The BT tower was heavily instrumented for Clearflo. The meteorological station, which predated Clearflo, will continue to be operated by Reading University. One clear role for NCAS is maintenance of the laboratory installed on the tower, as a base for possible future field campaigns. Measurements of CO, CH4 and CO2 will remain at the tower post Clearflo, run by CEH as part of the InGOS and GAUGE tall towers measurement program. In addition, a gradient system of sample lines at 4 different heights up the tower will be installed, allowing calculations of flux to be made from the concentration measurements. 

NCAS supports O3 and NOx concentration measurements started during ClearfLo.

The instrumentation at this site measures:

• nitrogen oxides (NOx)

• ozone (O3 )

The  Chilbolton Atmospheric Observatory (CAO) is an observatory for measurements of clouds and aerosols, with the 35 GHz radar and the Halo lidar providing the primary long-term dataset.

The instrumentation at this site measures:

• Surface wind speed and direction

• Surface temperature

• Surface humidity

• Surface pressure

• Precipitation

• Profiles of wind speed and direction

• Profiles of wind components: U, V, W

CDAO Instruments providing long-term observations at the MST radar facility and  comprise the MST radar itself, a VHF wind profiling radar, together with two surface meteorological stations, a 10 m wind tower and a laser ceilometer. The site also houses fixed ozone and water vapour lidars run by the University of Manchester and has a base for the AMOF boundary-layer lidar.

CDAO measured parameters:

• Surface air pressure

• Surface air temperature

• Surface relative humidity

• Surface rain rate

• Surface hail rate

• Surface downwelling shortwave radiation

• Surface wind speed and direction

• Profiles of three-dimensional wind vector

• Profiles of turbulence intensity

• Tropopause altitude

• Cloud base altitudes

• Sky conditions

• Polar Mesosphere Summer Echoes (PMSEs)

The Cape Verde Atmospheric Observatory (CVAO) is a long term monitoring station on the island of Sao Vicente, Cape Verde in the tropical east Atlantic (17N, 25W). 

NCAS-funded measurements at the CVAO focus on short-lived trace gases included O3, CO, NOx, NOy, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and oxygenated (O)VOCs, DMS and halocarbons, as well as meteorological parameters and photolysis rates.   Most of these parameters have been monitored since 2006, and CVAO is a global GAW station. 

NCAS gas-phase measurements: 

• carbon monoxide (CO)

• hydrocarbons (C2-C8)

• oxygenated halocarbons (C1-C3)

• nitric oxide (NO)

• nitrogen dioxide (NO2)

• ozone (O3)

NCAS additional measurements:

• Surface wind speed and direction

• Surface temperature

• Surface humidity

• Surface pressure

• Precipitation

• Solar actinic flux

• Solar radiation

The IAO is a mobile observatory designed to observe and monitor volcanic ash during times of both volcanic activity and rest.

During periods of unrest, its mobility is essential as it allows for it to be relocated to where its remote sensing capabilities can be best used to provide support for ash dispersal models and aviation safety.

During periods of rest, its home location is Efri Vik (63° 25′ 05.5″ N, -18° 59′ 16.9″ E).

The IAO is fitted with a 10-m mast on which is mounted an automatic weather station and two cameras pointing perpendicular to each other with views of the Grímsvötn and Bárðarbunga volcanoes and the Vik ash fields. External tripods also support a tracking sunphotometer and an all-sky camera. The trailer houses a scanning aerosol Doppler lidar with depolarisation channel, a ceilometer, and a comprehensive IT system. The latter allowing the site to be automated: data stored both locally and downloaded to UK for processing and archiving. The IT system has been designed to allow easy integration of guest instruments with control and data streaming being automated.

There are also ports in the trailer that allow sample lines and cables to be fed into the interior.

The aerosol Doppler lidar is programmed to perform a standard set of predetermined scan patterns every 10 minutes

• 5 point wind

• RHI perpendicular to the mountain

• RHI parallel to the mountain

and when not performing these scans the system stated vertically. A user can apply to run their own scanning patterns in support of a project.

The instrumentation at this site measures

• Surface wind speed and direction

• Surface temperature

• Surface humidity

• Surface pressure

• Precipitation

• Profiles of wind speed and direction

• Profiles of wind components: U, V, W

• Profiles of the aerosol backscatter coefficient

• Profiles of aerosol depolarization ratio

• RHI & PPI scans of aerosol Backscatter coefficient

• Number of cloud layers

• Cloud layer base height

• All-sky imagery

• General imagery

• Column integrated aerosol loading

• Column integrated water vapour loading

• Column integrated ozone concentration

• Aerosol optical depth

The Weybourne Atmospheric Observatory (WAO) is situated on the North Norfolk coast (52°57’02’’N, 1°07’19’’E, 15 m asl). 

It is a regional station for:

• Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) programme of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), 

• Integrated Carbon Obserserving System (ICOS) (https://www.icos-cp.eu/). 

• NERC Methane Observations and Yearly Assessments (MOYA) (https://moya.blogs.bris.ac.uk/).

• NERC Detection and Attribution of Regional greenhouse gas Emissions in the UK (DARE-UK) (https://dareuk.blogs.bristol.ac.uk/).

Weybourne is operated by the UEA having been established in 1992 and NCAS has also supported the site since 2002.

NCAS gas-phase measurements

• methane (CH4)

• carbon monoxide (CO)

• carbon dioxide (CO2)

• hydrogen (H2)

• nitrous oxide (N2O)

• oxygen (O2)

• sulfur hexafluoride (SF6)

NCAS meteorological measurements

• Wind speed and wind direction,

• Temperature

• Relative Humidity

Non-NCAS gas-phase measurements

• carbon dioxide (CO2 ) isotopes (13C and 18O)

• methane (CH4 ) isotopes (13C)

• nitric oxide (NO)

• nitrogen dioxide (NO2)

• ozone (O3)

• sulfur dioxide (SO2)

• particulate matter (PM1, PM2.5, PM4, PM10, Total Suspended Particles)

• low level radon

• VOCs

• OVOCs (available upon request)

Non-NCAS meteorological measurements

• Wind speed and wind direction,

• Temperature

• Relative Humidity

• Pressure

• Irradiance

• Profiles of the aerosol backscatter coefficient

• Number of cloud layers

• Cloud layer base height

• Wind profiles (400m)

The Atmospheric Measurement and Observation Facility (AMOF) is a UK research facility that enables advanced measurements of the atmosphere.

We are managed by the National Centre for Atmospheric Science and funded by the Natural Environment Research Council.

We manage a comprehensive suite of mobile instrumentation, observatories and laboratories; and provide a joined-up service for the atmospheric science community.

Our experts provide continuing support to research and industry professionals, from planning and making world-class measurements to ensuring quality assessments and archival of open-access data products.

We work collaboratively with the international atmospheric science community to achieve bespoke measurement solutions and are committed to remaining at the forefront of a fast-changing research and technology landscape.

Historically, EISCAT’s mainland facilities have operated for approximately 2000 hours per year since 1982 (actual start of mainland operations was in August 1981), while the Svalbard radar has operated for some 1500 hours per year since 1997 (first operations in March 1996).  The actual amount of operations varies slightly from year to year, according to the funding situation, user demand and technical factors, but is normally fairly close to this target level.

EISCAT operation is divided into two types of experiment.  Common Programmes are standard synoptic observations, aimed at securing a long-term homogeneous database (e.g. with observations distributed evenly through the year and the solar cycle). The Common Programme database accounts for around half of all EISCAT observations and comprises six standard experimental modes, which have changed relatively little over the years.  These data are released to all EISCAT member countries and a subset of them, the “World Day” data are made available to the entire global community.

The other half of EISCAT observations comprises “Special Programmes” designed by experiment teams from the various member countries according to their own science needs and reserved to that country for the first year.  After that, their status becomes the same as that of Common Programmes. Because Special Programmes are targeted at a wide variety of science areas, these data are very diverse and often some effort is required to interpret these experiments, for teams other than the proposers.

The Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurement (FAAM) operate a specially adapted research aircraft managed by a unique team of scientists, engineers, flight technicians and project managers providing a complete package of support for the scientific community.

FAAM is based at Cranfield University and Airfield and our main objectives are to:

• Maximise the potential of the BAE-146-301 large research aircraft

• Operate, calibrate and present to science users and to the Centre for Environmental Data Analysis in a timely and efficient manner

• Plan and coordinate instrument configuration changes

• Manage the introduction of new instruments on behalf of the scientific user community

• Operationally plan and execute science campaigns on behalf of the scientific user community

• Train users new to the aircraft and facility

• Provide continuing support to existing customers and users, and to operate the contracts that support the aircraft and required operating infrastructure

In-Service Aircraft for a Global Observing System (IAGOS) is a European Research Infrastructure for global in-situ observations of atmospheric composition using commercial aircraft. 

The infrastructure was founded in 2004, building on the previous expertise of MOZAIC (Measurement of Ozone and Water Vapour on Airbus in-service Aircraft) and CARIBIC (Civil Aircraft for the Regular Investigation of the Atmosphere Based on an Instrument Container).

IAGOS utilises commercial airlines and their aircraft to make routine in-situ measurements of Essential Climate Variables (ECVs) on a global scale. To date, there have been over 62000 flights made, with active airline partners include Lufthansa, Air France, China Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Cathay Pacific. 

The relationship between the airlines and member institutions helps IAGOS provide important measurements in unique detail of the Upper Troposphere Lower Stratosphere (UTLS). The approach complements existing ground-based and space-borne remote sensing techniques.

IAGOS operates a global-scale monitoring system for atmospheric trace gases, aerosols and clouds and contributes to the Global Atmosphere Watch Programme ( GAW). 

NCAS supports the BCP Particle Probe for cloud and large dust particles. The BCP provides multiple vertical profiles of cloud drop size distribution and liquid water content for lower tropospheric clouds over major cities whilst providing the effective optical diameter of ice particles in ice phase clouds from which bulk properties can be derived. In particular, the BCP provides continuous unbiased sampling of cirrus clouds in the UTLS region on a global scale.

NCAS supports the continuation and development of two key global surface climate datasets, hosted by the University of East Anglia. 

• CRUTEM (current version CRUTEM4) is one of the very few datasets providing global gridded surface air temperature (SAT) anomalies over the land areas of the Earth. 

• CRUTS is a high-resolution (0.5° longitude and latitude) dataset providing a wide range of surface variables and is extensively used for driving land-surface models, evaluating climate models, analysing climate change and variability, evaluating and bias-correcting satellite and reanalysis data, and calibrating paleoclimate reconstructions. 

The Cape Grim and CARIBIC programmes have been running for many years and provide some of the longest atmospheric records of many key ozone depleting substances (ODS) and halogenated greenhouse gases. 

When not deployed in support of an AMOF project the AMOF Radar Wind Profiler operates in "long-term measurement mode" and the data is archived at CEDA as an AMOF long-term data set. This "long-term" mode of operation occurs either at the Capel Dewi Atmospheric Observatory (CDAO) or Cardington.

The Cardington field site is already home to a number of long-term datasets supporting the Met Office research programme, to which NERC scientists have access for research purposes.

Scientific uses of this dataset include: boundary-layer growth, nocturnal jets, remote sensing of boundary-layer turbulence and observations of extreme winds.