Operations Updates
ARM Climate Research Facility Operations Update - October 15, 2005
This bimonthly report provides a brief summary of significant accomplishments and activities in the operations area of the ARM Climate Research Facility (ACRF).
Room to Share—New Guest Facility Ready for Users at North Slope of Alaska
In September, installation was completed on the new Guest Instrument Facility in Barrow to provide additional space and ease crowded conditions.
To alleviate crowded conditions at its research facilities on the North Slope of Alaska (NSA) site in Barrow, ACRF operations staff recently completed the installation of a new Guest Instrument Facility. Similar to the platform at the Atqasuk site, the facility consists of two insulated shipping containers mounted on pilings, with a mezzanine to accommodate additional user instruments. This accomplishment reflects nearly a year's worth of planning and coordination to build the new facility on the sensitive Arctic tundra—not an easy feat!
Heavy, portable surface mats protected the tundra and provided a reliable, temporary road to access the new mezzanine structure during construction.
An application to modify the already-approved North Slope Bureau Development Permit had to be submitted and approved to allow the work to proceed during the melt (summer) season. Because construction would take place when movement of heavy equipment across the tundra is normally prohibited, a temporary road had to be built using heavy-duty polyethylene mats. These mats, borrowed from the City of Barrow, provided a stable surface strong enough to support a loader and a crane while protecting the fragile, water-logged tundra. Approval for the work was also sought from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) because ACRF's Barrow facilities are located on their land. BLM considered the "mat road" approach an experiment—which was deemed a success!
Logistics for transporting the instrument shelter containers and materials to Barrow also had to be arranged. The containers were trucked from the ACRF Southern Great Plains site to Seattle, via Albuquerque, where they were loaded on a barge in June for delivery to Barrow in early August. The shipment also included steel for the supports. Installation of the new mezzanine structure was completed on schedule in mid-September. Power availability to the shelters and mezzanine is expected in time to support facility operations this winter.
Website Integration Effort Delivers One-Stop Shopping for Data
The ARM website was upgraded with a new capability in September. ARM data users now have the ability to order data using the data cart from www.arm.gov. Click here for a larger image.
On September 27, a new way to browse and order ARM data became available on the ARM website after nine months of development. ACRF infrastructure staff from three national laboratories—Brookhaven National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory—teamed together to integrate the ARM web pages with the ARM Archive, creating the ability to order data while also learning about it!
A crucial component to this capability is the data "shopping" cart that allows users to place orders at the ARM Archive through the ARM website. The cart was designed to be intuitive and easy to use, especially for new users. To begin, users browse instruments, measurements, and data pages to find datastreams to place in the cart. After all the desired datastreams are in the cart, the Archive processes the order and delivers the data to an ftp site for pickup.
In addition to creating the data cart, the ARM website underwent a few other renovations. Web page content was augmented by including the External Data Center and field campaign instruments and datastreams in the instruments, measurements, and data pages. The Archive website updated its design to match the ARM website design and navigation. The field campaign web area improved its design and navigation for past campaigns, including moving all past campaigns from 1992-2001 into the background database, and adding links for ordering available data. As a result of these efforts, ordering data from the ARM Archive is now easier and more seamless from the ARM website.
