User Information
The ACRF is an ideal platform on which to develop and test new instrumental approaches. Activities conducted by ACRF users may include a visit to one of the sites for informational or educational purposes; an effort to test or validate new instruments; a short-duration period of data acquisition, or a longer, more permanent type of data acquisition effort.
Costs
There is no "fee" for taking advantage of the ACRF scientific infrastructure. In lieu of costs, users are expected to contribute collaborative funding for their research and to give referential credit to ACRF in publications as appropriate.
The ACRF Science Board considers proposals in a timely manner to assist the scientific investigators with their proposals for funding from their prospective funding agencies. Proposals are reviewed based on scientific merit and the feasibility and costs associated with using the Facility. Small amounts of funding may be provided to assist with logistics, the development of data streams and archiving, and other activities associated with using the ACRF.
Accessing the Data
The Data Archive supports the scientific field experiments of the ARM Program by storing and distributing the large quantities of data collected from these experiments. These data are used to research atmospheric radiation balance and cloud feedback processes, which are critical to the understanding of global climate change.
To access data stored in the Archive, you must create an account.
Visiting the Sites
ARM's permanent research sites represent three different climatic regimes: the Southern Great Plains (SGP), the North Slope of Alaska (NSA), and the Tropical Western Pacific (TWP). Respectively, these sites address a range of climatic conditions: 1) variable mid-latitude climate conditions, 2) land and land-sea-ice arctic climate, and 3) the tropical warm pool in the western Pacific Ocean. In addition, an ARM Mobile Facility (AMF) is being developed for short-term deployment (about 1 year) at future sites to be determined by the ACRF Science Board.
"Virtual" site access involves connecting a PC, instrument, or other device to an ACRF network. The advantage to this "remote" approach is the ability to obtain near-real time data without being physically located at the site.
To visit a site, whether in person or via a network, you must fill out and submit the appropriate request form in the Site and Computer Access Request System.
Conducting a Field Campaign
Any ACRF field campaign that requires an augmentation of routine data acquisition operation at a site, even for a short period of time, is designated an Intensive Operational Period (IOP). For example, the support of guest instrumentation at a research site is considered an IOP. At the other end of the scale, so is a major field experiment that might include ships or aircraft activities at or near a research site, requiring extensive planning of a year or more.
To request changes in routine data acquisition or to test and validate new instruments, the IOP Preproposal form is required. For information and guidelines about proposing an IOP, see the ACRF proposal page.
