Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program Facilities Newsletter, April 2001 PDF Download

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Intensive Observation Period Projects Scheduled--Several IOP projects have been scheduled for the SGP CART site this spring. These projects either have already begun or will begin shortly. Radiosondes--The RS-90 Transition IOP is currently under way. The RS-90 model radiosonde is gradually replacing the older RS-80 model. Radiosondes are instrument packages attached to and launched by weather balloons. The instruments measure atmospheric pressure, temperature, and relative humidity as the balloon rises through the air. The new RS-90 model is a high-performance radiosonde with fast-response sensors capable of providing data for each variable every second. The relatively environmentally friendly package is constructed of cardboard and steel rather than Styrofoam, and it has a water-activated battery that contains no toxic substances. The RS-90 Transition IOP is taking place during April. Operators will launch both the old RS-80 and the new RS-90 radiosondes simultaneously once each day to obtain duplicate vertical profiles of the atmosphere for comparison. This procedure will also allow data users to test the output from the old and new radiosondes in models. Narrow Field of View (NFOV) Solar Spectrometer Cloud Optical Depth Retrieval Campaign--The NFOV IOP is scheduled to take place on May 7-August 31, 2001. A researcher from Pennsylvania State University will be deploying a dual-spectrometer instrument that measures the hemispheric flux and zenith NFOV radiance over a wavelength range of 300- 1000 nanometers. (One nanometer equals 1 billionth of a meter or 0.000000039 inches.) This wavelength range includes the ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared spectra. These measurements are used to estimate cloud optical depth--a quantity related to the amount of solar radiation intercepted by a cloud--for broken cloud fields over vegetated surfaces. The IOP measurements will be compared with optical depth measurements made by SGP instruments. Precision Gas Sampling (PGS) Validation Campaign--Researchers from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California will be deploying instruments at the CART site in May. Portable micrometeorology towers will be used to measure fluxes of carbon dioxide, water, and heat between the surface and the atmosphere. The exchange of these constituents varies with regional climate, soil type, and surface vegetation. Greater knowledge will improve the accuracy of computer models (and hence predictions) of the exchanges. Measurements made with the portable instruments will be compared with measurements being collected by instruments at the central facility. AWS Campaign--The State University of New York at Albany will deploy an oxygen A-band and water vapor band spectrometer (AWS) at the CART site on May 20-June 30, 2001. Measurements made by the AWS will be used to determine absorption of radiation by water vapor within clouds, a quantity important to understanding the behavior of solar radiation as it passes through clouds.

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In the realm of global climate modeling, numerous variables affect the state of the atmosphere and climate. One important area is soil moisture and temperature. The ARM Program uses several types of instruments to gather soil moisture information. An example is the soil water and temperature system (SWATS). A SWATS is located at each of 21 extended facility sites within the CART site boundary. Each system is configured to measure soil moisture and temperature at eight distinct subsurface levels. A special set of probes used in the SWATS measures soil temperature, soil-water potential, and volumetric water content. Sensors are placed at eight different depths below the soil surface, starting at approximately 5 cm (2 in.) below the surface and ending as deep as 175 cm (69 in.). Each site has two identical sets of probes buried 1 m (3.3 ft) apart, to yield duplicate measurements as a quality control measure. At some sites, impenetrable soil or rock layers prevented installation of probes at the deeper levels. The sensors are connected to an electronic data logger that collects and stores the data. Communication equipment transfers data from the site. All of the electronic equipment is housed in a weatherproof enclosure mounted on a concrete slab.

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To help communities guard against the devastation that can result from severe weather, the National Weather Service (NWS) has developed a new program called StormReady. The aim is to build, at the community level, the communication and safety skills necessary to prevent loss of life and property in the event of severe weather. Each year weather-related disasters lead to 500 deaths and $14 billion in damage. The NWS hopes that prepared communities implementing StormReady can reduce these numbers when local emergency managers have clear-cut guidelines for improving their hazardous weather operations.

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This issue of the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program (ARM Program) monthly newsletter is about the ARM Program goal to improve scientific understanding of the interactions of sunlight (solar radiation) with the atmosphere, then incorporate this understanding into computer models of climate change. To model climate accurately all around the globe, a variety of data must be collected from many locations on Earth. For its Cloud and Radiation Testbed (CART) sites, ARM chose locations in the US Southern Great Plains, the North Slope of Alaska, and the Tropical Western Pacific Ocean to represent different climate types around the world. In this newsletter they consider the North Slope of Alaska site, with locations at Barrow and Atqasuk, Alaska.

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The February 1998 issue of this newsletter discussed the Measurement of Pollution in the Troposphere (MOPITT) instrument that was to be tested at the SGP CART site before being launched aboard a NASA satellite to make precise, detailed measurements of tropospheric carbon monoxide and methane from space. The instrument was successfully launched on NASA's Terra satellite on December 18, 1999, by an Atlas IIAS rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California and began collecting data at the end of February 2000. The instrument was designed by Dr. Jim Drummond, a physicist at the University of Toronto. The MOPITT Validation Exercise (MOVE) Campaign is schedule to take place at the SGP site from April 30 to May 18, 2001. Researchers will measure carbon monoxide by using instruments onboard the DOE Cessna Citation aircraft and other instruments located at the SGP CART. The data gathered will be compared with those collected by the MOPITT instrument to validate its performance thus far. MOPITT, which is scheduled for a five-year mission, will provide the first long-term global measurements of carbon monoxide and methane gas levels in roughly the lowest 10 miles of the atmosphere. Carbon monoxide and methane and their roles as greenhouse gases in global warming are of great interest. Greenhouse gases can trap escaping heat from Earth's surface, potentially increasing atmospheric temperatures. Carbon monoxide is a by-product of combustion, resulting primarily from industrial processing or biomass burning. Carbon monoxide levels in the atmosphere have been rising, indicating a problem. Normally, carbon monoxide is removed from the atmosphere by the hydroxyl radical, which can react with and remove many pollutants from the air.

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Diffuse Shortwave Intensive Observation Period--The Diffuse Shortwave IOP ran from September 23 to October 12, 2001. During this IOP, Joe Michalsky (The State University of New York-Albany) and Tom Stoffel (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) deployed approximately 15 radiometers of various designs and manufacturers on the SGP Radiometer Calibration Facility. The purpose was to compare the accuracy of the radiometers for diffuse shortwave measurements. The Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Yankee Environmental Systems also participated in the IOP. SuomiNet Installations Completed--The installation of all SuomiNet equipment has been completed at 15 extended facility locations. Six of these stations are currently online and providing data to the SuomiNet project. SuomiNet is a university-based, real-time national global positioning system (GPS) network for atmospheric research and education. (See June 2000 issue of the ARM SGP Newsletter.) The network uses GPS to measure atmospheric moisture. To view real-time data from ARM sites, please visit this web site: http://www.gst.ucar.edu/gpsrg/realtime.html.

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The ARM Program studies clouds, sunlight, and their interactions to understand how they affect Earth's climate. One of the many instruments used to look at clouds at the SGP CART site is the micropulse lidar (MPL; ''lidar'' was coined from ''light distance and ranging''). The ARM Program operates five MPLs. One is at the SGP central facility; one is at the North Slope of Alaska CART site in Barrow, Alaska; and three are for use at the Tropical Western Pacific site on Nauru and Manus islands. The MPL is a remote sensing instrument used to measure the height of overhead clouds and particles. An eye-safe laser in the system directs a beam vertically. As short pulses of laser light travel through the sky, they may encounter water droplets or aerosol particles in the atmosphere. These particles intercept the laser light and scatter it in different directions. Some of the scattered light returns to Earth's surface. A receiver on the ground collects backscattered light that bounces off atmospheric particles and uses the information to determine the distance between the ground and the particles. The signals detected are collected and plotted. The greater the signal strength, the more scatterers are present in the atmosphere. A plot based on this relationship provides a ''snapshot'' of the cloud overhead and shows the structure inside the cloud. In addition, the information gathered from the MPL can be used to determine the height of the planetary boundary layer, the well-mixed layer of the atmosphere that develops during daytime hours as the sun heats Earth's surface and sets up vertical mixing. Small airborne particles that can also be detected include smoke or dust carried into the atmosphere. This information is valuable to climate researchers. Because the MPL uses an eye-safe laser, it is not a danger to pilots of planes flying overhead and can be run continuously. The availability of continuous data is a great benefit to researchers in their efforts to incorporate the interactions of clouds and solar radiation into climate models. Another strength of the MPL is long-range detection. The MPL can detect clouds at altitudes above six miles and stratospheric aerosols as high as nine miles.

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Summer 2001 Heat Wave--This summer has proved to be downright hot in the Southern Great Plains states. The temperatures soared to record-setting levels. The state of Oklahoma saw its fourth hottest July since 1895, while Kansas experienced its seventh warmest. The average temperature throughout most of Oklahoma for the month of July was 2.5-5.5 F above normal. The highest temperature recorded in the region during July was 107 F in Oklahoma City. Wichita, Kansas, had 17 July days with recorded temperatures of 100 F or above, while Medicine Lodge, Kansas, had 21. In addition, Oklahoma suffered its ninth driest July, with precipitation levels much below normal. Kansas fared better, receiving above-normal precipitation amounts. Nevertheless, regional July rainfall averaged 1.5-3.0 inches below normal. Not only is a summer heat wave uncomfortable, but it can also be dangerous. The National Weather Service (NWS) has increased efforts to alert the public to the hazards of heat waves. Prolonged excessive heat and humidity stress the human body and can, in some cases, cause death. The NWS has devised a heat index that is a measure of the heat we perceive as a function of air temperature and humidity. A heat index chart displays different zones from caution to extreme danger, much like a wind chill index chart used in the winter. The values represent conditions of light winds and shade. Thus, in full sunshine heat index values can increase by 15 F. Exposure to winds in hot, dry weather can be equally dangerous. The NWS sends out alerts when the heat index is expected to reach values with significant potential impact. The danger of heat-related illness increases with the number of consecutive days with high heat and humidity levels. Heat and humidity take their toll faster on the elderly, small children, and those with respiratory health problems. Heat-related illnesses come in several forms with different symptoms. From common sunburns to heat stroke, these heat disorders need to be addressed promptly. Sunburn is something most of us have experienced. Severe burns can be dangerous and should be treated by a physician. Heat cramps (painful muscle cramps, usually of the leg muscles) are typically accompanied by heavy sweating. Heat exhaustion symptoms include sweating; weakness; cold, pale, clammy skin; fainting; and vomiting. Heat stroke (also called sunstroke), the most serious heat disorder, can cause the body temperature to rise to 106 F or higher. The skin becomes hot and dry, and the pulse is rapid. Heat stroke is a severe medical emergency and can be fatal. Everyone can take common-sense precautions to ease the danger of a heat wave. Reduce strenuous exercise and outdoor activities. Reschedule these activities for a cooler time of day or move them to an air-conditioned indoor location. Wear lightweight, light-colored clothing to help maintain a normal body temperature and reflect sunlight and heat. Drink plenty of non-alcoholic fluids, especially water, to help maintain good hydration, and eat light meals. Stay out of the sun if possible and spend time in air-conditioned places to reduce the stress of summer heat.

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This issue continues the discussion on lightning begun with the last issue. It reviews briefly what lightning is, then discusses protecting buildings and structures, personal protection, and protecting ARM structures. Five sources for more information are listed.