Operations Updates
ARM Climate Research Facility Operations Update - August 31, 2005
This bimonthly report provides a brief summary of significant accomplishments and activities in the operations area of the ARM Climate Research Facility (ACRF).
North Slope of Alaska Draws Array of Distinguished Visitors
As the northernmost inhabited city in the United States, Barrow is a unique and critical location for conducting climate research at high-latitudes.
On August 16, U.S. Senators Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Susan Collins, and Lindsey Graham visited the North Slope of Alaska (NSA) on a bi-partisan trip to examine the effects of climate change in cold latitudes. During their five-hour visit in Barrow, they talked with community members and observed numerous Arctic research facilities in the area, including the ACRF site. In support of the visit, ACRF communications staff prepared two posters describing the various ACRF sites and ARM research underway at the NSA; these were displayed along with other materials during the group's lunch break. Their visit ended with a helicopter tour over the area. A few days later, Arden Bement, director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), and other NSF representatives associated with Arctic science issues also visited Barrow.
These visits occurred just a few days before the Swedish research icebreaker, Oden, docked in Barrow to obtain supplies, change crews, and conduct general ship maintenance. More than 100 scientists and crew members came and went through Barrow during the Oden visit. The ACRF Site Manager for NSA gave a briefing about ACRF to visiting Swedish dignitaries, including the Swedish ambassador to the Arctic Council. This latest series of visits caps a flurry of attention at the NSA in recent months, starting in March a visit by Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman, a May visit by reporters from the British Broadcasting Company (see last article in this issue), and an early August visit by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Southern Great Plains Site Hosts Gathering to Discuss ACRF Instrumentation
Field calibration of the rotating shadowband radiometer (RSS) is performed by the RSS instrument mentor (left) and a colleague from SGP operations.
With research facilities around the globe, one of the biggest challenges faced by the ACRF is communication and consistent application of new information and instrument advances. In early August, about 45 ACRF scientists and engineers gathered at the ACRF Southern Great Plains site for a three-day interactive meeting to promote information exchange between instrument mentors and site operations personnel. Meeting participants included instrument mentors, site operations, infrastructure, and data management, and ARM scientists. Due to the success of this meeting and a similar one held in 2003, ACRF management is considering holding this meeting on a regular biannual basis.
The meeting was organized with classroom sessions and hands-on sessions on Tuesday and Thursday. The classroom sessions allowed for joint discussion of instrument operation and maintenance, as well as changes, problems, plans, and other issues, while the hands-on sessions permitted direct interactions with the instruments. This approach benefited new and experienced mentors and site operations personnel alike. The Wednesday sessions allowed interactions between the Instrument Team and members of other ACRF functional teams to discuss issues of mutual interest. Each site operations team introduced (or reintroduced) the instrument team members to their staffs, and discussed their capabilities, procedures, needs, and record systems as they affect interaction with the instrument mentors. On Wednesday afternoon the group discussed various instrument mentor issues.
BBC Airs Segment on Arctic Research After Visit to North Slope of Alaska
BBC reporters climbed onto the "skydeck" with ACRF operations staff in Barrow to see the instruments and the surrounding area.
A visit to the North Slope of Alaska in late May by journalists from the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) resulted in a news segment on BBC Four, the network's "most intellectually and culturally enriching channel." During their visit, they interviewed scientists from various research organizations with facilities in Barrow, asking them about climate research in the Arctic, and inquiring how scientists were addressing the concerns and responding to observations of climate change by the natives, particularly elders. Their interviews with ACRF operations staff lasted about an hour, contributing to the 30-minute radio segment which aired on August 8.
ACRF operations staff showed the reporters some of the instrumentation on the "skydeck" at Barrow, and explained that the ARM science mission—established over a decade ago through a long, rigorous process—is focused on providing data for scientific analysis and decision making. They also noted that the ACRF Education and Outreach program works closely with community members in relating climate science to native concerns, as evidenced by the interactive kiosks in ACRF host communities.
The BBC is one of the world's largest news organizations, operating a broad range of television and radio programs in multiple languages. BBC Four balances a mix of documentary, performance, music, film and topical features as alternative to traditional mainstream programming.
