The main objectives of ARM as may be broken down into two areas of activity: 1) Relating observed radiative fluxes in the atmosphere to the atmospheric temperature, composition and surface radiative properties. 2) Developing and testing parameterizations that describe atmospheric water vapor and clouds, as well as the surface properties affecting atmospheric radiation. This testing is to be carried out through the comparison of relevant prognostic variables from the model with real atmospheric data.
The ARM program is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and is an outgrowth of the United States Global Change Research Program (USGCRP; CEES 1990).
ASTEX
Atlantic Stratocumulus Transition Experiment
ASTEX was conducted in June 1992 off North Africa in the area of Azores and
Madiera Islands. The experiment involved intensive measurements from several
platforms and was designed to provide improved dynamical, radiative, and
microphysical models and an improved understanding of the impact of aerosols,
cloud microphysics, and chemistry on large-scale cloud properties.
BOMEX
Barbados Oceanographic and Meteorologic Experiment
The BOMEX experiment, designed by Davidson (1968), was carried out over a 500-km
area east of Barbados during May and June 1969. This time period was selected in
order to provide good convective activity without well developed storms. The
"Core Experiment" of BOMEX proposed to determine rates of transfer of water
vapor, heat, and momentum from the ocean to the atmosphere.
GATE
GARP Atlantic Tropical Experiment
The Global Atmospheric Research Program's (GARP) Atlantic Tropical
Experiment (GATE) was conducted in the summer of 1974. One of the central
objectives of GATE was to understand the scale interactions between
convective activity and large-scale weather systems.
TOGA-COARE
Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere - Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere Response
Experiment
TOGA-COARE was conducted over the western Pacific warm pool in a region between
20N and 20S and bounded by Indonesia on the west and the date line on the east.
The Intensive Observing Period for TOGA-COARE lasted from November 1992 through
February 1993. The main goal of TOGA-COARE was to improve our understanding of
the role of the western Pacific Ocean warm water pool (SSTs > 28C) in the mean
and transient state of the tropical ocean/global atmosphere system.
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Comments To:
Prof. Dave Randall
Dept of Atmospheric Science
Colorado State University
970 491 8474
randall@atmos.colostate.edu
Webmaster:
Kelley Branson
Dept of Atmospheric Science
Colorado State University
970 491 8585
kelley@atmos.colostate.edu