ARM deploys two different types of weighing buckets. Both operate on the principle of measuring the weight of liquid in a bucket as it changes over time in order to calculate the precipitation amount and rate. The weighing bucket deployed in the Arctic (AMF3) uses three vibrating wire transducers to determine the weight while the weighing bucket deployed elsewhere (SGP, ENA, AMF1, AMF2) uses a high-precision stainless steel load cell. Both gauge types employ heating techniques: the ones deployed in the Arctic are wrapped in heat tape that turns on when the orifice temperature drops below freezing, while the orifice of the other is heated for the same conditions. Both use antifreeze and oil to prevent freezing and evaporation of the liquid in the bucket, respectively. The arctic gauges are enclosed in a double alter shield that has been designed to decrease the wind flow over the orifice and increase the catch efficiency. The non-arctic gauges deploy a smaller wind shield to decrease wind effects.
WB
wb > Weighing Bucket Precipitation GaugeInstrument Type(s) > Baseline
Primary Derived Measurements
Locations
- Fixed
- AMF1
- AMF2
- AMF3
Active Locations
| Facility Name | Start Date |
|---|---|
| Gunnison, CO; AMF2 (main site for SAIL) | 2021-07-06 |
| Graciosa Island, Azores, Portugal | 2017-07-17 |
| Central Facility, Lamont, OK | 2016-11-22 |
| Houston, TX; AMF1 (main site for TRACER) | 2021-08-02 |
Related Publications
2022
Shupe M, M Rex, B Blomquist, P Persson, J Schmale, T Uttal, D Althausen, H Angot, S Archer, L Bariteau, I Beck, J Bilberry, S Bucci, C Buck, M Boyer, Z Brasseur, I Brooks, R Calmer, J Cassano, V Castro, D Chu, D Costa, C Cox, J Creamean, S Crewell, S Dahlke, E Damm, G de Boer, H Deckelmann, K Dethloff, M Dütsch, K Ebell, A Ehrlich, J Ellis, R Engelmann, A Fong, M Frey, M Gallagher, L Ganzeveld, R Gradinger, J Graeser, V Greenamyer, H Griesche, S Griffiths, J Hamilton, G Heinemann, D Helmig, A Herber, C Heuzé, J Hofer, T Houchens, D Howard, J Inoue, H Jacobi, R Jaiser, T Jokinen, O Jourdan, G Jozef, W King, A Kirchgaessner, M Klingebiel, M Krassovski, T Krumpen, A Lampert, W Landing, T Laurila, D Lawrence, M Lonardi, B Loose, C Lüpkes, M Maahn, A Macke, W Maslowski, C Marsay, M Maturilli, M Mech, S Morris, M Moser, M Nicolaus, P Ortega, J Osborn, F Pätzold, D Perovich, T Petäjä, C Pilz, R Pirazzini, K Posman, H Powers, K Pratt, A Preußer, L Quéléver, M Radenz, B Rabe, A Rinke, T Sachs, A Schulz, H Siebert, T Silva, A Solomon, A Sommerfeld, G Spreen, M Stephens, A Stohl, G Svensson, J Uin, J Viegas, C Voigt, P von der Gathen, B Wehner, J Welker, M Wendisch, M Werner, Z Xie, and F Yue. 2022. "Overview of the MOSAiC expedition—Atmosphere." Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene, 10(1), 10.1525/elementa.2021.00060.
Research Highlight
2021
Geerts B, G McFarquhar, L Xue, M Jensen, P Kollias, M Ovchinnikov, M Shupe, P DeMott, Y Wang, M Tjernstrom, P Field, S Abel, T Spengler, R Neggers, S Crewell, M Wendisch, and C Lupkes. 2021. Cold-Air Outbreaks in the Marine Boundary Layer Experiment (COMBLE) Field Campaign Report. Ed. by Robert Stafford, ARM user facility. DOE/SC-ARM-21-001. 10.2172/1763013.
2020
Bartholomew MJ. 2020. Weighing Bucket Rain Gauge Instrument Handbook. Ed. by Robert Stafford, ARM user facility. DOE/SC-ARM-TR-232. 10.2172/1572341.
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