The U.S. Department of Energy's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Climate Research Facilities on the North Slope of Alaska

Sandia is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin Company,for the United States Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administrationunder contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

Contributors: Mark Ivey, Bernie Zak, Jeff Zirzow, Sandia National LabsMartin Stuefer, Jessica Cherry, University of Alaska FairbanksHans Verlinde, Scott Richardson, Penn State University

Barrow

Spring 2008Indirect and Semi-Direct Aerosol Campaign (ISDAC)

Atqasuk

Since 1998, the ACRF North Slope of Alaska (NSA) site, with instrumented facilities near the towns of Barrow and Atqasuk, has provided data about cloud and radiative processes at high latitudes. Campaign-scale atmospheric measurements in the Arctic for research activities funded by the DOE ARM Program began nearly a year earlier during the Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic (SHEBA) Experiment.

Cloud and aerosol measurements in the Arctic are important because climate models suggest the Arctic is particularly sensitive to climate change. Near-surface warming across the Arctic has been approximately twice the global average since the late 1960s. Ice and snow extent in higher latitudes have an important contribution to climate trends through the ice-albedo feedback. The magnitude of this feedback remains uncertain because it is strongly coupled to Arctic cloud processes and ocean heat transport, both poorly understood. Perennial sea ice in the Arctic declined by more than 20% since the mid-1970s, raising concerns that a threshold in the ice-albedo feedback may have been crossed. The record decline in sea-ice extent and increased melting of the Greenland ice sheet in 2007 provide further support for that conclusion. By improving our understanding of cloud processes and radiative transfer in the Arctic atmosphere, data from ACRF can help address one of the major sources of uncertainties in climate models, thereby reducing uncertainty in climate predictions.

Inside Instrument Shelter

Barrow Arctic Research Center (BARC), Owned by UIC Corporation, Managed by Barrow Arctic Science Consortium

Near the NSA Duplex in Barrow

Barrow Field Site

Outside, Skyrad

Barrow ACRF

Jessie Cherry Co Mentor for T PS, University of Alaska, Fairbanks

Joshua Ivanoff Operator, Part time, Barrow

Martin Stuefer Rapid Response Manager, University of Alaska, Fairbanks

Barrow User Facility

Total Precipitation Sensor

Robin Mongoyak Operator, Part time, Barrow

Barrow User Facility & Great White Entrance in Winter

Valerie Sparks Administrative Assistant, NSA Program Office, Sandia, Albuquerque

Upcoming IOP

New Members of the NSA Team

40M Met tower

To DEWLine

Skydeck

USGS Facilities

User Facility

Present Weather Sensor

Tip Tower

NOAA Instruments & Facilities

Great White

RASS deck

Legend: ARM = yellowOthers = blueSummer