

Radio listeners tuning into the Weather Notebook Radio Show got a glimpse of the ARM Program on December 6, 2005. Former ARM Chief Scientist Dr. Tom Ackerman provided a brief overview of the ARM Program on the two-minute nationally syndicated weather radio show. Dr. Ackerman was interviewed by the show’s host, Bryan Yeaton, at last year’s American Meteorological Society meeting. For a full transcript, please see the Weather Notebook website.

Brookhaven National Laboratory invites applicants to apply for a postdoctoral position to develop the theory and practice of microwave cloud tomography. The successful applicant will conduct Observing System Simulation Experiments (simulating both clouds and source-receiver configurations) leading to a field demonstration.

Applicants should have either a recent Ph.D. in cloud physics and/or microwave radiative transfer in the atmosphere, or else a recent Ph.D. with a tomographic focus. Skill in mathematics and computer modeling is essential.

The successful applicant will join a team led by the ARM Chief Scientist, Dr. Warren Wiscombe, with members including Drs. Mark Miller, Andy Vogelmann, Yangang Liu, and Ric Cederwall.

The appointment is contingent upon evidence of completion of the Ph.D. Postdoctoral scholar positions are awarded initially for a one-year period and may be renewed in one-year increments for a maximum of two additional years. The starting date is flexible but should be no later than April 1, 2006.

Applicants should mail or e-mail a resume, list of publications, and names of three references to the address below.

Sharon Zuhoski
Bldg 490D, Bell Ave.
Upton, NY 11973

The new processor for the MMCR at Darwin collects spectral data in four different modes, resulting in approximately 3.4 gigabytes of signal output per day.

Virtually all cloud studies within the ARM Program involve the Millimeter Wavelength Cloud Radar (MMCR). This instrument is the only source for obtaining detailed information about cloud location and internal structure in the atmospheric columns above the ACRF sites, and can be operated in almost any atmospheric condition. In November, a major upgrade to the 35 GHz MMCR at the ACRF Tropical Western Pacific (TWP) site in Darwin, Australia, increased the time resolution and associated data rates by an order of magnitude (i.e., x 10) over the previously installed radar. This upgrade also involved replacing obsolete computers and removing components that caused maintenance problems over the years, greatly increasing the reliability of the radar. This improvement comes just in time to support a major field campaign that begins in January, the Tropical Warm Pool International Cloud Experiment (TWP-ICE). As an essential contributor to ARM cloud and radiation research, the upgraded MMCR will help the ARM Program remain a leader in remote sensing of the atmosphere.

Continuing advances in atmospheric research and technology demonstrated the need for faster sampling of cloud structure, and the need to archive Doppler spectra routinely. During the past few years, MMCRs at the ACRF Southern Great Plains (SGP) and North Slope of Alaska (NSA) sites were upgraded with C40 Digital Signal Processors. However, for the TWP, the science team opted to deploy a PIRAQ-III processor design for several reasons, including minimal hardware modifications, compatibility with other meteorological radars, availability of parts and technical support, enhanced performance, increased reliability, and minimal risk and costs. In just a few days of operation, data comparisons between the SGP and NSA MMCR processors (C40 upgrade) and the Darwin MMCR processor (PIRAQ) showed a nearly two-fold increase in data rates for both raw moment files and spectra files.

The Darwin MMCR is the first ACRF site to use the new PIRAQ-III digital signal processor manufactured by Vaisala. Fundamental changes resulting from the upgrade include higher data rates, a new radar operating mode structure, new signal processing and data organization computers, and offline spectral recording capability. Upgrades to the MMCRs at the TWP Manus and Nauru sites will occur after TWP-ICE, so the associated components can be made available during the experiment should the need arise for spare parts.