The DOE ARM Aerial Facility
Schmid, B. ; Tomlinson, J. M. ; Hubbe, J. M. ; Comstock, J. M. ; Mei, F. ; Chand, D. ; Pekour, M. S. ; Kluzek, C. D. ; Andrews, E. ; Biraud, S. C. ; McFarquhar, G. M.
The Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program is a climate research user facility operating stationary ground sites that provide long-term measurements of climate-relevant properties, mobile ground- and ship-based facilities to conduct shorter field campaigns (6-12 months), and the ARM Aerial Facility (AAF). The airborne observations acquired by the AAF enhance the surface-based ARM measurements by providing high-resolution in situ measurements for process understanding, retrieval-algorithm development, and model evaluation that are not possible using surface-or satellite-based techniques.
Several ARM aerial efforts were consolidated to form AAF in 2006. With the exception of a small aircraft used for routine measurements of aerosols and carbon cycle gases, AAF at the time had no dedicated aircraft and only a small number of instruments at its disposal. AAF successfully carried out several missions contracting with organizations and investigators who provided their research aircraft and instrumentation. In 2009, AAF started managing operations of the Battelle-owned Gulfstream I (G-1) large twin-turboprop research aircraft. Furthermore, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provided funding for the procurement of over twenty new instruments to be used aboard the G-1 and AAF contracted aircraft. Depending on the requested scope, AAF now executes campaigns using the G-1 or contracted aircraft, producing freely available datasets for studying gas, aerosol, cloud, and radiative processes and their interactions in the atmosphere. AAF is also engaged in the maturation and testing of newly developed airborne sensors to help foster the next generation of airborne instruments.
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