The Arm Mobile Facility and Its First International Deployment: Measuring Radiative Flux Divergence in West Africa

Abstract

The Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Mobile Facility (AMF) was recently developed to enable collection of detailed climate data in locations not currently sampled by ARM's five fixed sites. The AMF includes a comprehensive suite of active and passive remote sensors, including cloud radar, that sample the atmosphere in a narrow column above its location. Surface radiation, aerosols, and fluxes are also measured and there is an ancillary measurement facility to help quantify local gradients. The AMF is deployed at no cost to the principal investigator or institution for periods from six months to one year on the basis of an international proposal competition judged by a nonpartisan board. The proposal to ARM that led to the initial international deployment of the AMF in Niamey, Niger, was titled ?Radiative Atmospheric Divergence Using the AMF, GERB Data, and AMMA Stations (RADAGAST).? This paper provides a description of the instruments that compose the AMF, its charter, a description of its deployment in support of RADAGAST, and examples of data that have been collected in Africa.