The In-situ Sensing Facility: Agile Observation Networks for Field Campaign Success

The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), funded by the US National Science Foundation, has been supporting field deployments for atmospheric research since the 1960s, with its Earth Observing Laboratory (EOL) coordinating large-scale programs. EOL’s In-situ Sensing Facility (ISF) was forged out of decades of instrument development, advances in technology and software, and an evolution of services and support in response to the changing landscape of research. Today, ISF has evolved into three measurement systems: (1) Airborne Vertical Atmospheric Profiling System - dropsonde technology, (2) Integrated Sounding System - combined in-situ and remote ground-based profiling instruments, and (3) Integrated Surface Flux System - suite of mesonet, turbulence and energy balance sensors mounted on scalable towers. These requestable observing systems are designed for scalability and flexibility, emphasizing sensor development and integration, data management, and robust deployments to remote or challenging locations. Observations from ISF's measurement systems have guided regional model and forecast development, supported boundary layer meteorology and turbulence studies, and enhanced our understanding of severe weather and convective processes. When configured together ISF forms the foundation of LOTOS (Lower Troposphere Observing System) - a proposed sensor network to sample fundamental state parameters vertically through the boundary layer and horizontally across the surrounding landscape to provide a wealth of data to advance process studies and model algorithm development. We present an overview of our facilities' instrument capabilities and the LOTOS concept.