BEACHON Boundary Layer IOP experiments over natural

and burned forest sites

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2010 August BEACHON Boundary LayerIntensive Field Campaign

Using NCAR GPS Advanced Upper-Air Sounding System (GAUS) over undisturbed and burned sites

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Investigate evolution of boundary layer (wind, temperature, humidity)

Manitou Forest Observatory,USFS

Climate– Sounding site: 2434 m – Summer (June 22 - September 23)

Warm mornings with afternoon rain showers. Average high temperatures: July - 85 degrees, August - 82 degrees, September - 70 degrees.

– Soils: coarse, sandy. Gutman measured soil properties.

– Ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir, and aspen above ~ 2438 m.  

– COOP stations: #057309, at Ruxton Park, El Paso county. 38.84N, 104.97W, @2758 m.

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Kenosha Mountains (upper left) and Pikes Peak (lower right)

Hayman fire burned 138,000 acres (558.93 km2) and 133 homes in 20 days. It still holds the record for being Colorado's largest wildfire ever. Most of the fire (72%) stayed on the Pike National Forest south and west of Denver and northwest of Colorado Springs, Colorado.

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Hayman Fire , Colorado, June, 2002

Surface wind for August 2009 at Manitou

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BEACHON PBL IOPS locations

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Two Site:

- Hayman fire-burned site-39°10’56.8” N-105°14’01.7” W-Elevation: 2434 m

-Manitou Experiment forest- Elevation: 2385 m

Manitou Forest Experimental Site

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Hayman fire burned site

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MeasurementsAdditional to a chemistry IOP at Manitou Site

• Sounding (Vaissala RS-92)– 4 ms-1ascending speed

• Surface met stations (2-m)

• VOC samplers (2-m or above canopy)

• Ozone concentration?

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NCAR GPS Advanced Upper-Air Sounding System (GAUS)

• Two sites, synchronized launch (local time)

• 18 sondes/day, 36/day at two sites

• Two IOPS:– Two day after rain/wet soil: 72 sondes

– Two day in dry spell: 72 sondes

• Total: 144 sondes

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06 07 08 09 10 11 12 14 16 17 18 19 20 21 23 01 03 05

NCAR GPS Advanced Upper-Air Sounding System (GAUS)

• Dates: 9 -31 August• Sounding training: June 23 • Site survey: 29 July with EOL staff• Two teams:

– One team at Manitou Spring site. Jim Greenberg (ACD) is coordinating with ACD staffs, one EOL staff, and George Zachos and Derek Starkenberg (students from UNC).

– One team with MGAUS at second site. Fei Chen (RAL), Mike Baralage (EOL), Timothy Lim (EOL), and Brian Btterworth (CU student).

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Participants contact infoName Lab Email Cell phone

Jim Greenberg (JG)

NESL/ACD greenber@ucar.edu

Fei Chen (FC) RAL feichen@ucar.edu 303-579-0821

Mike Barlage (MB)

RAL barlage@ucar.edu

William Brown EOL wbrown@ucar.edu

Timothy Lim (TL) EOL tdlim@ucar.edu

George Zachos (GZ)

UNC undergroundzachos@gmail.com

(512) 689-7214

Derek Starkenberg (DS)

UNC derekstarkenburg@yahoo.com

(720) 934-3201

Brian Jeffrey Butterworth (BB)

CU Brian.Butterworth@colorado.edu

(518) 409-0116.

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8-hour Shift TeamPlan to get to the sites the night before, IOP starts at

0600 the following day. IOP 1-2 and 3-4 are consecutive days.

Site IOP Day 0600-1400 1400-2200 2200-0600

Manitou 1 JG, GZ EOL, DS JG,GZ

Hayman 1 TL, BB FC, MB TL,BB

Manitou 2 EOL, DS JG,GZ EOL, DS

Hayman 2 FC, MB TL,BB FC, MB

Manitou 3 JG, GZ EOL, DS JG,GZ

Hayman 3 TL, BB FC, MB TL,BB

Manitou 4 EOL, DS JG,GZ EOL, DS

Hayman 4 FC, MB TL,BB FC, MB

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JG: Jim Greenberg; GZ: George Zachos; EOL (EOL staff at Manitou); DS: Derek Starkenberg; TL: Timothy Lim; BB: Brian Jeffrey Butterworth; FC: Fei Chen; MB: Mike Barlage.

Sequence for calling an IOP• Two IOPs (each having two consecutives days)• Ideally a dry IOP after a wet IOP, but the order can be reversed (ie,

having dry IOP first).• Weather info page:

http://www.rap.ucar.edu/~barlage/weather/index.php

This work-in-progress webpage contains various sources of weather forecast, last five-day weather and soil moisture measured at Manitou, and will have WRF forecast plots done by Barlage.

• Sequences– 48-hour notice: Barlage and Chen will discuss the weather every morning,

and consult with Greenberg and EOL to determine a 2-day IOP. Send message to all participants (emails and phone calls).

– 24-hour notice: confirm or cancel the IOP– Team should arrive at the sites the night before the IOP (starting at 0600).

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