June 2005
Dept. of Energy's Mobile Atmospheric Laboratory starts worldwide tour at Pt. Reyes
News media and distinguished guests are invited to tour one of the world's most sophisticated portable climate research stations, which is currently on location at Point Reyes National Seashore. The DOE's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program developed its $1.4 million Mobile Facility to enable atmospheric scientists to perform climate research in remote locations around the world. Point Reyes is the ARM Mobile Facility's first deployment.
WHAT: Tour of Mobile Atmospheric Research Laboratory and Media Availability
WHO: Mark Miller, Site Scientist, ARM Mobile Facility
Larry Jones, Site Operations Manager, ARM Mobile Facility
John Hubbe, Research Aircraft Lead Pilot, DOE Aerosol Science Program
WHEN: WHERE: Point Reyes National Seashore, California
Meet at Bear Valley Visitors Center; drive out to site
From March to September 2005, the ARM Mobile Facility is involved in a field campaign at Point Reyes to collect data that will be used to address important unresolved climate change questions involving marine stratus clouds and their drizzle processes. In July, two research aircraft will participate in the experiment to collect additional in-cloud measurements. The goal of the experiment is to understand how the aerosol byproducts of fossil fuel consumption may impact marine stratus clouds, which are a poorly sampled and simulated component of the climate system. Next year, the ARM Mobile Facility will be deployed in Niamey, Niger, Africa to participate in an international study of the West African monsoon system.
The ARM Program - the largest global change research program supported by the Department of Energy - was created to help resolve scientific uncertainties related to global climate change. Its specific focus is on the crucial role of clouds and their influence on radiative feedback processes in the atmosphere.
For more information about the ARM Mobile Facility, visit www.arm.gov/sites/amf.stm