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Temporary Observing Networks
Short-term networks designed around a specific atmospheric question, terrain environment, or deployment objective.
Field Research
Observe the atmosphere where the processes occur.
TARL conducts targeted atmospheric observation in environments where terrain, local structure, rapidly changing weather, or measurement limitations require more detailed information than conventional observing networks may provide.
Why Field Research?
Some atmospheric processes have to be measured where they occur.
Conventional observing networks are designed to describe the broader atmosphere, but complex terrain can create important variability across distances much smaller than the spacing between standard observing sites.
Valleys can redirect flow, ridges can alter wind structure, slopes can influence heating and cooling, and elevation differences can modify moisture, stability, and boundary-layer behavior. These effects may develop locally while still contributing to larger atmospheric processes.
TARL field research is designed to resolve those environments directly by placing measurements where the scientific problem exists rather than relying exclusively on observations made elsewhere.
Observational Capabilities
Measurements designed around the scientific question.
Field observing strategies can combine fixed, temporary, portable, and mobile measurements depending on the atmospheric process and spatial scale being investigated.
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Mobile Observation
Vehicle-based and portable observing systems used to measure rapidly changing or spatially variable atmospheric conditions.
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Site-Based Deployments
Targeted measurements at selected locations where local terrain or atmospheric structure requires focused observation.
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Complex-Terrain Observation
Field measurement across valleys, ridges, slopes, mountain environments, and other locations where topography modifies atmospheric behavior.
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Severe-Weather Field Work
Targeted observation of convective and severe-weather environments where rapidly evolving atmospheric structure requires mobile or temporary measurement.
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Environmental Measurement
Measurement of wind, temperature, moisture, pressure, stability, precipitation, radiation, and other variables needed to characterize atmospheric processes.
Field Campaign Design
A field campaign starts with the atmosphere, not the equipment.
TARL field campaigns are structured around the process that needs to be observed. Instrumentation, deployment locations, sampling strategies, and operational decisions follow from the scientific requirements of the investigation.
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Scientific Question
Define the atmospheric process, environmental relationship, or measurement problem that the field work must address.
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Site Selection
Identify locations where terrain, exposure, elevation, landform, or atmospheric behavior provide the observations needed for the investigation.
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Instrumentation Strategy
Determine which sensors, observing platforms, measurement heights, sampling rates, and deployment configurations are required.
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Deployment
Install temporary, portable, mobile, or site-based observing systems according to the scientific and operational plan.
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Observation
Collect targeted atmospheric measurements while documenting environmental conditions, site characteristics, and relevant weather evolution.
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Analysis & Validation
Integrate field observations with existing datasets, numerical analysis, and other research methods to evaluate the scientific question.
Field Environments
Observe across environments where atmospheric structure changes rapidly.
TARL's long-term field program is designed around environments where topography, surface conditions, atmospheric stability, or evolving weather create meaningful spatial variability.
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Mountains
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Valleys
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Ridges
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Slopes
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Boundary-Layer Environments
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Severe-Weather Environments
Instrumentation & Field Research
When the measurement does not exist, the observing system may need to be built.
Field research and instrumentation development are closely connected within TARL. Research questions can reveal measurement requirements that conventional observing systems were not designed to address.
TARL's instrumentation program is intended to support those situations through purpose-built sensors, portable observing platforms, modular systems, mobile measurements, and field-deployable atmospheric instrumentation.
Field Campaigns & Deployments
A growing record of direct atmospheric observation.
Field sites, observational deployments, and campaign records will be documented here as TARL's field research program develops.
Active Field Sites
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Active observational locations will appear here as field deployments begin.
Completed Campaigns
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Completed field campaigns and deployment records will be added as the research archive develops.
Developing Field Work
Project 02
/Complex Terrain Atmospheric Processes
Developing observation strategies for complex terrain.
TARL's complex-terrain research program is intended to integrate existing atmospheric datasets with targeted field measurements across terrain environments, including future observational work in the Mount Washington and northeastern United States region.
View Research Project→Field Research With TARL
Need observations for a complex atmospheric problem?
TARL welcomes conversations involving field research, observational partnerships, deployment opportunities, scientific collaboration, and project-specific atmospheric measurement.