AMF Deployment - Shouxian, China
Current time and temperature in Hefei, China, near Shouxian.
Location: 32°33'30.18"N 116°46'55.02"E
A collection of radiometers (forefront), radar wind profiler (right), and instrument shelters (background) from the ARM Mobile Facility prepare for an 8-month deployment in Shouxian, China.
In 2008, the ARM Mobile Facility (AMF) will be deployed in China to acquire essential cloud, aerosol, radiative, and meteorological measurements for the Study of Aerosol Indirect Effects in China. High concentrations of aerosol particles in the region may influence the atmosphere across the Pacific Rim, especially the radiation balance and cloud properties. Preliminary analyses of multiple satellite data sets over China indicate complex and unique aerosol indirect effects, which impact cloud reflectivity and precipitation processes. Both in-situ measurements and independent ground-based remote sensing data are needed to verify the satellite findings and gain a deeper understanding of these effects.
In its most complex deployment to date, AMF data will be collected at four locations in China during 2008. The various sites are located in regions with different climate regimes and with high aerosol loadings of different optical, physical, and chemical properties. (Larger version.)
The primary AMF site will be located at the Shouxian, approximately 500 km west of Shanghai. A supplemental facility with a reduced complement of AMF instruments will obtain measurements at an observatory on the shores of Lake Taihu, just 96 km west of Shanghai. Both of these facilities will operate from May through December 2008. In addition, an ancillary facility with a subset of AMF instruments will be established to the north, to obtain comparative measurements for several months at a time in locations with different environmental conditions. From April through May, the ancillary facility will operate at a location in the semi-desert conditions of Zhangye, in north-central China. The ancillary facility then moves to Xianghe on the northeast coast. It will operate in this primarily agricultural environment from June through the end of the AMF deployment in December.
Measurements obtained at all the AMF sites during the 8-month deployment in China will help scientists to validate satellite-based findings, understand the mechanisms of the aerosol indirect effects in the region, and examine the roles of aerosols in affecting regional climate and atmospheric circulation, with a special focus on the impact of the East Asian monsoon system. Beginning in 2004, a precursor study, East Asian Study of Tropospheric Aerosols: An International Regional Experiment, was conducted until the present.
