Atmospheric Radiation Measurement

Atmospheric Radiation Measurement
Name	Atmospheric Radiation Measurement
Formation	1990
Purpose	To improve the understanding and representation of clouds and aerosols in climate models
Headquarters	United States Department of Energy
Region served	Global

Atmospheric Radiation Measurement. It is a major United States Department of Energy scientific program focused on advancing atmospheric and climate research. Established to address critical uncertainties in climate model predictions, its core mission is to improve the understanding of cloud formation and atmospheric radiative processes. The program operates a network of fixed and mobile observatories that collect long-term, comprehensive data on atmospheric properties.

Overview and Mission

The program was launched to provide the scientific community with unprecedented observational data on the Earth's atmosphere. Its foundational mission is to enhance the predictive capability of global climate model simulations by reducing uncertainties related to clouds and aerosols. This work directly supports the research goals of the DOE Office of Science and informs international assessments like those of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The initiative represents a long-term commitment to field experiments and continuous measurement.

Scientific Objectives and Research Areas

Primary objectives include quantifying the interactions between solar radiation and atmospheric constituents like water vapor and aerosol particles. A major research area is the study of cloud condensation nuclei and their role in cloud microphysics. Scientists investigate feedback mechanisms within the climate system, particularly those involving atmospheric circulation and surface energy budget. Research also focuses on processes in challenging environments, such as the Arctic and over the Southern Ocean, to understand polar amplification.

Measurement Facilities and Instrumentation

The program operates several permanent atmospheric observatories, including sites in Oklahoma, on the North Slope of Alaska, and in the tropical western Pacific Ocean. It also deploys mobile facilities, like the ARM Mobile Facility, for targeted campaigns in regions such as the Amazon rainforest and Antarctica. Instrumentation includes advanced lidar systems, cloud radar, microwave radiometers, and aerosol observing systems. These tools measure parameters from atmospheric temperature profiles to detailed cloud particle size distributions.

Data Products and Accessibility

The program generates a vast array of data streams, from raw instrument outputs to highly processed value-added products. These datasets are curated and made freely available to the global research community through the ARM Data Center. Data access supports work at institutions like the National Center for Atmospheric Research and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The open data policy has been instrumental for projects like the Couple Model Intercomparison Project and studies led by the American Meteorological Society.

Program History and Evolution

The concept was developed in the late 1980s, with formal establishment following the United States Congress approval of funding in 1990. The first major observatory, the Southern Great Plains site, began operations in the mid-1990s. The program expanded significantly with the creation of the mobile facilities in the 2000s, enabling campaigns during the VOCALS and HI-SCALE field studies. It has continually evolved, integrating new technologies from partners like Brookhaven National Laboratory and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

Collaborations and Impact

The program collaborates extensively with agencies such as the National Science Foundation and NASA on joint field missions. International partnerships involve organizations like the Max Planck Institute and the UK Met Office. Its data have fundamentally improved parameterizations in models used by the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory and the Community Earth System Model. The research has directly influenced reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and informed climate policy discussions globally.

Category:Climate change Category:Atmospheric science Category:United States Department of Energy