DOE officials tour Southern Great Plains atmospheric observatory

Nestled on 160 acres of cattle pasture and wheat fields sits the heart of the Southern Great Plains (SGP) atmospheric observatory, the first field measurement site established by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility. Nine DOEnational laboratories collaborate to manage ARM's work and DOE's Argonne National Laboratory is responsible for the SGPand third ARMMobile Facility (AMF3) sites.

The SGP, centered near Lamont, Oklahoma, is the world's largest and most extensive climate research facility. Established in 1992, it currently operates around 90 ARMinstruments, with year-round support for guest researchers' instrumentation. Radars, surface meteorological instrumentation and many other instruments make high-quality data available for atmospheric scientists worldwide through the ARMData Center.

On a muddy, overcast day in January, Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, director of DOE's Office of Science, joined other DOEofficials, representatives from Argonne and several other national laboratories and ARMleaders for a tour of instrumentation at the SGPsite.

"Overall, this was a great opportunity to showcase the effort it takes to operate ARM's largest and longest-serving atmospheric observatory and the dedication of the staff to ARM's mission. … We were happy to have DOEand Laboratory management involved to tour this one-of-a-kind facility." - Adam Theisen, Argonne, ARMinstrument operations manager

Their day began with a crash course in ARMand the six ARMobservatories, their instrumentation, how data is collected and how data is disseminated to users. They also learned more about what activities occur at the SGPand how it supports other ARMsites, as well as the way it supports users and field campaigns.

"Overall, this was a great opportunity to showcase the effort it takes to operate ARM's largest and longest-serving atmospheric observatory and the dedication of the staff to ARM's mission," said Argonne's Adam Theisen, ARMinstrument operations manager. ​"This was a truly unique experience, and we were happy to have DOEand Laboratory management involved to tour this one-of-a-kind facility."

After learning about ARM, the visitors were given a muddy walking tour of SGP. They learned about the challenges of operating the site in a remote location, and they saw firsthand the difficulties staff have in getting to work on rural dirt and gravel roads. On the tour, they discussed instrumentation and how the larger ARMuser facility operates. The group was able to get up close with instruments such as the 2Dvideo disdrometer, which measures the size and shape of rain drops. Berhe was even able to launch a weather balloon that measures profiles of temperature, humidity and wind.

"ARMis a lot more than just operating instrumentation for a temporary period of time," said Nicki Hickmon, ARMassociate director for operations. ​"Through our complex user facility, we bring together ARMand scientist observations from significant climate regimes to any interested person free of charge. Currently, we host over four petabytes of data available to users."

The visitors wanted to learn more about how ARMpartners and collaborates with universities and colleges. The service-oriented nature of DOEuser facilities lends natural support to outreach opportunities by making data freely available, explained Hickmon. ARMbrings together not only instrument experts, but also data scientists, data analysts and scientists from diverse disciplines, such as agriculture, aerospace engineering, soil and atmospheric chemistry, and many more.

"Our cutting-edge work at SGPand ARMwill provide the needed data for better weather models," said Sean L. Jones, Argonne deputy laboratory director for science and technology. ​"Visiting SGPwas a remarkable experience, providing an insightful glimpse into the pivotal role it plays in advancing climate research."

Berhe emphasized the value of the SGP's Central Facility for DOE's mission.

The ARMuser facility is funded by the DOEOffice of Science's Biological and Environmental Research Program.

Argonne National Laboratory seeks solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology. The nation's first national laboratory, Argonne conducts leading-edge basic and applied scientific research in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne researchers work closely with researchers from hundreds of companies, universities, and federal, state and municipal agencies to help them solve their specific problems, advance America's scientific leadership and prepare the nation for a better future. With employees from more than 60 nations, Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLCfor the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science.

The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit https://​ener​gy​.gov/​s​c​ience.