30 Years of ARM Data

Connecting ARM’s past to its future
 

The Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility marked 30 years of atmospheric data collection in May 2022. ARM collected its first data on May 16, 1992, in a farm field in Oklahoma. Since that date, ARM has pulled in more than 3 petabytes of data from all seven continents and all five oceans.

From May 2022 to May 2023, ARM published an “ARM30” series of articles, which reflected on the science impacts of ARM data over the past 30 years while looking ahead to the facility’s future. This page includes features from the ARM30 series, plus images, videos, and other articles that provide a view of ARM’s past, present, and future.

Past, Present, and Future ARM Sites

This world map marks fixed sites, past fixed sites, deployments, aerial deployments, and ship deployments.

ARM on Video

See how ARM data are collected, processed, evaluated, and distributed to researchers worldwide.
This video tells the story of the evolution of ARM data and the ARM Data Center.
Adam Varble, who led a 2018–2019 campaign in Argentina, describes the importance of ARM’s data in complex terrain.
Mark Miller, an early advocate for an ARM site in the eastern North Atlantic, discusses atmospheric observations on coastlines versus on the open ocean.
Ernie Lewis looks back on his 2012–2013 Marine ARM GPCI Investigation of Clouds (MAGIC) and explains why its data are so important for research.
Take a quick video trip to see how ARM started, how its team helps meet the observations needed for earth system research, and where it is going next.
Mark Ivey, the science liaison for ARM’s North Slope of Alaska atmospheric observatory, discusses the mission and achievements of the 25-year-old site.
Bernie Zak, the North Slope of Alaska’s first site manager (1997–2006), recalls the observatory’s beginnings.
ARM Technical Director Jim Mather reflects on ARM’s Tropical Western Pacific observatory, including his role as a member of its site science team.
Dan Nelson, who helped set up the first instruments at ARM’s Southern Great Plains observatory in 1992, talks about this momentous occasion.
Gerry Stokes, ARM’s first chief scientist (1990–1998), helped build the vision for what ARM is today. Here he shares his thoughts in an early ARM video.
Narrated by Mather, this 2020 video introduces the mission and capabilities of ARM.
This 1999 ARM documentary includes interviews with Stokes and other key figures in ARM history.

View more videos on ARM’s YouTube channel.

Marking ARM Milestones and Key Moments: Past Stories

Click on the + next to the topic to view related articles below; click on the – to collapse the list.

Please note: ARM’s news center goes back to 2004.

ARM Monograph

The Growth of ARM Data

ARM Sites: Openings, Closings, and Anniversaries

New Capabilities