Breakout Summary Report
ARM/ASR User and PI Meeting
ARM Radar Operations and Science
26 October 2022
4:15 PM - 6:15 PM
30
Adam Theisen, Ya-Chien Feng, Alyssa Matthews, Andrei Lindenmaier
26 October 2022
4:15 PM - 6:15 PM
30
Adam Theisen, Ya-Chien Feng, Alyssa Matthews, Andrei Lindenmaier
Breakout Description
ARM has an array of 20 radar systems currently deployed in the field across its fixed and mobile observatories. This number is expected to grow with the upcoming AMF3 deployment to Bankhead National Forest (BNF). Over the years, the mobile facilities have generally received a majority of attention, leaving the fixed site radars non-operational for years. ARM has been working on a strategy to get more attention to these fixed-site radars as seen with recent mentor trips to ENA and NSA to bring the radars online. A portion of this breakout session will focus on updates from ARM (management, mentors, translators, and others) on the latest status of the radars, updates on the radar roadmap and strategy, and plans for FY23 and beyond. The other portion of this session will focus on the science being done with the radars and, in a follow-up to the radar listening sessions, continued discussion on how ARM can best operate these radars.Main Discussion
The session was first submitted with the intent to solicit radar-related presentations from the science community and have a mix of science and operations. However, with field campaign-related sessions in addition to a number of the usual ARM radar users not attending, there were no science presenters available and the session shifted to more of an operational update and discussion session. These updates covered the current status of radar operations and radar data products, FY23 plans for the radars, updates on the value-added products (cloud and precipitation), raw wind profiler processing updates, and a general radar roadmap update followed by a short roundtable discussion. The discussions were fairly diverse, covering the following topics:ARM is planning to do cross-corrections and RCA at all future sites for the production of b1-level products.
While ARM does not plan to downsize the number of radars, it is looking at targeted operations and contracting out more tasks to reduce the burden on the radar team.
ARSCL is being updated to Python and there is interest in relevant functions being contributed to existing open-source repositories like Py-ART.
There is concern about the KAZR operations in humid environments. The KAZR radome will be replaced for EPCAPE and upgrades are planned for the other first-generation KAZR systems.
There is a lot of potential in engaging with the community more on science, whether it’s through the monthly radar science call, slack, or discourse. There are improvements that ARM could implement to make it more open and active.
Solid state transmitters were an area of discussion in that it was recommended that ARM convene a group of radar scientists to discuss the requirements and plans for future solid-state systems such as the new deployable C-band and the possible upgrade to the ENA XSAPR.
Key Findings
There are a lot of activities and advancements occurring in ARM radar operations that limited the time for discussion on topics for the round table. It will be important to engage with the user community more often throughout the year to gather the feedback necessary to keep improving radar operations, especially when there are decisions to be made on the future of the systems like the new deployable radar or upgrading the ENA XSAPR to solid state.Issues
Even though the ARM Radar group was dissolved, there is still a need to actively engage with the radar community. The CPMSG has a much broader scope, so the radar-specific topics and needs don’t necessarily have a dedicated home for active discussion.Needs
More active engagement with the community from ARM on a regular basis.Decisions
ARM will convene a meeting of interested radar scientists to discuss solid-state technologies and provide ARM with recommendations on what would be the most beneficial to the science.ARM will review the mechanisms for communication to the broader community and communicate out the plan for future engagement.
Future Plans
As noted, ARM needs to continue to engage with the radar science community more regularly in order to gather feedback on important topics. This may include expanding the monthly radar science call or conducting regular half-day workshops throughout the year.Action Items
ARM to convene a meeting of interested radar scientists to discuss solid-state technologies to provide ARM with recommendations.ARM will look at options to more effectively engage with the radar community on a regular basis.
Radar team to analyze data from the EPCAPE radome replacement and communicate the results out.