225 GHz Atmospheric Opacity Measurements from Two Arctic Sites

• Published in: Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union 2012-08, Vol.8 (S288), p.204-207
• Main Authors: Matsushita, S., Chen, Ming-Tang, Martin-Cocher, P., Asada, K., Chen, C.-P., Inoue, M., Paine, S., Turner, D., Steinbring, E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Astronomy; Atmospheric sciences; Contributed Papers; Observatories
• ISSN: 1743-9213; 1743-9221
• DOI: 10.1017/S1743921312016882

We report the latest results of 225 GHz atmospheric opacity measurements from two Arctic sites; one on high coastal terrain near the Eureka weather station, on Ellesmere Island, Canada, and the other at the Summit Station near the peak of the Greenland icecap. This is a campaign to search for a site to deploy a new telescope for submillimeter Very Long Baseline Interferometry and THz astronomy in the northern hemisphere. Since 2011, we have obtained 3 months of winter data near Eureka, and about one year of data at Summit Station. The results indicate that these sites offer a highly transparent atmosphere for observations in submillimeter wavelengths. Summit Station is particularly excellent, and its zenith opacity at 225 GHz is statistically similar to the Atacama Large Milllimeter/submillimeter Array site in Chile. In winter, the opacity at Summit Station is even comparable to that observed at the South Pole.