Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Climate Research Facility US Department of Energy
 
 

Tracking Aerosol Convection Interactions Experiment (TRACER)

1 October 2021 - 30 September 2022

Lead Scientist: Michael Jensen

Observatory: amf, hou

During the TRacking Aerosol Convection interactions ExpeRiment (TRACER), scientists will use the first ARM Mobile Facility (AMF1), the second-generation C-Band Scanning ARM Precipitation Radar (CSAPR2), and a small satellite (ancillary) site with radiosonde and aerosol measurements to learn more about cloud and aerosol interactions in the deep convection over the Houston, Texas, area.

The Houston region offers a unique environment where isolated convective systems are common and experience a spectrum of polluted aerosol conditions from urban and industrial areas. In addition, surrounding areas also show significantly lower background aerosol concentrations.

The TRACER campaign has been postponed from its originally planned dates due to COVID-19 risks associated with the earlier dates. The revised dates for TRACER are October 1, 2021, to September 30, 2022.

TRACER also will include a four-month intensive operational period (IOP). A climatological analysis of radar observations from the Houston/Galveston-area NEXRAD (KHGX) shows that convective initiation occurs in this area on 40 to 55 percent of the days each month of the year. The total number of convective events is strongly peaked during the months of June through September. To capture these events, the TRACER IOP will run from June 1 to September 30, 2022.

With this single IOP during the convective season of 2022, this effectively postpones the original TRACER IOP by one year.

The TRACER campaign consists of three primary sites operated by ARM:

  • the AMF1 main site (M1) in La Porte, Texas, an area that experiences significant polluted conditions, 29° 40' 12" N, 95° 3' 32.4" W (29.670000, -95.059000)
  • the ancillary site (S3) to the southwest of downtown Houston in a rural region with less pollution, 29° 19′ 40.8″ N, 95° 44′ 27.6″ W (29.328000, -95.741000)
  • the CSAPR2 site (S2) located approximately midway between the AMF1 and ancillary sites, 29° 31′ 55.2″ N, 95° 17′ 2.4″ W (29.532000, -95.284000)

The main and CSAPR2 sites will operate during the entire TRACER campaign, while the ancillary site will only operate during the IOP. Operation dates for the three primary sites are as follows:

  • Main (M1): October 1, 2021, to September 30, 2022
  • CSAPR2 (S2): October 1, 2021, to September 30, 2022
  • Ancillary (S3): June 1 to September 30, 2022.

During the IOP, ARM will host many guest experiments and interagency collaborations at the TRACER sites. All three primary sites will host guest experiments, but most will be at the main site.

In addition, during the 2022 IOP, ARM is planning tethered balloon system (TBS) flights at the ancillary site.

Co-Investigators

Sarah Brooks Pavlos Kollias Rebecca Sheesley
Don Collins Chongai Kuang Jeffrey Snyder
Scott Collis Matthew Kumjian Philip Stier
Eric Defer Toshihisa Matsui Sascha Usenko
Jiwen Fan Greg McFarquhar Sue van den Heever
James Flynn Chris Nowotarski Marcus van Lier-Walqui
Ann Fridlind Richard Orville Adam Varble
Scott Giangrande Mariko Oue Yuxuan Wang
Robert Griffin Anita Rapp Renyi Zhang
Jiaxi Hu Daniel Rosenfeld Guang Zhang
Robert Jackson Alexander Ryzhkov

Timeline

  • Child Campaign

2024

Sheesley RJ, S Usenko, M Mehra, A Sedlacek, M Jensen, J Flynn, P Sharma, K AP, and F Guo. 2024. TRACER-BC2-SP2 Field Campaign Report. Ed. by Robert Stafford, ARM user facility. DOE/SC-ARM-24-002. 10.2172/2308817.

Dorsey KS, CB Ireland, ME Mundy, RA Stafford, KK Palmer, MR Wasem, ME Prichard, JM Comstock, and I Silber. 2024. 2023 Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Annual Report. Ed. by Robert Stafford, ARM user facility. DOE/SC-ARM-23-047. 10.2172/2281709.

Nie Y, X Li, Q Paletta, M Aragon, A Scott, and A Brandt. 2024. "Open-source sky image datasets for solar forecasting with deep learning: A comprehensive survey." Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 189, 113977, 10.1016/j.rser.2023.113977.

2023

Wang D and MJ Bartholomew. 2023. Laser Disdrometer (LDIS) Instrument Handbook. Ed. by Robert Stafford, ARM user facility. DOE/SC-ARM-TR-137. 10.2172/1226796.

Soleimanian E, Y Wang, W Li, X Liu, T Griggs, J Flynn, P Walter, and M Estes. 2023. "Understanding ozone episodes during the TRACER-AQ campaign in Houston, Texas: The role of transport and ozone production sensitivity to precursors." Science of The Total Environment, 900, 165881, 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165881.

Feng Y, A Theisen, IA Lindenmaier, S Collis, SE Giangrande, JM Comstock, AA Matthews, MN Rocque, E Schuman, TG Wendler, V Castro, M Deng, D Zhang, S Xie, and JE Flaherty. 2023. ARM FY2024 Radar Plan. Ed. by Robert Stafford, ARM user facility. DOE/SC-ARM-TR-291. 10.2172/2217102.

Dolan B, P Kollias, S van den Heever, K Rasmussen, M Oue, E Luke, K Lamer, B Treserras, Z Haddad, G Stephens, and V Chandrasekar. 2023. "Time Resolved Reflectivity Measurements of Convective Clouds." Geophysical Research Letters, 50(22), e2023GL105723, 10.1029/2023GL105723.

Jensen M, JH Flynn III, P Kollias, C Kuang, G McFarquhar, H Powers, S Brooks, E Bruning, D Collins, SM Collis, J Fan, AM Fridlind, SE Giangrande, R Griffin, J Hu, RC Jackson, M Kumjian, T Logan, T Matsui, CJ Nowotarski, M Oue, AD Rapp, D Rosenfeld, A Ryzhkov, RJ Sheesley, J Snyder, P Stier, S Usenko, SC van den Heever, M van Lier-Walqui, A Varble, Y Wang, A Aiken, M Deng, D Dexheimer, M Dubey, Y Feng, V Ghate, K Johnson, D Wang, M Zawadowicz, and A Zhou. 2023. Tracking Aerosol Convection Interactions Experiment (TRACER) Field Campaign Report. Ed. by Robert Stafford, ARM user facility. DOE/SC-ARM-23-038. 10.2172/2202672.

Kuang C, MA Zawadowicz, and MP Jensen. 2023. TRACER-VOC: Speciated Volatile Organic Compounds at the Tracking Aerosol Convection Interactions Experiment Field Campaign Report. Ed. by Robert Stafford, ARM user facility. DOE/SC-ARM-23-041. 10.2172/2204418.

Oue M, BP Treserras, EP Luke, and P Kollias. 2023. CSAPR2 Optimized Convective Cell Tracking Data during TRACER. Ed. by Robert Stafford, Atmospheric System Research. DOE/SC-ASR-23-001. 10.2172/2007152.


View All Related Publications

Campaign Data Sets

IOP Participant Data Source Name Final Data
Katherine Benedict Carbon Monoxide and Nitrous Oxide Order Data
Sarah Brooks Cloud Condensation Nuclei Counter Order Data
Sarah Brooks Condensation Particle Counter Order Data
Sarah Brooks DRUM aerosol sampler Order Data
Sarah Brooks Micropulse Lidar Order Data
Sarah Brooks Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer Order Data
Chris Cappa Cavity Ring Down Photoacoustic Spectrometer Order Data
Chris Cappa Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer Order Data
Chun-Ying Chao Time of Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer Order Data
Don Collins Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer Order Data
James Flynn Navigation, Meteorological, and Trace Gas Instrumentation onboard Mobile Air Quality Laboratory Order Data
Joseph Galewsky Water Vapor Isotope Analyzer Order Data
Kyle Gorkowski Aerodynamic Part Sizer Order Data
Kyle Gorkowski Cavity Attenuated Phase Shift Single Scattering Albedo Monitor Order Data
Kyle Gorkowski Cloud Condensation Nuclei Counter Order Data
Kyle Gorkowski Photoacoustic Soot Spectrometer Order Data
Kyle Gorkowski Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer Order Data
Francesca Lappin Quadcoptor Unmanned Aircraft System Order Data
James Lee Single Particle Soot Photometer Order Data
James Lee Soot Particle Aerosol Mass Spectrometer Order Data
August Li Photoacoustic Instrument Order Data
August Li Tricolor Absorption Photometer Order Data
Markus Petters Flux Data Order Data
Markus Petters Humidified Tandem Differential Mobility Analyzer Order Data
Markus Petters Radial Differential Mobility Analyzer Order Data
Markus Petters Single Particle Soot Photometer Order Data
Anita Rapp iMET Order Data
Rebecca Sheesley TSI Nephelometer Order Data
Rebecca Sheesley Tricolor Absorption Photometer Order Data
Elizabeth Smith Horizontal Winds Derived via a VAD Algorithm using Data from the CLAMPS1 Mobile Facility Order Data
Elizabeth Smith Horizontal Winds Derived via a VAD Algorithm using Data from the CLAMPS2 Mobile Facility Order Data
Elizabeth Smith Horizontal Winds Derived via a VAD Algorithm using Data from the SPARC Mobile Facility Order Data
Elizabeth Smith Thermodynamic Profile Derived from CLAMPS2 Mobile Facility AERI, MWR and TROPoe Algorithm Order Data
Elizabeth Smith Thermodynamic Profiles Derived from CLAMPS2 Mobile Facility MWR and TROPoe Algorithm Order Data
Elizabeth Smith Thermodynamic Profiles Derived from SPARC Mobile Facility AERI and TROPoe Algorithm Order Data
Elizabeth Smith Thermodynamic Profiles derived from CLAMPS1 Mobile Facility AERI Data using the TROPoe Algorithm Order Data
Elizabeth Smith Vertical Velocity from Zenith-Pointing DL Data from the CLAMPS1 Mobile Facility Order Data
Elizabeth Smith Vertical Velocity from Zenith-Pointing DL Data from the CLAMPS2 Mobile Facility Order Data
Elizabeth Smith Vertical Velocity from Zenith-Pointing DL Data from the SPARC Mobile Facility Order Data
Sascha Usenko VOC Sampler Onboard a Tethered Balloon System (TBS) Order Data
Paul Walter Ozone Sondes Order Data
Paul Walter Ozonesonde Onboard a Tethered Balloon System (TBS) Order Data
Gabrielle Whitson Distributed Temperature Sensing Order Data
Michael Young Soil Moisture Sensor and Meteorological Station Order Data
Qi Zhang Soot Particle Aerosol Mass Spectrometer Order Data
Gijs de Boer general fixed wing unmanned aircraft system (uas) Order Data

HOU Data Sources

Name Full Name Browse Data
ACSM Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor Browse Data
ACSMCDCE ACSM, corrected for composition-dependent collection efficiency Browse Data
AERI Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer Browse Data
AERINF AERI Noise Filtered Browse Data
AETH Aethalometer Browse Data
AOD-MFRSR Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) derived from MFRSR measurements Browse Data
AOP Aerosol Optical Properties Browse Data
AOS Aerosol Observing System Browse Data
AOSMET Meteorological Measurements associated with the Aerosol Observing System Browse Data
APS Aerodynamic Particle Sizer Browse Data
ARMBE ARM Best Estimate Data Products Browse Data
CAMSITE camera that monitors a site area Browse Data
CCN Cloud Condensation Nuclei Particle Counter Browse Data
CEIL Ceilometer Browse Data
CEILPBLHT Boundary-layer height data with CEIL Browse Data
CLDTYPE Cloud Type Classification Browse Data
CMAC Corrected Radar Moments in Antenna Coordinates Browse Data
CO-ANALYZER Carbon Monoxide Analyzer Browse Data
CPC Condensation Particle Counter Browse Data
CPC-AIR Condensation particle counter aboard aircraft Browse Data
CSAPR C-Band Scanning ARM Precipitation Radar Browse Data
CSPHOT Sunphotometer Browse Data
DL Doppler Lidar Browse Data
DLPROF-WIND Doppler Lidar Horizontal Wind Profiles Browse Data
DLPROF-WSTATS Doppler Lidar Wind Statistics Profiles Browse Data
DTS Distributed Temperature Sensing Browse Data
ECMWFDIAG European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts Diagnostic Analyses Browse Data
ECOR Eddy Correlation Flux Measurement System Browse Data
GENSTATE Generator State Browse Data
GNDRAD Ground Radiometers on Stand for Upwelling Radiation Browse Data
HTDMA Humidified Tandem Differential Mobility Analyzer Browse Data
INS Ice Nucleation Spectrometer for INP measurement Browse Data
INTERPSONDE Interpolated Sonde Browse Data
IRT Infrared Thermometer Browse Data
KASACR Ka-Band Scanning ARM Cloud Radar Browse Data
KAZR Ka ARM Zenith Radar Browse Data
KAZRARSCL Active Remote Sensing of CLouds (ARSCL) product using Ka-band ARM Zenith Radars Browse Data
KAZRCFRCOR Ka-Band ARM Zenith RADAR (KAZR) CF-Radial, Corrected VAP Browse Data
LDIS Laser Disdrometer Browse Data
LDQUANTS Laser Disdrometer Quantities Browse Data
MAWS Automatic Weather Station Browse Data
MERGEDSMPSAPS merged size distribution from SMPS and APS Browse Data
MET Surface Meteorological Instrumentation Browse Data
MFR Multifilter Radiometer Browse Data
MFRSR Multifilter Rotating Shadowband Radiometer Browse Data
MICROBASEKAPLUS improved MICROBASE product with Uncertainties Browse Data
MONITORINST sensors for providing instrument system monitoring Browse Data
MPL Micropulse Lidar Browse Data
MPLCMASK Cloud mask from Micropulse Lidar Browse Data
MPLCMASKML Micropulse Lidar Cloud Mask Machine Learning VAP Browse Data
MWR Microwave Radiometer Browse Data
MWR3C Microwave Radiometer, 3 Channel Browse Data
MWRHF Microwave Radiometer - High Frequency Browse Data
MWRRET MWR Retrievals Browse Data
MWRRETV2 MWR Retrievals with MWRRET Version 2 Browse Data
NEPHELOMETER Nephelometer Browse Data
NFOV Narrow Field of View Zenith Radiometer Browse Data
OPC Optical Particle Counter Browse Data
OZONE Ozone Monitor Browse Data
PBLHT Planetary Boundary Layer Height Browse Data
PCCP Stereo Reconstructed Point Cloud of Cloud Points (PCCP) Browse Data
POPS-AIR portable optical particle spectrometer aboard an airborne platform Browse Data
PSAP Particle Soot Absorption Photometer Browse Data
QCRAD Data Quality Assessment for ARM Radiation Data Browse Data
RADFLUXANAL Radiative Flux Analysis Browse Data
RWP Radar Wind Profiler Browse Data
SASHE Shortwave Array Spectroradiometer-Hemispheric Browse Data
SASZE Shortwave Array Spectroradiometer-Zenith Browse Data
SEBS Surface Energy Balance System Browse Data
SFCMETRADAQ-TCEQ Meteorology, radiation, and air quality data from TCEQ air quality stations Browse Data
SKYRAD Sky Radiometers on Stand for Downwelling Radiation Browse Data
SMPS Scanning mobility particle sizer Browse Data
SO2 Sulfur Dioxide Monitor Browse Data
SONDE Balloon-Borne Sounding System Browse Data
SONDEGRID Gridded Sonde VAP Product Browse Data
SONDEPARAM convective parameters derived from radiosonde data Browse Data
SP2 Single Particle Soot Photometer Browse Data
STEREOCAM Stereo Cameras for Clouds Browse Data
TBS Tethered Balloon System Browse Data
TBSMERGED Tethered Balloon System (TBS) Merged Data Product Browse Data
TROPOE Tropospheric Optimal Estimation Retrieval Browse Data
TSI Total Sky Imager Browse Data
UHSAS Ultra-High Sensitivity Aerosol Spectrometer Browse Data
VARANAL Constrained Variational Analysis Browse Data
VDIS Video Disdrometer Browse Data
VDISQUANTS Video Disdrometer VAP Browse Data
VISST Minnis Cloud Products Using Visst Algorithm Browse Data
WB Weighing Bucket Precipitation Gauge Browse Data
XSACR X-Band Scanning ARM Cloud Radar Browse Data