Breakout Summary Report
ARM/ASR User and PI Meeting
19 - 23 March 2018
The Cloud, Aerosol, and Complex Terrain Interactions (CACTI) Field Campaign
22 March 2018
10:45 AM - 12:45 PM
80
Adam Varble
22 March 2018
10:45 AM - 12:45 PM
80
Adam Varble
Breakout Description
This session overviewed the planning timeline, logistics, measurement strategies, and science questions of the upcoming Cloud, Aerosol, and Complex Terrain Interactions (CACTI) field campaign. CACTI will involve deployment of the AMF1 and CSAPR2 between October 2018 and April 2019 and the G-1 aircraft during a 45-day IOP from October 30 to December 13. Objectives include quantifying the sensitivity of orographic convective cloud processes and properties to surrounding environmental thermodynamic, kinematic, and aerosol conditions with a focus on deep convective initiation and upscale growth controls.Main Discussion
The session started late because a projector needed to be replaced. After video issues were fixed, the session started with a 30-minute overview talk by PI Adam Varble discussing motivation for CACTI, primary science questions, and experimental design. This was followed by infrastructure updates including an update on AMF logistics by Heath Powers, a C-SAPR2 update by Nitin Bharadwaj, a data flow update by Cory Stuart, a data products update by Scott Collis, and a metadata update by Maggie Davis. IOP updates were then provided. Beat Schmid discussed the involvement of and logistical timeline for the G-1 aircraft, and Paloma Borque provided updates on the NSF RELAMPAGO field campaign that will overlap with the CACTI IOP in the same region.Since the session started late and presenters overshot their allotted time, the planned 40-minute discussion time was less than 10 minutes. This limited time was used to receive feedback on options for sounding times and frequencies at the AMF1 and secondary sites.
Key Findings
CACTI is on track to have statements of work signed with INVAP and to ship instrumentation in late May.C-SAPR2 is installed with a new radome at the SGP. It will collect data for a range of scanning strategies designed specifically for CACTI so that the best strategies can be chosen for answering CACTI’s science questions.
Issues
Although potential radar scan and G-1 flight strategies have been developed, the specific strategies that will be used during CACTI have not yet been decided and will be based on pre-campaign research during the summer that will help to guide the most useful strategies for answering CACTI’s science questions.Data transmission from the AMF1 site to the US may be limited to 2 Mbps. This would limit the amount of data that could be sent to ~15-18 Gb/day when > 70 Gb/day will be produced. Therefore, prioritization of data flow needs to be performed where significant portions of radar data will need to be shipped.
The process of coordination and communication between the CACTI and RELAMPAGO teams is yet to be fully settled. Briefings during the IOP will be viewable online and PI Varble will communicate the plan of the day to G-1 and radar scanning personnel in different locations. Coordination is important if RELAMPAGO mobile radars are near the AMF1 site or if mobile soundings will be anywhere near the G-1 flight pattern. Some ARM data will be sent to the field catalog that will be viewable online by everyone. In particular, it will include imagery from the C-SAPR2 radar. Communication with the G-1 will be via xchat or phone by PI Varble or AAF personnel only. In particular, PI Varble and other science team members will monitor deep convective activity to ensure that the G-1 remains in safe operating conditions.
Decisions
Ideally, it would have been best to have C-SAPR2 deployed at a separate location than AMF1 so that it could measure over the AMF1 site, but this was not feasible given the large cost of a second site. Therefore, it will be co-located with AMF1.Automated weather stations owned by ARM will be deployed at two higher-elevation sites between the AMF1 and secondary sounding site closer to cloud base. An APS will also be deployed for measuring the size distribution of large aerosols such as dust particles.
Soundings will likely be 5/day between 12Z (9 AM) and 0Z (9 PM) every 3 hours from November-February at the AMF1 site and 4/day (every 4 hours) in other months. The secondary site to the west of the Sierras de Cordoba mountain range will have 2 soundings per day at 12Z and 18Z. However, we are leaving open the option of choosing 4 or 5 soundings at the AMF1 site based on forecasts of convective clouds once the radiosonde operators are comfortable launching sondes.
A number of core VAPs will be run for CACTI, while several more will be optional. These optional VAPs were ranked based on perceived value. Of the optional VAPs, MERGESONDE, AERIoe, ARMBE, and VARANAL were ranked highest in priority.
Future Plans
Instrumentation will ship in late May and be set up between August and September with an October 1 CACTI start date. The G-1 participation will be limited to October 30-December 13 and will be based out of Rio Cuarto, approximately 2 hours SE of the AMF1 site.Action Items
LANL and PNNL will finalize statements of work with INVAP, which is the in-country manager for CACTI.AMF instruments are returning from LASIC and will be tested and calibrated before they ship to Argentina in late May. C-SAPR2 will be tested at the SGP. G-1 instruments are also being tested and calibrated.
Final decisions on stereo camera siting and the G-1 hangar/operations center need to be made.
Soil type at the AMF1 site should be sampled before instrumentation is shipped for usage in retrievals from the surface flux instrumentation.
ARM is exploring the possibility of obtaining ECMWF and GOES satellite products outside of the IOP period. During the IOP period, these products will be available through the RELAMPAGO field campaign.