Published: 26 March 2015

The Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility has established a charter for a new Aerosol Measurement Science Group (AMSG). Tasked with providing enhanced coordination of ARM Facility observations of aerosols and atmospheric trace gases with the needs of its users, the group’s main objective is to ensure advanced, well-characterized measurements and data products for improving climate science and models.

The AMSG, as a whole, will be responsible for working with the Atmospheric System Research (ASR) and ARM user communities to identify the measured parameters, and the architecture of these parameters, required at the ARM Facility to improve the understanding of the impact of aerosol and trace gases on climate processes affecting climate and related model simulations and forecasts. The role of the AMSG is not to set scientific priorities or objectives in aerosol research, but to provide expertise on the measurements and processes required to best meet the aerosol science objectives of the ARM Facility and ASR programs.

This group fulfills the need for an integrated oversight to the planning, coordination, and leadership of aerosol instrumentation selection and deployment, measurement strategy and quality, and data product development from both science and operations perspectives. Reporting directly to the ARM Technical Director, the committee interacts with the User Executive Committee (UEC) and Science and Infrastructure Steering Committee (SISC) through the respective leads of these groups to ensure the range of user needs are being met. Read the full charter here.

Aerosol Measurement Science Group members:

• Allison McComiskey, AMSG and Science Co-Chair
• Doug Sisterson, AMSG Co-Chair and ARM Instrument Coordinator
• Connor Flynn, ARM Aerosol Data Translator
• Jerome Fast, ASR Aerosol Life Cycle Working Group
• Laura Riihimaki, ASR Cloud-Aerosol-Precipitation Interactions Working Group
• Art Sedlacek, General Science Representative
• Steve Ghan, General Science Representative
• Chongai Kuang, General Science Representative
• Stephen Springston, ARM Aerosol Observing System Mentor
• Pat Dowell, SGP Site Operations
• Fred Helsel, NSA Site Operations
• Allison Aiken, ARM Mobile Facility Site Operations
• Josh King, Data Quality Office

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The ARM Climate Research Facility is a national scientific user facility funded through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science. The ARM Facility is operated by nine Department of Energy national laboratories.