Adieu to Niger, Guten Tag to Germany

 
Published: 15 February 2007

The AMF decommissioning team poses for a group photo at the AMF site near the airport in Niamey.

At midnight January 7, 2007, the ARM Mobile Facility (AMF) deployment in Niamey, Niger, successfully concluded. For the next two weeks, the AMF decommissioning team packaged the AMF for subsequent uplift to Germany. Not only were AMF operations in Niamey a resounding success, but the data gathered from the deployment is already bearing fruit, with a paper published in Geophysical Research Letters in December. Dr. Anthony Slingo, Professor at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom and lead scientist for the field campaign, expressed his thanks to the AMF Team, saying “this has been a deployment of the highest scientific value conducted with the highest professionalism. Well done to all!”

Kim Nitschke, AMF Site Operations Manager, traveled to Niamey to oversee the decommissioning activities and to congratulate the local team involved in the AMF’s highly successful first deployment on foreign soil. An informal closeout ceremony was held for the Niamey community near the AMF deployment site at the local airport, as well a formal reception for those closely involved in the yearlong deployment. Nitschke had these words for everyone involved: “The reliability and quality of the data obtained has surpassed the expectations of many, primarily due to your dedication and professionalism.” After receiving heartfelt goodbyes and best wishes from their African colleagues, the AMF decommissioning team departed for home.

Carefully situated concrete pads stand ready to support a collection of portable shelters soon to arrive at the AMF deployment site in Germany's Black Forest.

Meanwhile, preparations for the AMF deployment in the Black Forest continued with the arrival of the first shipping container full of support equipment in late December. With the AMF site infrastructure nearly completed, final work on the walkways and environmental shelters took place throughout January. The AMF install team arrives in early March to set up the instruments and communications systems, and conduct radiosonde operations training for locally hired personnel. The Convective and Orographically Induced Precipitation Study is scheduled to begin in April and will last until January 2008.