DATA CAPABILITIES RESEARCH NEWS & EVENTS ABOUT Atmospheric Observatories Instruments VAPs Modeling Computing Resources CAPABILITIES > ATMOSPHERIC OBSERVATORIES SOUTHERN GREAT PLAINS SOUTHERN GREAT PLAINS Central location: 36° 36′ 26.3592″ N, 97° 29′ 15.5148″ W Start year: 1993 ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● SGP LINKS Images SGP News SGP Central Facility Layout SGP Locations Request to Visit SGP Contacts CAMPAIGNS AWAKEN American Wake Experiment (AWAKEN) 21 March 2022 to 30 September 2023 OHB-SGP OH Burst in Cloud Droplets at SGP 1 March 2022 to 1 August 2022 GCC GeoCarb Calibration Campaign 1 September 2021 to 1 December 2021 View all The Southern Great Plains (SGP) atmospheric observatory was the first field measurement site established by the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility. This observatory is the world’s largest and most extensive climate research facility. Scientists use data from the SGP to learn about cloud, aerosol, and atmospheric processes, which in turn leads to improvements in models of the Earth’s climate. LABORATORY WITHOUT WALLS The SGP observatory consists of in situ and remote-sensing instrument clusters arrayed across approximately 9,000 square miles in north-central Oklahoma and south Kansas. Located on 160 acres of cattle pasture and wheat fields, the heart of the SGP observatory is the heavily instrumented Central Facility southeast of Lamont, Oklahoma. Technicians, along with support staff and observers, monitor data from the Central Facility instruments and from smaller, unstaffed facilities throughout the site. The SGP site offers high-quality data and simulations for atmospheric scientists to use. Data are used in a variety of ways from single observation analyses, to multi-observation process studies, to assimilation into earth system models. TAKE A VIRTUAL TOUR INSTRUMENTS AND DATA ARM has placed more than 50 instrument platforms or suites at the SGP observatory, including: Radiometers Radars Lidars Surface meteorological instrumentation Aerosol instrumentation Total sky imager Ceilometer Radiosondes EXPLORE SGP INSTRUMENTS Researchers supplement the continuous observations with guest instruments during field research campaigns or by requesting increases in the frequency of measurements, such as sonde launches. ARM transmits all data gathered at the SGP to the ARM Data Center and they are made freely available via Data Discovery. MODELING CAPABILITIES In addition to taking measurements, ARM recently began building data sets that can be incorporated into atmospheric models. These data are used in large-eddy simulation (LES) models, which simulate atmospheric air currents and cloud processes, to provide context and a self-consistent representation of the atmosphere surrounding the SGP. The LES ARM Symbiotic Simulation and Observation (LASSO) workflow is the pilot project developing a framework to offer modeling capabilities alongside instrument data. LEARN MORE ABOUT LASSO ATMOSPHERIC RADIATION MEASUREMENT USER FACILITY CONNECT WITH ARM CREATE ACCOUNT ORGANIZATION Reviewed September 2021 POLICIES DATA POLICIES CAMPAIGN GUIDELINES LINKING POLICIES PRIVACY & SECURITY NOTICE DIVERSITY, EQUITY, & INCLUSION VULNERABILITY DISCLOSURE PROGRAM HELP ASK US ASK A UEC MEMBER DATA QUESTIONS FAQS ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT RESOURCES MEDIA OUTREACH ACRONYMS GLOSSARY WORKING WITH ARM USE ARM FACILITIES ACKNOWLEDGE ARM SUBMIT A PROPOSAL FIND EMPLOYMENT VIEW ARM PRIORITIES