Atmospheric measurements for tomorrow’s clean air
At a glance
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) have three Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) mobile observatories that are deployed worldwide for use by scientists from universities and the government. The use of the ARM Mobile Facilities (AMF) is awarded through a proposal process.
The mission
The Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility, a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science user facility managed by the Office of Biological and Environmental Research, provides the climate research community with strategically located atmospheric observatories to improve the understanding and representation in earth system models of clouds and aerosols and their interactions with the Earth’s surface.
The challenge
The ARM Mobile Facility (AMF) II Observatory was awarded by the DOE Office of Science to be installed at the Kennaook/Cape Grim Baseline Air Pollution Station (CAPE-K) to perform cloud and precipitation experiments, which will document low-cloud and precipitation properties and how they co-vary with aerosol, dynamical and thermodynamical factors in pristine marine low-clouds.
This data will improve the knowledge of Southern Ocean cloud and precipitation properties and their dependence on aerosols and environmental conditions. The data on the Earth's atmosphere is also crucial to understand the change in the warming climate. The 17‐month study is being conducted by a multi-university team from the US and Australia.
Instruments for the CAPE-K study are expected to include a vertically pointing Ka-band radar, micropulse lidar, multifilter rotating shadow band radiometer, microwave radiometers, disdrometers and weather balloon (sonde) launches.
Los Alamos National Laboratory and GHD must relocate four instrument shelters, four storage shelters, Ka‐band and W‐band cloud radars, station‐based aerosol instruments, and three dozen field instruments from Colorado to Tasmania, Australia.
Our response
GHD is providing site preparation and remediation services for the DOE ARM CAPE-K Campaign in Kennaook/Cape Grim, Tasmania, Australia. Campaign operations will begin in April 2024 and conclude in September 2025.
GHD will provide support for the design of the CAPE-K research area to ensure compliance with the Australian Bureau of Meteorology’s standards and with any local codes and requirements. The site preparation work needed to accommodate the AMF II facility includes electrical power installation, earthwork and pad area preparation, fencing, and any other work required to allow the AMF II shelters and instruments to be installed in the field area at Kennaook/Cape Grim.
The goals and objectives are to safely, securely and subcontract quality requirements, design, procure, construct and turnover to LANL, the research site infrastructure that is functional, code-compliant, and ready to receive the AMF II facility in accordance with the subcontract documents.
We will participate in this research by preparing, maintaining and decommissioning the project field location on the Kennaook/Cape Grim Baseline Air Pollution Station. In collaboration with LANL in providing site design, construction of infrastructure, and resources to facilitate successful deployment of AMF II instruments to fulfill the project’s scientific objectives.
The impact
Kennaook/Cape Grim has what is to be considered “the cleanest air in the world”. The research being completed will contribute to develop a global baseline for air quality moving forward. The work that GHD is doing to support LANL and the entire research team is critical to the future of the global climate and resiliency.