Campaigns

Southern Rocky Mountains Summer 2008 Study (BEACHON-SRM08)

BEACHON-SRM08 was considered a pre-study in advance of long-term measurements of key atmospheric and ecosystem parameters at the same site as well as a more comprehensive regional campaign in 2010. Because of this, the study had practical objectives relating to the setup and operation of the MEF site in addition to specific scientific foci on atmospheric chemistry and aerosol processes. BEACHON-SRM08 was the initial step in a four year (2008-2011) research program in water-limited Western U.S. pine forest ecosystems that improved understanding of fundamental biogeochemical processes that are central to achieving the objectives of the BEACHON research program.

BEACHON-Rocky Mountain Organic Carbon 2010 Study (BEACHON-ROCS)

The BEACHON-Rocky Mountain Organic Carbon Study (BEACHON-ROCS) was conducted at the Manitou Forest Observatory during the month of August 2010. The study focused on the biosphere-atmosphere exchange of reactive organic gases (rOG) that serve as aerosol precursors and modulate the oxidation capacity of the atmosphere.

Links

BEACHON-ROCS Wiki

BEACHON-ROCS Planning Presentation

RoMBAS 2011 (Rocky Mountain Biogenic Aerosol Study)

The BEACHON-RoMBAS field study was a multidisciplinary, multi-investigator field campaign that took place at the Manitou Forest Observatory during July 15-Aug. 15, 2011. BEACHON-RoMBAS brought together an international group of researchers to study the connections between the biogeochemical cycling of carbon and water in location representative of the semi-arid Western U.S. The central hypothesis for the study was that the emissions of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) from plants and soil, and wind transport of primary carbonaceous particles such as pollen and bacterial cells, lead to the formation of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) and ice nuclei (IN) which, in turn, influence regional precipitation patterns and thus link components of the carbon and water cycles. This campaign was part of an overall program that includes long-term measurements in the Colorado Rocky Mountains and laboratory experiments at the NCAR biosphere-atmosphere exchange chamber with the ultimate goal of improving earth system model representations of bio-hydro-atmosphere interactions in water-limited regions.

Links

Campaign Wiki page at CIRES.