Facilities
and
Laboratories

ACES VisLab – Vanda Grubisic

• The ACES VisLab at the Desert Research Institute in Reno is a state-of-the art multi-use scientific visualization laboratory. This unique laboratory in Nevada is part of the Advanced Computing in Environmental Sciences (ACES) program facilities, which include also significant computing resources. The VisLab has a wall-to-wall tiled back-projection screen and a 3D stereoscopic front-projection system. In addition, the VisLab is the home of the AccessGrid node for immersive collaboration, which uses the large wall-to-wall tiled screen. The VisLab supports conference seating and audience seating, and is both a working laboratory and an excellent demonstration environment. The NSF EPSCoR-funded ACES program has been bringing advances in grid computing and scientific visualization to environmental researchers in the state.

Aerosol Physics Laboratory – Jim Hudson

• The Aerosol Physics Lab is primarily concerned with measurement and characterization of the particles upon which cloud droplets condense. These cloud condensation nuclei are ubiquitous in the atmosphere, but they display considerable variability with respect to concentration, composition, and origin. A major focus has been deployment of CCN spectrometers as part of aircraft field projects. Besides CCN spectrometers, the Aerosol Physics Lab is equipped with a differential mobility analyzer (DMA).

Aerosol Research Laboratory – John Watson

• The Aerosol Research Laboratory investigates the particulate matter from combustion sources utilizing a dilution and residence chamber. This chamber allows reproducible dilution of sources and simulates the dilution in the ‘real world.' The residence chamber allows the gas and particulate species to equilibrate with each other. Analysis is done with filters as well as several real-time instruments. These instruments include the TSI nano SMPS, the GRIMM SMPS, the MSP WPS, the TSI DustTRAK, the DRI Photoacoustic instrument, the Magee seven wavelength Aethalometer, the EcoChem PAS2000, the LiCor CO 2 Analyzer and a Campbell Scientific datalogger. Sources that have been studied so far have included a diesel generator, an acetylene torch, the PALAS electric arc, and wood smoke from white oak. These allow the production of reproducible mixtures of black carbon, organic carbon, and other compounds that can be used to understand and standardize thermal methods for carbon analysis.

Atmospheric and Dispersion Modeling Laboratory – Darko Koracin

• Investigators from the Atmospheric, Dispersion, and Air Quality Modeling Program have been conducting research and application studies focused on observations, modeling, and real-time forecasting. The scope includes atmospheric, dispersion, and air-quality processes over complex topography and coastal areas. In particular, the team is developing, applying, and evaluating high-resolution mesoscale meteorological models as well as regulatory and advanced atmospheric dispersion models. One example is a Lagrangian Random Particle Dispersion Model that has been developed at DRI and applied to complex coastal and inland environments. Photo at right: Snap shot of simulated particles representing pollutant emissions, using data from idealized urban and offshore emission sources in California and Nevada using Mesoscale Model 5 coupled with a Lagrangian Random Particle Dispersion model. This forecast is valid for 11 March 2005 at 1100 UTC.

Atmospheric Remote Sensing Laboratory – Arlen Huggins

• The Atmospheric Remote Sensing Laboratory provides calibration, maintenance and data processing support for a variety of ground-based remote sensing instruments. Two dual-frequency (20.6 and 31.6 GHz) microwave radiometers have been used in a variety of field studies to remotely measure atmospheric water vapor and cloud liquid. A truck-mounted scanning Ka-band radar is also available for studies of cloud structure, particularly the detection of small cloud ice particles as precipitation begins to evolve. Several computer systems in the lab are used to process Doppler data from a variety of past field programs as well as real time and archived data from the Reno NWS WSR-88D S-band radar. Studies of air motion, convective precipitation initiation and radar-derived estimates of precipitation are part of the research being supported by the lab.

Carter Family Optics and Acoustics Laboratory – Hans Moosmuller

• This facility is used for the development and application of modern optical techniques for atmospheric and emissions measurements. Laboratory work is currently focused on development and use of innovative optical and acoustic instrumentation for the real-time quantification of particulate matter (PM) and its optical properties. Recent research projects include the development of instruments to measure aerosol extinction and its scattering and absorption components, and the development of an automotive remote sensor for PM emissions. These and other instruments are being used for ambient measurements in air quality studies and for the determination of improved emission factors for on- and off-road vehicles, and biomass combustion processes. Research sponsors include federal (e.g., DOD, DOE, EPA, FTA, NOAA, NSF, USFS), state, local, foreign, and private entities.

CEFA Operations and Forecast Facility – Tim Brown

• The CEFA Operations and Forecast Facility (COFF) is a modern computing laboratory for data analysis and scientific visualization supporting the applications products that are routinely produced for wildland fire management agencies by CEFA. Primary computing is done on SGI Altix 350 Itanium-2 8-processor and Altix 3000 Itanium-2 32-processor systems. Some operational products are also produced on a SGI Origin 200 server with dual Risc 10000 processors and Sun Fire V480 with a dual UltraSPARC III processor. Apple Macintosh Power Mac, iMac, and PowerBook G4's and G5's provide desktop capabilities to CEFA personnel. COFF utilizes nearly seven terabytes of disk storage. A variety of programming, visualization and statistical software packages are used in the applications development.

Electronics Design Laboratory
Engineering Design Laboratory – Rick Purcell and Larry Sheetz

• DAS utilizes the services of mechanical, electrical, and computer engineers to design, fabricate, program, test, trouble-shoot, and document a wide variety of scientific instrumentation. State-of-the-art tools and procedures are used in our machine and electronics shops. In addition, a network of outside vendors is utilized for specialized fabrication processes and components. The electronics lab is furnished with a 500 MHz digital sampling oscilloscope, function generator, soldering station, adjustable power supplies, tools, and various electronic components.

Energy Laboratory – Alan Gertler and Kent Hoekman

• The energy laboratory is research-centered, looking at applications of renewable energy in the desert southwestern US. The primary focus of the laboratory is on the development and application of renewable resources including electricity and hydrogen. Laboratory equipment currently includes 2 kW of photovoltaic panels (with passive solar trackers), 3 kW of wind generators (two 1.5 kW generators on 50' towers), a Stuart electrolyzer to produce hydrogen, trace power inverters to produce 110V power, and several fuel cells. In addition, there are two para-transit vehicles that have been converted to operate on alternative fuels, along with an emissions test bench and vehicle efficiency software to evaluate performance characteristics. We are evaluating the performance of the vehicles operating on CNG and HCNG. The laboratory has recently been developing an integrated renewable power system for off-grid applications that includes an internal combustion generator that can run on both hydrogen and LPG to provide power during periods of time when renewable sources are not available.

Environmental Analysis Facility – Judith C. Chow

• The Environmental Analysis Facility (EAF) was especially constructed and equipped to quantify trace substances of atmospheric contaminants collected on substrates. This facility is designed to prepare and test these substrates under low contamination conditions. Aerosol and gas sampling substrates are prepared in a temperature- and humidity-controlled filter processing clean room without contamination. This environmental analysis facility has capabilities for routine chemical analysis of gaseous, particulate, and liquid-phase air pollution samples. Standard operating procedures, quality control performance tests, and inter-laboratory comparisons have been established for these routine analyses. The facility also functions in a research mode to develop new analytical methods and to evaluate existing methods.

Hydrometeor Imaging Laboratory – John Hallett and Arlen Huggins

• The Hydrometeor Imaging Laboratory focuses on instrumentation and analysis techniques for studying the observed properties of particles containing water in a liquid or frozen phase. Size, number concentration, shape, mass and density are the key measurements of interest. This is accomplished on the ground and in the air with a suite of instruments that include upgraded laser probes (2DC, 2DP, FSSP), video instruments (Cloudscopes, Cloud Videometers, Snow Video Spectrometer) and formvar film instruments (Replicators).

Ice Physics Laboratory – John Hallett and Matt Bailey

• The Ice Physics Laboratory is located in the Sage Building in Stead, NV. Research in this lab is concerned with nucleation, growth, and evaporation of ice and related hydrate crystals that occur in the atmosphere. A dynamic diffusion cloud chamber has been developed to control temperature, supersaturation, and air velocity as independent parameters, allowing for detailed investigation of ice crystal phenomena.

Mesoscale Dynamics and Modeling Laboratory – Vanda Grubisic

• Mesoscale Dynamics and Modeling Laboratory (MDML) supports research on orographic airflow dynamics and precipitation processes conducted by MDML group members and associated students. The Sierra Cluster, the high-performance Linux cluster with 68 processors and 72 GB of memory represents the core of the MDML computing equipment. The scientific visualization and analysis of numerical simulation results is carried on a Mac OS X and a Linux high-end graphics workstations that support high-resolution flat LCD displays as well as a CRT display with an active stereoscopic system. The dedicated high-speed computing platform and the state-of-the-art visualization tools allow members of the MDML group to continue conducting competitive research aimed at improving the understanding and numerical forecasting of weather phenomena in complex terrain.

Meteorology Calibration Laboratory – Kelly Redmond, Greg McCurdy,
            and Dave Simeral

• The DRI Weather Instrument and Calibration Facility specializes in all aspects of weather and climate observations. This includes site selection, instrument choices, purchase, permitting, installation, communication, maintenance, data ingestion, storage and retrieval. The Facility maintains a calibration lab for atmospheric sensors.

Organic Analytical Laboratory – Barbara Zielinska

• The Organic Analytical Laboratory (OAL) provides high quality, cost effective collection and analysis of trace organic contaminants and hazardous air pollutants in ambient air. The Laboratory also performs source characterization for volatile organics and organic particulates. DRI's Organic Analytical Laboratory provides a full range of sampling, laboratory analysis, data management, and quality assurance services including custom research methods development. The Laboratory is equipped with state-of-the-art instrumentation and is staffed by world leaders in data collection and analysis. Operations, quality assurance, data management, and validation are integrated throughout the field measurement and analytical programs.

Particulate Emissions Measurement Laboratory – Jack Gillies, Hampden Kuhns,
            and Vic Etyemezian

• The Particle Emissions Measurement Laboratory (PEML) was established at DRI to develop resources (instrumentation and measurement systems) for the characterization and quantification of particulate matter emissions by natural and anthropogenic processes. Facilities managed by the PEML include real time flux towers, a large cargo van that may be configured for a variety of field measurement applications, and an in-plume monitoring system. Currently available equipment in the PEML laboratory includes: Midac FTIR, Dekati ELPI, Grimm Particle Size Analyzers, TSI DustTraks, Licor CO₂ Analyzer, 6 TSI digital mass flow meters, and medium volume filter samplers. When these instruments are configured for use in the in-plume system, all data are synchronously time stamped and logged to a single laptop in real time. Previous field experiences have shown that much higher data quality and recovery rates are typically achieved when measurements are viewed as they are made, since field operators can quickly identify and resolve problems as they arise. PEML References

Storm Peak Laboratory – Gannet Hallar and Ian McCubbin

• The Storm Peak Laboratory is situated on a 70 km long north-south mountain barrier, oriented generally perpendicular to the prevailing westerly winds. SPL is approximately 1150 m above, and to the east of the agricultural Yampa Valley, and the town of Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Located on a peak with limited upwind vegetation or topography to create local turbulence under normal airflow conditions, SPL is ideally situated for in-cloud measurements. This exposure also frequently allows clear-air physical and chemical measurements of the free troposphere (at approximately the 700 mb level) uncontaminated by the local boundary layer.

X -ray Diffraction Analysis of Mineral Dusts in Aerosols – Johann Engelbrecht

• The Desert Research Institute (DRI) recently acquired the latest technology in X-ray diffractometry (XRD). This is providing essential mineralogical information in support of on-going and new proposed research projects as well as complementing the capabilities of existing facilities at DRI. Despite their abundance and likely environmental and health impacts, mineralogical properties of dusts are often disregarded in speciation studies, and only the chemical compositions of the aerosols are being routinely measured. The extent to which variations in mineralogy affect dust radiative impact is poorly quantified. XRD provides mineralogical information required to assess aerosol refractive indices and other optical properties. Recent advances in XRD instrumentation, however, hold great potential for determining source areas of dust and assessment of dust properties, including toxicity and degrading visibility. DRI is developing procedures whereby aerosol samples are collected on filters and quantitatively analyzed for their mineralogical content by XRD.