Take a virtual visit to the NOAA Atmospheric Baseline Observatory
For a more immersive experience, visit the Barrow, Alaska, as a window on the world offsite link StoryMap on the ESRI website.
New Barrow Atmospheric Baseline Observatory in Utqiaġvik, Alaska. (Image credit: NOAA)
“The Arctic region touches the lives of all Americans. Whether Alaska is home, an inspiring destination, or a vital source of economic prosperity… rapid environmental change is being observed, impacting the global system with consequences for national interests and people around the world.” --Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee, Arctic Research Plan 2017-2021
For nearly 50 years, NOAA’s Barrow Atmospheric Baseline Observatory has provided a window on the world, producing a record of changes at the U.S.'s northernmost tip that have a profound global reach.
Together with NOAA’s three other atmospheric baseline observatories, Barrow’s long-term, high quality measurements provide a report card on the health of our atmosphere, with data on climate change, ozone depletion and air quality that are vital to understanding the risks and opportunities of our changing planet.
The Arctic’s striking transformation to a warmer, less frozen and biologically changed region has worldwide implications for addressing greenhouse gases, planning resilient communities, managing marine resources and much more. The implications stretch from Arctic villages to global health, safety, and national and economic security.
At this time of rapid change, Barrow’s observations have never been more critical. Now, after nearly a half century of service, Barrow has a new state-of-the-art laboratory, increasing the opportunities for scientific collaboration and ensuring the continuation of services so essential to building sound climate policy in the U.S. and worldwide.
Humble beginnings
Established in 1973, Barrow was the first such facility in the Arctic. The modest 960-square foot (89-square meter) observatory was meant to be temporary, but its lifespan far outlasted expectations. Over time, the scientific equipment it hosted nearly tripled. Power and space constraints eventually precluded accepting new collaborators, but the cutting-edge new space remedies that concern.
The Barrow Observatory's expansion comes as global interest increasingly focuses on the fast-changing Arctic. As the late North Slope Elder, UÄ¡iaqtaq Wesley Aiken, described his borough: [There is] “no heavy ice out there now.” Members of the community are witnessing profound changes to their land, ocean and environment.
The Arctic is dramatically warming, spring snowmelt is happening sooner, summers along Alaska's North Slope are longer, and greenhouse gases are trending upward in the Arctic and worldwide. Such changes have a global reach, including the risks of sea-level rise, loss of biodiversity and threats to vulnerable infrastructure.
By continuously monitoring and measuring atmospheric conditions and changes in the Arctic for nearly half a century, Barrow staff have contributed significantly to global understanding of the state of the climate. The research at Barrow continues to inform many studies examining the potential global impacts of Arctic changes.
For their work in studying rapid Arctic change, several NOAA scientists, as members of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, were recipients of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.
World-class science
With an expansive new 2,730-square-foot (254-square meter) research facility and state-of-the-art upgrades, the Barrow observatory is equipped to advance atmospheric research well into the 21st century.
The research includes a diverse set of more than 200 measurements resulting from scientific programs that have tripled since the observatory opened.
Scientific understanding of the atmosphere and its changes have greatly improved because of these measurements. Data are publicly accessible at: https://gml.noaa.gov/dv/data/
With the observatory's upgrade, additional measurements from NOAA and cooperative programs will advance understanding of climate and the drivers causing the Arctic to warm at twice the global average.
Modeling and satellite observations will benefit from infrastructure and science that allow in situ observations as part of a larger, integrated system.
As a result of the changes, Barrow is now an even more valuable platform for collaborative projects conducted with U.S. and international universities and government agencies.
Barrow's new facilities
At Barrow, dedicated staff watch over the observatory, maintain the equipment and facilities, and lead public activities to explain Barrow's work.
UIC Nappairit, LLC, a member of the UkpeaÄ¡vik Iñupiat Corporation, designed and built the new LEED-certified laboratory and other facilities.
Barrow's new roof deck platform holds instruments to measure solar radiation. These instruments require a full view of the sky and sun. A 100-foot (30-meter) instrument tower holds meteorological sensors to measure temperature, wind speed and more. From high above ground, air inlets on the tower supply instruments with uncontaminated air.
A new permafrost temperature monitoring facility helps scientists understand the causes and the consequences of permafrost thaw, which is seriously affecting Arctic ecosystems and infrastructure stability.
To reveal atmospheric trends, most of Barrow's measurements are meant to be repeated indefinitely. But a new "campaign" science platform facilitates temporary projects aimed at maximizing data over a short, intense time frame.
NOAA's N-WAVE high-speed fiber network, new to the Barrow Observatory, enables faster data-sharing across all operations and better communication with schools and the media. Streaming live video creates novel opportunities to connect the Arctic with the rest of our nation.
Air from steady winds
The Barrow Observatory is uniquely situated to sample air that is only minimally influenced by local or regional conditions.
NOAA samples the Arctic air, compares it with air sampled by NOAA's three other remote observatories, and then computes a baseline from which changes in time and space can be derived. When compared with air at other collection points, the baseline can highlight local and/or regional differences.
To prevent contamination of trace gas measurements, the observatory permits no internal combustion sources or volatile chemicals. Vehicle traffic is controlled, and roads do not exist upwind of the observatory.
The location, local logistical support and access to complementary data enable Barrow staff to conduct Arctic atmospheric research at a reasonable cost. To maintain long-term consistency and avoid introducing biases into data, NOAA has maintained consistent sampling methods since 1973.
Advancing global research
Collectively, Barrow and NOAA’s other atmospheric baseline observatories monitor and measure the global atmosphere. In addition to UtqiaÄ¡vik, the remote observatories are located at Mauna Loa, Hawaii; the South Pole, Antarctica; and American Samoa.
Established by NOAA’s Global Monitoring Laboratory in strategic, geographically disparate locations, each observatory measures air that is relatively free of local and regional pollution sources. Taken together, the observations from all sites provide an understanding of the atmosphere’s baseline conditions, yielding data on climate change, ozone depletion and air quality that are vital to understanding the risks and opportunities for our changing planet.
Conditions measured at the four observatories feed into NOAA's Global Greenhouse Gas Reference Network, one of the world's most comprehensive atmospheric data sets and a foundation of global climate research.
As a member of multiple international observing networks, Barrow shares much in common with other observation sites tracking our atmosphere to detect change. Barrow actively participates in the World Meteorological Organization's Global Atmosphere Watch and the International Arctic Systems for Observing the Atmosphere. Both monitor long-term scientific measurements across the Arctic.
Detecting long-term change
Data from Barrow and NOAA’s other observatories reveal atmospheric changes occurring over decades. These changes are small and slow, requiring great care to track with high accuracy on a daily, monthly and yearly basis.
Measuring greenhouse gases
NOAA and partners use observatory data to inform trends in greenhouse gases that are driving global climate change.
A tool for science and policy, the CarbonTracker, along with long-term monitoring, gives a picture of how carbon uptake and release, such as from plants and wildfires, are linked to a changing climate, with important implications for resource management. Open online access to the CarbonTracker means anyone can follow and benefit from the content. Over time, it will be possible to track regional emissions, producing an independent measure of a policy’s effectiveness provided by the atmosphere itself.
Guiding recovery of the ozone layer
Decades ago, there was the future threat of getting sunburned in minutes, no matter how much sunblock was used. By emitting potent ozone-depleting gases, industrialized nations were inadvertently destroying the ozone layer, which is needed to protect the Earth from harmful amounts of ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
In 1987, the U.S. and other nations ratified the Montreal Protocol, agreeing to phase out production of harmful ozone-depleting gases. Data from Barrow and NOAA’s other atmospheric baseline observatories contributed to identifying the critical need for this agreement.
By monitoring the prevalence of the ozone layer and tracking the decline in ozone-depleting gases, NOAA scientists now play a vital role in guiding ozone recovery.
Ozone's critical role
How thick is the ozone layer that controls the amount of ultraviolet (UV) radiation reaching Earth? For nearly 50 years, Barrow scientists have been using an instrument called the Dobson spectrophotometer to help us know.
Prior to the construction of the new observatory, the spectrophotometer was housed in a structure called the Dobson Dome where staff opened a roof hatch three times daily, allowing a beam of sunlight into the instrument to measure ozone.
To sample greenhouse and other gases, air is pumped into the laboratory from different heights on the sampling tower. Samples are collected weekly for later analysis at NOAA in Boulder, Colorado for traces of more than 60 greenhouse, ozone-depleting and other gases.
For nearly half a century, samples have been collected year-round in the exact same manner, whether in the dead of winter or in clouds of mosquitoes in the summer.
Collaborative research
At its distinct location, Barrow has hosted hundreds of scientific studies, contributing research to multiple national and international networks documenting global change. At least 1,200 peer-reviewed publications have used data sets from Barrow.
Several complementary research laboratories and monitoring sites are also co-located at the observatory. NOAA’s Climate Reference Network measures temperature, precipitation, soil conditions and more, helping to monitor national climate trends.
Two on-site satellite antennas pass command data to NOAA/NESDIS polar-orbiting satellites and download remote sensing data from the spacecraft. Each day, from about 520 miles above Earth, the satellites provide two full views of global weather.
For a more immersive experience, visit the Barrow, Alaska, as a window on the world offsite link StoryMap on the ESRI website.
