Primary Measurements by Measurement Category
Aerosols
The effect of aerosols is measured by instrument systems and lidars that provide data on the size distribution, optical properties, scattering, and extinction of aerosols.
microphysical and chemical properties
- Aerosol concentration
- Aerosol particle size
- Black carbon concentration
- Cloud condensation nuclei
- Hygroscopic growth
- Inorganic chemical composition
- Particle number concentration
- Particle size distribution
- Total carbon
optical and radiative properties
- Aerosol absorption
- Aerosol extinction
- Aerosol optical properties
- Aerosol scattering
- Backscatter depolarization ratio
- Backscattered radiation
- Optical depth
Atmospheric Carbon
Measurements of atmospheric carbon are obtained from samples collected at the Southern Great Plains site.
- Black carbon concentration
- CO2 concentration
- CO2 flux
- Isotope ratio
- Total carbon
- Trace gas concentration
Atmospheric State
other trace gases
surface meteorology
- Atmospheric moisture
- Atmospheric pressure
- Atmospheric temperature
- Atmospheric turbulence
- Extreme event time
- Geopotential height
- Horizontal wind
- Precipitation
- Vertical velocity
- Visibility
upper air state
- Advective tendency
- Atmospheric moisture
- Atmospheric pressure
- Atmospheric temperature
- Atmospheric turbulence
- Cloud ice water
- Cloud liquid water
- Convection
- Geopotential height
- Horizontal wind
- Lightning stroke
- Liquid water path
- Planetary boundary layer height
- Precipitable water
- Radiative heating rate
- Vertical velocity
- Virtual temperature
Cloud Properties
Active and passive remote sensing instruments are used to measure the macroscopic properties (horizontal and vertical distributions) of clouds, and the microphysical properties (sizes, shapes, and phases [water or ice]) of the particles that comprise the clouds.
macrophysical
microphysical
- Backscattered radiation
- Cloud condensation nuclei
- Cloud droplet
- Cloud ice water
- Cloud liquid water
- Hydrometeor types
- Ice nuclei
- Ice particle
- Liquid water path
- Optical depth
- Radar Doppler
- Radar reflectivity
- Total cloud water
Radiometric
Radiometric measurements provide data on the propagation of electromagnetic energy through the atmosphere. These types of measurements represent the majority of ARM data, and are obtained using various types of active (such as radar and lidar) and passive (such as broadband radiometers and spectral sensors) sensors.
longwave broadband
- Longwave broadband brightness temperature
- Longwave broadband downwelling irradiance
- Longwave broadband net irradiance
- Longwave broadband radiance
- Longwave broadband upwelling irradiance
- Net broadband total irradiance
- Radiative heating rate
longwave narrowband
- Longwave narrowband downwelling irradiance
- Longwave narrowband radiance
- Longwave narrowband upwelling irradiance
- Surface skin temperature
longwave spectral
microwave
shortwave broadband
- Net broadband total irradiance
- Radiative heating rate
- Shortwave broadband diffuse downwelling irradiance
- Shortwave broadband diffuse upwelling irradiance
- Shortwave broadband direct downwelling irradiance
- Shortwave broadband direct normal irradiance
- Shortwave broadband radiance
- Shortwave broadband total downwelling irradiance
- Shortwave broadband total net irradiance
- Shortwave broadband total upwelling irradiance
shortwave narrowband
- Shortwave narrowband diffuse downwelling irradiance
- Shortwave narrowband diffuse upwelling irradiance
- Shortwave narrowband direct downwelling irradiance
- Shortwave narrowband direct normal irradiance
- Shortwave narrowband radiance
- Shortwave narrowband total downwelling irradiance
- Shortwave narrowband total upwelling irradiance
shortwave spectral
- Shortwave spectral diffuse downwelling irradiance
- Shortwave spectral direct normal irradiance
- Shortwave spectral total downwelling irradiance
Surface Properties
surface flux
- CO2 flux
- Friction velocity
- Latent heat flux
- Sensible heat flux
- Soil heat flux
- Soil moisture flux
- Soil temperature
- Surface moisture flux
- Surface stress