Reconfiguration of the DOE ARM Climate Research Facility to Better Link Measurements and Atmospheric Model Simulations

Abstract:

The DOE Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility (www.arm.gov) has been operating for over 20 years providing observations of clouds, aerosols, and radiation to obtain a detailed description of the atmospheric state, support the study of atmospheric processes, and support the improvement of the parameterization of these processes in climate models. The ARM facility is currently undergoing a reconfiguration with three main components:

- Enhancing ARM measurement strategies to enable the routine operation of high-resolution models and to optimize the use of ARM data for the evaluation of these models.

- Producing routine high-resolution model simulations over domains coincident with ARM sites.

- Developing data products and software tools that facilitate analysis and enable the evaluation of models using ARM data.

The Southern Great Plains and North Slope of Alaska sites are undergoing enhancements to provide additional spatial information to support the routine operation of high-resolution process-models. Enhancements are being targeted to enable the initialization and evaluation of process models with the goal of using the combination of high-resolution observations and simulations to study key atmospheric processes. This type of observation/model integration is not new at ARM sites, but the creation of two new “megasites” will enable the application of this observation/model synergy on a more routine basis, better exploiting the long-term nature of the ARM observations. The goal of this presentation is to communicate the key elements of the new ARM strategy and initiate a conversation regarding how to optimize this new strategy to realize the greatest impact on climate science and the improvement of climate models.