The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Atmospheric Remote Sensing Laboratory, called PARSL, is a complete climate-measuring system that can be taken to nearly any site quickly and easily. This unique ability to be transported to a specific geographic location is critical, said Jim Mather, a senior research scientist at PNNL.

We can conduct research wherever the need exists by simply loading the equipment on a flat-bed trailer for transport or even placing it in a cargo container for ocean travel, said Mather. Its instrumentation can be up and operational at a remote site within 48 hours of arrival.

Having immediate access to newly gathered data is another important feature. A major advantage of PARSL is its ability to complete an experiment and make the data immediately available, said Tom Ackerman, chief scientist at PNNL. Our team can download information directly onto a compact disc or Web site where scientists located anywhere in the world can gain instant access.

The suite of instruments that make up PARSL will allow researchers to closely focus on key elements that contribute to climate change. In particular, scientists are interested in the amount of solar energy collected at the earths surface and the atmospheric conditions influencing that change. Two cloud radar systems and a pulsed laser system - also known as a lidar - measure cloud properties such as vertical structure and moisture content. Dust, smoke and other air impurities are measured using a lidar combined with radiometers, which detect the amount of solar energy transmitted through the atmosphere at multiple wavelengths.

The total amount of solar energy reaching the earths
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Contact: Geoff Harvey
geoffrey.harvey@pnl.gov
509-372-6083
DOE/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
8-Apr-2002