An Overview of ARM Program Climate Research Facility Data Quality Assurance

Peppler, Randy A.; Long, Chuck A.; Sisterson, Douglas L; Turner, D. D.; Bahrmann, C. P.; Christensen, S.W.; Doty, K.; Eagan, Richard C.; Halter, Todd D.; Ivey, Mark D.; Keck, N. N.; Kehoe, Kenneth; Liljegren, J. C.; Macduff, M. C.; Mather, J. H.; McCord, R.A.; Monroe, Justin; Moore, Sean T.; Nitschke, K. L.; Orr, Bruce; Perez, Robin; Perkins, B. D.; Richardson, Scott J.; Sonntag, Karen L.; Voyles, Jimmy W.; Wagener, R.

doi:10.2174/1874282300802010192

Cited by 26 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…The MWRs also serve as the water vapor calibration reference for ARM-launched radiosondes ) and the operational Raman lidars at the SGP and TWP sites (Turner and Goldsmith, 1999). Consistencies in the instruments' calibration (Liljegren, 2000b) and in the data quality control (Peppler et al, 2008) have been key elements to ensure the repeatability and continuity of the measurements and therefore the scientific relevance of the retrievals.…”

Section: Overview Of the Microwave Radiometers Networkmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Atmospheric radiation measurement (ARM) program network of microwave radiometers: instrumentation, data, and retrievals

2013

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Abstract. The Climate Research Facility of the US Department of Energy's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program operates a network of ground-based microwave radiometers. Data and retrievals from these instruments have been available to the scientific community for almost 20 yr. In the past five years the network has expanded to include a total of 22 microwave radiometers deployed in various locations around the world. The new instruments cover a frequency range between 22 and 197 GHz and are consistently and automatically calibrated. The latest addition to the network is a new generation of three-channel radiometers, currently in the early stage of deployment at all ARM sites. The network has been specifically designed to achieve increased accuracy in the retrieval of precipitable water vapor (PWV) and cloud liquid water path (LWP) with the long-term goal of providing the scientific community with reliable, calibrated radiometric data and retrievals of important geophysical quantities with well-characterized uncertainties. The radiometers provide high-quality, continuous datasets that can be utilized in a wealth of applications and scientific studies. This paper presents an overview of the microwave instrumentation, calibration procedures, data, and retrievals that are available for download from the ARM data archive.

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Section: Overview Of the Microwave Radiometers Networkmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Atmospheric radiation measurement (ARM) program network of microwave radiometers: instrumentation, data, and retrievals

2013

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“…Strictly, what is retrieved is a cloud phase that is "radiative" rather than microphysical. For example, it is common for liquid clouds in the Arctic to contain precipitating snow crystals (Hobbs and Rangno, 1998a;Pinto et al, 2001;McFarquhar et al, 2011). Snow crystals, while larger than droplets, are found in much lower concentrations and make a near negligible contribution to the total infrared absorption cross-section density (e.g., will be shown in Fig.…”

Section: Phase Determinationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Key instruments used for cloud retrievals from NSA-AAO include the Vaisala 25K Laser Ceilometer, the Micropulse Lidar, the Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer (AERI), and the millimetre wavelength cloud radar (MMCR) (Peppler et al, 2008).…”

Section: Cloud Remote Sensing Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ground-based remote sensing of thin clouds in the Arctic

Garrett

Zhao

2013

Atmos. Meas. Tech.

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Abstract. This paper describes a method for using interferometer measurements of downwelling thermal radiation to retrieve the properties of single-layer clouds. Cloud phase is determined from ratios of thermal emission in three "micro-windows" at 862.5 cm−1, 935.8 cm−1, and 988.4 cm−1 where absorption by water vapour is particularly small. Cloud microphysical and optical properties are retrieved from thermal emission in the first two of these micro-windows, constrained by the transmission through clouds of primarily stratospheric ozone emission at 1040 cm−1. Assuming a cloud does not approximate a blackbody, the estimated 95% confidence retrieval errors in effective radius re, visible optical depth τ, number concentration N, and water path WP are, respectively, 10%, 20%, 38% (55% for ice crystals), and 16%. Applied to data from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement programme (ARM) North Slope of Alaska – Adjacent Arctic Ocean (NSA-AAO) site near Barrow, Alaska, retrievals show general agreement with both ground-based microwave radiometer measurements of liquid water path and a method that uses combined shortwave and microwave measurements to retrieve re, τ and N. Compared to other retrieval methods, advantages of this technique include its ability to characterise thin clouds year round, that water vapour is not a primary source of retrieval error, and that the retrievals of microphysical properties are only weakly sensitive to retrieved cloud phase. The primary limitation is the inapplicability to thicker clouds that radiate as blackbodies and that it relies on a fairly comprehensive suite of ground based measurements.

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“…Another particularly important challenge, and one in which the ACRF has invested heavily 9 , is data quality assurance. From time to time, instruments either outright fail, or produce incorrect data for a great variety of reasons.…”

Section: Additional Noteworthy Operations Management Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preliminary systems engineering evaluations for the National Ecological Observatory Network.

Robertson¹,

Kottenstette²,

Crouch³

et al. 2008

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The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) is an ambitious National Science Foundation sponsored project intended to accumulate and disseminate ecologically informative sensor data from sites among 20 distinct biomes found within the United States and Puerto Rico over a period of at least 30 years. These data are expected to provide valuable insights into the ecological impacts of climate change, land-use change, and invasive species in these various biomes, and thereby provide a scientific foundation for the decisions of future national, regional, and local policy makers. NEON's objectives are of substantial national and international importance, yet they must be achieved with limited resources. Sandia National Laboratories was therefore contracted to examine four areas of significant systems engineering concern; specifically, alternatives to commercial electrical utility power for remote operations, approaches to data acquisition and local data handling, protocols for secure long-distance data transmission, and processes and procedures for the introduction of new instruments and continuous improvement of the sensor network. The results of these preliminary systems engineering evaluations are presented, with a series of recommendations intended to optimize the efficiency and probability of long-term success for the NEON enterprise. 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

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An Overview of ARM Program Climate Research Facility Data Quality Assurance

Cited by 26 publications

References 54 publications

The Atmospheric radiation measurement (ARM) program network of microwave radiometers: instrumentation, data, and retrievals

The Atmospheric radiation measurement (ARM) program network of microwave radiometers: instrumentation, data, and retrievals

Ground-based remote sensing of thin clouds in the Arctic

Preliminary systems engineering evaluations for the National Ecological Observatory Network.

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