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Article Type:
Research Article

ARM Research In The Equatorial Western Pacific: A Decade And Counting

C. N. Long Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington

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S. A. McFarlane Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington

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A. Del Genio NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, New York

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P. Minnis NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia

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T. P. Ackerman JISAO, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington

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J. Mather Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington

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J. Comstock Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington

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G. G. Mace University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah

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M. Jensen Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York

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C. Jakob Monash University, Melbourne, Australia

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Online Publication:
01 May 2013
Print Publication:
01 May 2013
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-11-00137.1
Page(s):
695–708
Restricted access

The tropical western Pacific (TWP) is an important climatic region. Strong solar heating, warm sea surface temperatures, and the annual progression of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) across this region generate abundant convective systems, which through their effects on the heat and water budgets have a profound impact on global climate and precipitation. In order to accurately evaluate tropical cloud systems in models, measurements of tropical clouds, the environment in which they reside, and their impact on the radiation and water budgets are needed. Because of the remote location, ground-based datasets of cloud, atmosphere, and radiation properties from the TWP region have come primarily from shortterm field experiments. While providing extremely useful information on physical processes, these short-term datasets are limited in statistical and climatological information. To provide longterm measurements of the surface radiation budget in the tropics and the atmospheric properties that affect it, the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program established a measurement site on Manus Island, Papua New Guinea, in 1996 and on the island republic of Nauru in late 1998. These sites provide unique datasets now available for more than 10 years on Manus and Nauru. This article presents examples of the scientific use of these datasets including characterization of cloud properties, analysis of cloud radiative forcing, model studies of tropical clouds and processes, and validation of satellite algorithms. New instrumentation recently installed at the Manus site will provide expanded opportunities for tropical atmospheric science.

CORRESPONDING AUTHOR: Dr. Charles N. Long, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, P.O. Box 999, MSIN: K4-28, Richland, WA 99352, E-mail: chuck.long@pnl.gov

The tropical western Pacific (TWP) is an important climatic region. Strong solar heating, warm sea surface temperatures, and the annual progression of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) across this region generate abundant convective systems, which through their effects on the heat and water budgets have a profound impact on global climate and precipitation. In order to accurately evaluate tropical cloud systems in models, measurements of tropical clouds, the environment in which they reside, and their impact on the radiation and water budgets are needed. Because of the remote location, ground-based datasets of cloud, atmosphere, and radiation properties from the TWP region have come primarily from shortterm field experiments. While providing extremely useful information on physical processes, these short-term datasets are limited in statistical and climatological information. To provide longterm measurements of the surface radiation budget in the tropics and the atmospheric properties that affect it, the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program established a measurement site on Manus Island, Papua New Guinea, in 1996 and on the island republic of Nauru in late 1998. These sites provide unique datasets now available for more than 10 years on Manus and Nauru. This article presents examples of the scientific use of these datasets including characterization of cloud properties, analysis of cloud radiative forcing, model studies of tropical clouds and processes, and validation of satellite algorithms. New instrumentation recently installed at the Manus site will provide expanded opportunities for tropical atmospheric science.

CORRESPONDING AUTHOR: Dr. Charles N. Long, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, P.O. Box 999, MSIN: K4-28, Richland, WA 99352, E-mail: chuck.long@pnl.gov
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