NOAA Summit Clean Air Program

Researchers at NOAA's Earth System Research Lab (ESRL) Global Monitoring Division (GMD) conduct continuous measurements of atmospheric properties at Summit Station to better understand the Arctic climate system and contribute to the Earth monitoring mission of their worldwide observation network. GMD's mission it to acquire, evaluate, and make available accurate, long-term records of atmospheric gases, aerosol particles, clouds, and surface radiation in a manner that allows the causes and consequences of change to be understood. GMD's current measurements at Summit include: 1. Halocarbon and other Atmospheric Trace Gases (HATS) Flasks: weekly to biweekly collection of air samples, analyzed in the U.S. (Boulder, CO) for trace gases (50+ species measured) that are important to global halocarbon chemistry, such as ozone-depleting CFCs, oxidation studies, and stratospheric ozone. These measurements have been ongoing since 2004. 2. Global Greenhouse Gas Reference Network (GGGRN) Flasks: weekly collection of air samples, analyzed in the U.S. (Boulder, CO) for gases (30+ species measured) relevant to the global carbon cycle, including CO2 and methane. This sampling was first performed during several winters in the period 1997-2002 and has been performed year-round since 2003. 3. In-situ Aerosol Sampling: observations of aerosol optical properties to determine aerosol radiative effects. These measurements were initiated in 2003, with the instrument suite upgraded in 2009 and 2017. 4. Surface Ozone: observations of tropospheric ozone concentration. These measurements were taken from 2000 to 2002, and then from 2003 onward. 5. Surface Meteorology: observations of surface meteorological properties to support science, flight operations, and general station activities. These measurements have been ongoing since summer 2005.