About Barrow

Site Information

Data

GMD Site Description: BRW
Barrow, Alaska, United States [BRW]

Location

  • Country: United States Country Flag
  • Latitude: 71.3230° North
  • Longitude: 156.6114° West
  • Elevation: 11.00 masl
  • Time Zone: Local Time + 9 hour(s) = UTC

Contact

  • Contact Name: Matthew Martinsen
  • Address: Barrow Observatory
    P.O. Box 888
    Barrow, Alaska, 99723, United States
  • Phone: (907) 852-6500
  • Fax: (907) 852-4622

Data


Description
Barrow Observatory, established in 1973, is located near sea level 8 km east of Barrow, Alaska at 71.32 degrees north. This facility is manned year around by 2 engineers/scientists who often commute to work in winter on snow machines. Due to its unique location, dedicated and highly trained staff, excellent power and communications infrastructure, the Barrow Observatory is host to numerous cooperative research projects from around the world.

BRW is located so that it receives minimal influence from anthropogenic effects. It is about 8 km northeast of the village of Barrow and has a prevailing east-northeast wind off the Beaufort Sea. It is attended at least 5 days a week for routine inspection and maintenance of the instrumentation. In addition, the National Weather Service (NWS) maintains a weather observing facility in Barrow. Although the measurements at Barrow are made over open tundra, there are large lagoons and a number of lakes in the vicinity, and the Arctic Ocean is less than 3 km northwest of the site. Because of its proximity to these bodies of water and the fact that the prevailing winds are off the Beaufort Sea, BRW is perhaps best characterized as having an Arctic maritime climate affected by variations of weather and sea ice conditions in the Central Arctic.

GMD Projects at Barrow, Alaska

Carbon Cycle Surface Flasks

Parameter Formula First Sample Date Most Recent Sample Date
Carbon Dioxide CO2 1971-05-03 Ongoing
Methane CH4 1983-04-06 Ongoing
Carbon Monoxide CO 1988-07-24 Ongoing
Molecular Hydrogen H2 1988-07-24 Ongoing
Nitrous Oxide N2O 1997-05-07 Ongoing
Sulfur Hexafluoride SF6 1997-05-02 Ongoing
Carbon-13/Carbon-12 in Carbon Dioxide d13C (CO2) 1990-01-22 Ongoing
Oxygen-18/Oxygen-16 in Carbon Dioxide d18O (CO2) 1990-02-05 Ongoing
Carbon-13/Carbon-12 in Methane d13C (CH4) 1998-01-03 Ongoing
D/H in Methane dD (CH4) 2005-04-01 Ongoing
Methyl Chloride CH3Cl 2005-05-20 Ongoing
Benzene C6H6 2007-02-16 Ongoing
toluene C7H8 2007-02-16 Ongoing
ethane C2H6 2005-05-20 Ongoing
ethene C2H4 2005-06-10 Ongoing
propane C3H8 2005-05-20 Ongoing
propene C3H6 2005-06-10 Ongoing
i-butane i-C4H10 2005-06-10 Ongoing
n-butane n-C4H10 2005-06-10 Ongoing
i-pentane i-C5H12 2005-05-20 Ongoing
n-pentane n-C5H12 2005-06-10 Ongoing
n-hexane n-C6H14 2005-05-20 Ongoing
wind speed 1992-07-10 Ongoing
wind direction 1992-07-10 Ongoing
ambient temperature 2004-08-21 2004-09-13
isoprene C5H8 2007-02-16 Ongoing

Carbon Cycle In Situ Observatory

Parameter Formula First Sample Date Most Recent Sample Date
Carbon Dioxide CO2 1973-07-24 Ongoing
Methane CH4 1986-01-29 Ongoing
Carbon Monoxide CO 1991-12-31 Ongoing

HATS Flask Sampling

HATS In Situ Observatory

Parameter Formula First Sample Date Most Recent Sample Date
Nitrous Oxide N2O 1998-06-15 Ongoing
Sulfur Hexafluoride SF6 1998-06-15 Ongoing
HCFC-22 CHF2Cl 1998-11-06 Ongoing
CFC-12 CCl2F2 1998-06-15 Ongoing
Methyl Chloride CH3Cl 1998-08-26 Ongoing
HCFC-142b CH3CF2Cl 1998-06-15 Ongoing
Halon-1211 CBrClF2 1998-06-15 Ongoing
CFC-113 CCl2FCClF2 1998-06-15 Ongoing
carbon tetrachloride CCl4 1998-06-15 Ongoing
Methyl Chloroform CH3CCl3 1998-06-17 Ongoing
CFC-11 CCl3F 1998-06-15 Ongoing

Aerosol Surface, Continuous Measurements

Parameter Formula First Sample Date Most Recent Sample Date
Light Scattering Coefficient σsp 1976-05-07 Ongoing
Light Absorption Coefficient σap 1988-01-01 Ongoing
Particle Number Concentration Nt 1976-05-07 Ongoing
Aerosol Chemical Composition 1998-01-01 Ongoing
Cloud condensation nucleus number concentration Nccn 2007-01-01 Ongoing
Aerosol Hygroscopic Growth f(RH) 2007-01-01 Ongoing
Aerosol Size Distribution n(D) 2007-01-01 Ongoing

Radiation In-Situ Observatory

Parameter Formula First Sample Date Most Recent Sample Date
Direct Beam 1976-01-01 Ongoing
Shortwave Global 1976-01-01 Ongoing
Diffuse 1995-07-05 Ongoing
Reflected Shortwave 1985-01-01 Ongoing
Downward Longwave 1993-04-20 Ongoing
Upward Longwave 1993-04-20 Ongoing

Surface Ozone

Parameter Formula First Sample Date Most Recent Sample Date
Ozone O3 1973-03-14 Ongoing

Dobson Total Ozone

Parameter Formula First Sample Date Most Recent Sample Date
Ozone O3 1973-07-29 Ongoing

Trajectories

Meteorology

Parameter Formula First Sample Date Most Recent Sample Date
Wind speed 2 meters 2008-01-01 2008-01-01
Wind Direction 2 Meters 2008-01-01 2008-01-01
Wind Speed 10 Meters 2007-08-18 Ongoing
Wind Direction 10 Meters 2007-08-18 Ongoing
Barometric Pressure 2007-08-18 Ongoing
Relative Humidity 2 Meters 2007-08-18 Ongoing
Temperature 2 Meters 2007-08-18 Ongoing
Temperature 10 Meters 2008-09-16 2008-09-16
Precipitation 2008-01-01 2008-09-16