Ground-Based Remote Sensor Observations during PROBE in the Tropical Western Pacific

The tropical western Pacific (TWP) includes a large expanse of tropical ocean whose substantial variability has been associated with the El Niño–Southern Oscillation phenomenon. Several diagnostic studies have shown that the climatic variation in this region is associated with variability in other parts of the globe. Recent campaigns such as the Tropical Ocean and Global Atmosphere Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere Response Experiment (TOGA COARE) have been conducted in this region to gather, distribute, and analyze basic oceanic, atmospheric, and radiation data. As a part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program (Stokes and Schwartz 1994), as many as five Atmospheric Radiation and Cloud Stations (ARCS) will Ground-Based Remote Sensor Observations during PROBE in the Tropical Western Pacific