Measurements at Summit

So far I didn't mention that much about the kind of measurements we are doing here at Summit despite the fact that this is the main reason why I am here for about 3 weeks. So, I am here as a Co-PI of an US National Science Foundation project on long term measurements of reactive trace gas exchange between snow and the atmosphere. Despite the fact that I am supposed to contribute to this project doing the modelling work we (me, Detlev Helmig, the late Richard Honrath and other colleagues) felt it was essential to also have me here helping collecting data. I have done this before in the tropical forests of Manaus and it turned out that such a contribution as modeller to the experiments is valuable and highly appreciated for numerous reasons.
Anyhow, we use different systems to measure the fluxes (flow) of reactive gases such as ozone, reactive nitrogen and organic nitrogen between the atmosphere and the snow pack. For example, we measure the concentrations of these gases in and above the snowpack and with different parameters such as wind speed and temperature we can then estimate the flux between the snow and the atmosphere and inside the snow pack.

The actual measurements are not done in the towers themselves but through measuring the air that is pumped all the way through tubes from inlets at the towers to the instruments that are put in a container burried deep into the snow pack. The construction is quite impressive and it has taken a big effort to get this put at this site. It takes about two stairs to make it all the way down into the container (see picture, the door is deep down there).

The container is full with instruments, cilinders (with gases to calibrate the instruments) and computers to monitor and control all these complex instruments. The other picture shows all the tubing behind the instruments. Through all these lines the air with the gases is fed to the instruments,


Laurens