President of the Regional Government Speaks at Opening Ceremony for Mobile Facility in the Azores

 
Published: 31 July 2009
Highlighting the opening ceremony for the ARM Mobile Facility on Graciosa Island, Carlos César, President of the Regional Government of the Azores, signs a weather balloon while local media record the event. Photo by Mike Alsop.
Highlighting the opening ceremony for the ARM Mobile Facility on Graciosa Island, Carlos César, President of the Regional Government of the Azores, signs a weather balloon while local media record the event. Photo by Mike Alsop.

On June 30, officials from the Regional Government of the Azores recognized the deployment of the ARM Mobile Facility on Graciosa Island during an official opening ceremony held at the site. Notable among the participants was Carlos César, President of the Regional Government of the Azores, and several other government officials. Media outlets for print, television, and radio covered the ceremony, which was part of a two-day visit by the Regional Government to the island of Graciosa. In all, about 50 people attended the event.

Jeanette Rébert, U.S. Consul to the Azores, and President César gave brief opening remarks recognizing the various people and organizations that partnered to make the campaign possible. They also highlighted the importance of the project and how it fits into the shared goal of increased cooperation between the United States and Portugal, especially the Azores. Science and operations personnel then described the mobile facility and showed visitors around the instrument field.

In preparation for the ceremony, collaborators from the University of the Azores prepared a sign to identify all the organizations involved that made the deployment possible. They also presented the gift of a brass plaque for the mobile facility indicating the partnership between the U.S. Department of Energy and the Regional Government of the Azores. The mobile facility is located at the airport on Graciosa Island for the Clouds, Aerosol and Precipitation in the Marine Boundary Layer field campaign. Operations began in May and continue through December 2010.