Aide for Oklahoma Senator Inhofe Visits SGP Site

 
Published: 31 August 2010

On August 19, 2010, a legislative aide for Senator James Inhofe (R-Ok) visited the ARM Southern Great Plains (SGP) site to learn about the facility, its role in global climate research, and its contribution to the state of Oklahoma. Throughout the course of the visit, ARM representatives emphasized how the high-quality data provided by the SGP and other ARM sites help scientists identify critical atmospheric processes so that they can improve regional and global climate models. They also explained:

  • why the U.S. Department of Energy is involved in climate research
  • the global nature of the scientific community that uses ARM data, which are free to all
  • how the facility is funded through DOE and scientific users
  • how the SGP serves scientific users by hosting periodic field campaigns
  • the benefits of the SGP facility on the local and state economy (about $60 million since 1990)
  • the significant enhancements to the site through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Doug Sisterson and Randy Peppler, ARM operations manager and data quality manager, and Dan Rusk, SGP operations manager, hosted the aide, Nathan Reese, who was accompanied by his father, a retired science teacher. They introduced the purpose of ARM as a scientific user facility and explained the evolution of the SGP site from its humble beginnings as a “measurement testbed” into a crown jewel for climate observations, providing continuous high-quality data with a focus on clouds, aerosol, radiation, and precipitation. They also toured the instruments and other site services, highlighting the finer details of the SGP site and its staff of about 30 people.

The visit by Mr. Reese was the outcome of an invitation made by Peppler and SGP site scientist, Dr. Peter Lamb, during an April visit to Senator Inhofe’s office. Through their affiliations at the University of Oklahoma, they have recently focused on raising awareness of the state’s standing as the world’s leading atmospheric observatory. Last summer, the chief of staff for Congressman Frank Lucas (R-Ok) visited the SGP site.