AMF2 STORMVEX deployment at Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Authors
Richard L. Coulter — Argonne National Laboratory
Karen L. Sonntag — Atmospheric Technology Services Company
Brad W. Orr — No Affiliation
Michael T. Ritsche — Argonne National Laboratory
Timothy J. Martin — Argonne National Laboratory
Cory Stuart — Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Category
Infrastructure & Outreach
Description
The AMF2 deployed to Steamboat Springs, Colorado, in support of the STORMVEX campaign beginning on September 15, 2010. The modular design of the AMF2 and its component parts were paramount to supporting the STORMVEX science goals that required making simultaneous and coordinated measurements at four different geographic locations, three of which were AMF2-instrumented sites. One site was located in the valley near the base of the Steamboat Springs Ski Resort. The other two AMF2-instrumented sites are located on the mountain. The three sites are separated by up to 700 meters in the vertical and nearly 4 kilometers in the horizontal. Data transfer between the three locations and to instruments in the field is done wirelessly, including the final data transfer out of the site, which goes up to Storm Peak Laboratory. The requirements of multiple geographic locations and six-days-a-week attention to the sensors required that two staff members, at minimum, be deployed at all times. Local volunteers interested in seeing meteorology research first-hand covered routine balloon launches, while IOP balloon launches were covered by ATSC staff or on-site scientists and graduate students. An overview of the STORMVEX deployment and associated challenges of supporting a complex terrain deployment will be presented.
