Components of the surface energy balance are measured on a longterm basis which is rare in desert landscapes. We take advantage of the excellent infrastructure of the Gobabeb Research and Training Centre to carry out flux measurements. Furthermore, we cooperate with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) which observes land surface temperatures.

The Gobabeb Research and Training Centre is located in western Namibia at the transition between the southern Namib sand desert and the northern Namib gravel plains. This location near the Kuiseb River, which seperated sharply sand desert from gravel plains over just a few hundred meters, enables the observation of a wide range of environmental characteristics even on a small scale.

GobaBascontributes to the understanding of the micrometeorology/-climatology of the exceptional environments in and around Gobabeb. Components of the surface energy balance are measured on a longterm basis which is rare in desert landscapes. We take advantage of the excellent infrastructure of the GOBABEB Namib Research Institute to carry out flux measurements. Furthermore, we cooperate with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) which observes land surface temperatures.

Duration: 2009 - ongoing

BSRN stands for Baseline Surface Radiation Network. It is global and is the baseline network for surface radiation. Solar and atmospheric radiation is measured with instruments of the highest available accuracy and with high time resolution. BSRN data are of primary importance for validation and confirmation of satellite and computer model estimates of these quantities.

Since 2012 our group operates a BSRN station at Gobabeband provides the station manager. Installation and operation a joint effort between GOBABEB and KIT.

Duration: 2012 - ongoing

Feigenwinter, C., Franceschi, J., Larsen J.A., Spirig, R., Vogt, R. (2020): On the performance of microlysimeters to measure non-rainfall water input in a hyper-arid environment with focus on fog contribution. J. Arid Env., 182, 104260. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2020.104260

Spirig, R., Vogt, R., Larsen, J.A., Feigenwinter, C., Wicki, A., Franceschi, J., Parlow, E., Adler, B., Kalthoff, N., Cermak, J., Andersen, H., Fuchs, J., Bott, A., Hacker, M., Wagner, N., Maggs-Kölling, G., Wassenaar, T., Seely, M.K. (2019):  Probing the fog life cycle in the central Namib Desert. Bull. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 100 (12), pp. 2491-2507, https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-18-0142.1

Spirig, R., Vogt, R., Feigenwinter, C. (2021): Droplet size distribution, liquid watercontent and water input of the seasonally variable, nocturnal fog in the Central Namib Desert. Atm. Res., 262, 105765. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosres.2021.105765