Project Title

UV measurements at McMurdo Station for the NOAA/Global Monitoring Division (GMD) Antarctic UV network

Summary

Event Number:
O-257-M/S
NSF / NOAA Agreement

Program Director:
Dr. David Porter

ASC POC/Implementer:
John Rand / Paul Sullivan

Principal Investigator(s)

Dr. James Hall Butler
james.h.butler@noaa.gov
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Global Monitoring Division (GMD)
Boulder, Colorado

Location

Supporting Stations: McMurdo Station, South Pole Station
Research Locations: Arrival Heights

Description

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Earth System Research Laboratory Global Monitoring Division (ESRL/GMD) team conducts long-term measurements of ultra-violet (UV) radiation and trace gas constituents that influence climate and the ozone layer. The work at McMurdo and South Pole Stations is done in conjunction with the ongoing worldwide measurements of carbon dioxide, methane, carbon monoxide, aerosols, water vapor, surface and stratospheric ozone, chlorofluorocarbons, and the ozone layer. Similar work is performed at Palmer Station. The measurements are used for time-series analysis of multi-year data records that focus on stratospheric ozone depletion, trans-Antarctic transport and deposition, interplay of the trace gases aerosols with the solar and terrestrial radiation fluxes on the polar plateau, the magnitude of seasonal and temporal variations in greenhouse gases and the development of polar stratospheric clouds over Antarctica. Other objectives are to determine the rate at which concentrations of these atmospheric constituents change, and to examine their sources, sinks, and budgets. Working with climate modelers and atmospheric chemists, these data are used to determine how the rate of change of these parameters affects climate and serve as inputs and verification for climate models.

Field Season Overview

At McMurdo Station, NOAA operates a high-resolution UV spectroradiometer at the Arrival Heights lab. No team members will deploy. An onsite research associate will collect and forward data during the austral summer and continue maintenance and operation during the winter months.