Members of the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility’s science team are major contributors to radiation and cloud research. Scientists and investigators using ARM publish about 150 peer-reviewed journal articles per year, and ARM data are used in many studies published by other scientific organizations. These documented research efforts represent tangible evidence of ARM’s contribution to advances in almost all areas of atmospheric radiation and cloud research.
Research Highlights
Recent Highlights
ARM data-oriented metrics and diagnostics facilitates use of field data in climate model evaluation
5 August 2020
Zhang, Chengzhu; Xie, Shaocheng
Supported by:
Research area: General Circulation and Single Column Models/Parameterizations
Climate model developers often use a set of standard metrics and diagnostics as a way of routinely assessing general model performance or judging the performance of new physical parameterizations. ARM data can help to address a range of issues, including diagnosing summertime warm bias, the metrics of convective onset, precipitation [...]
Role of turbulent fluctuations in aerosol activation and cloud formation
27 July 2020
Cantrell, Will H.; Shaw, Raymond A
Supported by:
Research area: Cloud-Aerosol-Precipitation Interactions
We examine the effects of fluctuations produced by turbulence. Our measurements, from the Pi chamber, show a clear transition from a regime in which the mean saturation ratio dominates to one in which the fluctuations determine cloud properties. We show cloud formation in mean-subsaturated conditions (i.e., relative humidity < 100%) in [...]
Optimal Estimation retrievals and their uncertainties: What every atmospheric scientist should know
21 July 2020
Maahn, Maximilian; Turner, David D.
Supported by:
Research area: Cloud Processes
This educational paper gives an overview on developing Bayesian Optimal Estimation retrievals, which are a key method for converting indirect remote-sensing measurements into atmospheric variables. We present two sample retrievals based on microwave radiometers and radars including all data and retrieval code. Using a special website, the readers can explore and [...]