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The Global Atmosphere Watch Station

Located approximately 10km from Danum Valley Field Centre is the Malaysian Meteorological Department's Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) Station. The GAW Station, which includes a 100m tall sampling tower, opened in 2005 and provides a major new facility for climate and atmospheric research at Danum Valley - and a platform for collaborative research between Malaysian and international scientists.

The GAW Programme
The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) established the Global Atmosphere Watch programme in 1989. Its mission is to:

  1. Make reliable, comprehensive observations of the chemical composition and selected physical characteristics of the atmosphere on global and regional scales
  2. Provide the scientific community with the means to predict future atmospheric states
  3. Organize assessments in support of formulating environmental policy

GAW is the atmospheric chemistry component of the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS). It integrates monitoring and research activities involving the measurement of chemical and physical properties of the atmosphere and serves as an early warning system for changes in atmospheric concentrations.

Some 80 WMO Member countries are currently participating in the measurement programme of GAW, and about a quarter of them are either currently operating or aiming to establish GAW stations. GAW Stations are usually situated in remote locations (within important and representative habitats), have very low background levels of pollutants and are intended to continuously measure a broad range of atmospheric parameters over decades. High priority is given to measurements of the vertical distribution of ozone, total ozone, greenhouse gases, precipitation chemistry, aerosol components, reactive gases and ultraviolet radiation.

The Danum Valley GAW Station
The Danum Valley GAW station is equipped with a range of monitoring instruments and an automatic weather station located on a 5 metre rooftop platform. The 100m tower, which adjoins the laboratory, has air-intakes and mountings/platforms for sampling equipment at 30, 50, 70 and 100m and is tallest instrumented structure on the island of Borneo.

The measurement programme at the Danum Valley GAW station includes:

  • Surface ozone
  • Greenhouse gases (flask sampling)
  • Carbon dioxide (using Loflo Mk2 analyser)
  • Precipitation chemistry
  • Aerosol (load, chemical and physical properties)
  • Reactive gases (filterpack sampling)
  • Solar radiation
  • Meteorological parameters

Collaborative Research at the GAW Station
Although the Danum Valley GAW Station is primarily intended to fulfill Malaysia's obligations under a number of international treaties and conventions, and to address national policy issues, the Malaysian Meteorological Department welcomes collaboration with international scientists who wish to use facilities (or data) at the Danum GAW Station. Collaborative projects are already planned between Malaysian scientists and research groups from the UK, Japan, Sweden, Australia and Singapore.

For further information please see the Malaysian Meteorological Department website: www.met.gov.my/home_e.html

Latest News
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NEW BIRD SPECIES DISCOVERED AT DANUM VALLEY BY SEARRP SCIENTIST

The "Spectacled Flowerpecker," a bird species new to science, has been discovered in the heart of the Bornean rainforest. However, the species is so little known that it has yet to be given a scientific name.

 
How to Apply?
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SEARRP is open to all scientists from Malaysia, SE Asia, the UK and Europe who plan to do research at the Danum Valley Field Centre.
 
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