Instrumentation

The Department of Energy ARM Mobile Facility site features a suite of cloud, precipitation, wind, thermodynamic, and aerosol measurements in Villa Yacanto, Córdoba.

For a full list of instruments, see:

https://www.arm.gov/capabilities/instruments?stype=Mobile

Doppler on Wheels radars (X-Band mobile radars) (x3)

DOW6 - dual polarization, dual wavelength

DOW7 - dual polarization, dual wavelength

DOW8 - single polarization, high sensitivity

Deployed by Center for Severe Weather Research

C-Band on Wheels (COW) radar

Deployable dual-polarization dual-wavelength C-Band radar

Deployed by Center for Severe Weather Research

Colorado State University C-Band radar

Vaisala WRM-200 C-Band dual polarization radar

Deployed by the University of Illinois and Colorado State University

Earth Observing Laboratory Water Vapor Differential Absorption LIDAR (WVDIAL)

The lidar groups at NCAR and Montana State University (MSU) have worked together since 2011 to develop the Water Vapor DIAL, a compact, field-deployable, micro-pulse differential absorption lidar (DIAL). The Water Vapor DIAL provides continuous monitoring of water vapor in the lower troposphere at 150 m range resolution and 1-5 min temporal resolution from 300 m to 4 km above ground level in daytime operation with greater range at night. The instrument design and validation are discussed detail in the scientific literature referenced on the website listed below. A high spectral resolution channel, capable of providing quantitative aerosol and cloud properties, is now available.

Radiosondes

Measure temperature, humidity, and winds (~2000 sondes)

Deployed by Center for Severe Weather Research, Department of Energy, Servicio Meteorológico Nacional-Argentina, University of Illinois, and Colorado State University

U.S. Department of Energy ARM Aerial Facility G-1 Research Aircraft (based at Rio Cuarto Airport) - part of CACTI field campaign

Aerosol

• Ultra-High Sensitivity Aerosol Spectrometer (UHSAS): Size distribution 0.055 to 1 microns
• Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (SMPS): Size distribution 0.015 to 0.450 microns
• Single Particle Soot Photometer (SP2): Soot spectrometry
• Photo-Acoustic Soot Spectrometer, 3 wavelengths (PASS-3): Light absorption and scattering
• Dual-Column Cloud Condensation Nuclei Counter (Dual-CCNC): CCN concentration at two specified supersaturations
• Condensation Particle Counter (CPC): Total aerosol concentration (>0.007 microns)
• Ultrafine CPC (UCPC): Total aerosol concentration (>0.003 microns).

Gas Phase

• Trace Gas System: Concentration of SO2 , CO, O3 , NO, NO2 , and NOy
• Cavity Ring Down (CRD): Concentration of CO2 , CH4 , and H2O.

Cloud Properties

• Cloud Droplet Probe (CDP): Size distribution 2 to 50 microns
• 2-Dimensional Stereo Probe (2D-S): Size distribution 10 to 3,000 microns
• High Volume Precipitation Spectrometer version 3 (HVPS-3): Size distribution 400 to 50,000 microns
• Cloud Particle Imager (CPI) Version 2: Images of cloud droplets and ice crystals.

Mobile Mesonet (x3)

Measure near-surface temperature, humidity, and winds

Deployed by Center for Severe Weather Research

Deployable Mesonets

POD (x15)

Deployable; measures, temperature, relative humidity, wind velocity and pressure at 1, 1.5, and 2 m AGL (depending on configuration), and video or time lapse photographs, hydrometeor size distribution

Deployed by Center for Severe Weather Research

UFSM StickNet

Deployable; measures temperature, humidity, and winds

Deployed by Universidade Federal de Santa Maria

Integrated Surface Flux System (x15)

Precipitation, vertical profiles of wind, temperature, and humidity; radiation fluxes; and soil temperature, soil moisture, and soil heat fluxes, pressure, leaf wetness sensor. Seven of these stations measure momentum, sensible heat, and latent heat fluxes by eddy-correlation;

Deployed Earth Observing Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research

RAL Surface Stations (x15)

Measures precipitation, wind, temperature, and humidity; radiation fluxes; and soil temperature, soil moisture, and soil heat fluxes, hydrometeor size distribution, pressure, leaf wetness sensor

Deployed by the Research Applications Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, University of Illinois, and Universidad Nacional de Córdoba

Automated Parsivel Units (x2)

Measures precipitation rate and hydrometeor size distribution

Deployed by NASA Global Precipitation Measurement mission

NASA Lightning Mapping Array

Measures paths of each lightning flash at high time and space resolution using VHF radio time of arrival

Deployed by NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration

Electric Field Measurements

Low frequency autonomous magnetic field sensors (x4)

Electric field meters (x8)

Marx Meter Array: Electric field change meters (x10)

Deployed by University of Colorado-Boulder and the University of Alabama-Huntsville

LEONA Network for FAIRIES Measurements

LEONA, the "Transient Luminous Event (TLE) and Thunderstorm High Energy Emission (HEET) COllaborative Network in Latin America", will perform measurements of the two know classes of FAIRIES, EFfects of Electrical ActIvity Related to ConvectIvE System: TLEs and HEETs

- 3 stations in Argentina and 2 in southern Brazil to observe sprites and other TLEs;

- 1 Neutron Detector in Argentina to record lightning emitted neutrons, one type of HEET.

Deployed by INPE, the National Institute for Space Research, Brazil

Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler

Measures streamflow at a cross-section of a river. Used to create stage-discharge relations.

Deployed by Universidad Nacional de Córdoba and University of Illinois

Particle Image Velocimeter

Optical measurement of surface velocity at a cross-section of a river. Is then translated into streamflow values. Used to create stage-discharge relations.

Deployed by Universidad Nacional de Córdoba and University of Illinois