It’s been a busy winter for the science and operations team leading next year’s Ganges Valley Aerosol Experiment, or GVAX. The complex campaign will use both the ARM Mobile Facility and ARM Aerial Facility to obtain measurements of clouds, precipitation, and complex aerosols to study their impact on cloud formation and monsoon activity in the Ganges Valley region. An initial scientific review meeting in Chicago in late January was followed by a two-week scouting trip in February to the location of the field study in India. These efforts are critical for clarifying the scope, objectives, and responsibilities of each party involved in a campaign of this duration and magnitude.

On January 12–13, representatives from the U.S. Department of Energy, ARM science and operations personnel, and numerous campaign collaborators gathered at Argonne National Laboratory to review the scientific objectives of the experiment, logistics and schedules, and roles and responsibilities. Notable among the participants were several scientists from India who provided an update on aerosol research in that country. The discussions resulted in the formation of a steering committee to organize science expectations and uncovered many important items for the site scouting team to address during their upcoming visit to India.

During February’s scouting trip, the team’s focus was to meet with in-country hosts, scout deployment locations, and establish expectations. At the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, the team provided an overview of the GVAX campaign and discussed official authorities and permissions. The embassy’s science officer indicated the entire campaign would be conducted under an existing Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement between The Government of the United States of America and The Government of the Republic of India. Later in their trip, officials at the Department of Science Technology in Delhi confirmed that the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) would be the lead in-country contact.

Field Campaign Locations

The team scouted several different locations as potential sites for instrument deployments. In Pantnagar, the team reviewed two locations for instruments that will be provided through DOE Atmospheric System Research. They determined that additional information about instrument requirements and siting criteria was needed before a selection can be made. Their next stop was Nainital, where they scouted a location at the summit of the ARIES Observatory for operating most of the AMF instrumentation. It was deemed suitable for the yearlong deployment based on field-of-view, infrastructure, security, and access. The team also stayed at the onsite guesthouse and considered it an excellent option for short-term lodging. Additional ground-based instrumentation and aircraft operations will be located in Lucknow; the site there met all the team’s requirements.

Finally, in Bengaluru, the team met with representatives from the Indian Institute of Science to discuss aircraft operations and requirements, including payload and data systems. The scouting team was very grateful for the time and graciousness of their collaborators at each stage of the trip. A subset of the team plans to return in May to continue the coordination efforts.