ECAOS Quick Look Data Perusal
ECOAS is a joint effort with Professor Dominic Reisig from the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology and is located at the NC State University Version G. James Research and Extension Center in Plymouth, NC. The location (35.872 deg N, 76.658 deg W) is near the Roanoke River which feeds into Albemarle Sound. The straight-line distance between the site and the Atlantic Ocean is 95 km (59 miles). The North Carolina Department of Agriculture administers the associated Tidewater Research Station which occupies 1558 acres including woodland, cropland, pastures, and aquaculture ponds.
The 4 ceilometers, 24.2 GHz Micro Rain Radar, and PARSIVEL distrometer at the ECOAS site. The Vaisala ceilometer measures both aerosol backscatter and linear depolarization ratio (LDR). The 3 LUFTT ceilometers point 15 degrees from vertical to the East, North, and West and measure backscatter only. The combination of vertically-pointing and off-vertical profiles allows for assessment of area extent and changes in aerosol layers and clouds as they pass over the site.
Campbell SunScout weather station at the ECAOS site in July 2025. This package includes basic meteorology variables, radiometers, and precipitation measurements. The system is powered by solar cells and batteries.
Instrument Details
| Instrument | Short Description | Variables measured |
|---|---|---|
| Vaisala CL61 | Polarized ceilometer/LiDAR | Profiles of backscatter and LDR |
| 3 x Lufft CHM 15k | Ceilometer (mounted to point 15 deg off vertical) | Profiles of backscatter |
| Campbell Scientific Met SEN500 | Compact weather sensor | Ultrasonic 2D wind, temperature, pressure, humidity |
| Hukseflux SR30-M2-D1 | Spectrally flat Class A pyranometer | Hemispherical solar radiation |
| Delta-T SPN1 | Pyranometer | Global (total) and diffuse irradience, WMO sunshine threshold, Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI) |
| IMT Si-RS485TC-T-MB | Reference Solar Cell | Solar Irradiance |
| Texas Instruments TE525 | Tipping Bucket Rain Gauge | Precipitation accumulation |
| Metek Micro Rain Radar | Vertically-pointing Ka Band Doppler Precipitation Radar | Reflectivity, Doppler Velocity, Spectrum Width |
| OTT PARSIVEL | Laser distrometer | 1 min precipitation rates, joint precipitation size and fall speed distributions |
| Purple Air Zen | Air quality monitor | aerosol mass in PM2.5 and PM10 size ranges |