A quasi-isothermal method of operating an absorbed-dose graphite calorimeter is described in theory and practice. In contrast with the well-known quasi-adiabatic operation, which entails temperature increases during measurements, in the quasi-isothermal mode the temperatures of the different graphite bodies remain constant except for small temperature drifts throughout the measurement. This implies that the temperature dependence of the specific heat of the absorber and of the sensitivity of the temperature sensor influence the absorbed-dose determination significantly less. The method is characterized by a power-compensating measuring principle which is illustrated with a 3-body graphite calorimeter. Comparisons of the quasi-isothermal with the quasi-adiabatic method of operation showed good agreement.

[1] The second ARM (Atmospheric Radiation Measurement) Enhanced Shortwave Experiment (ARESE II) used a single aircraft flying above the north central Oklahoma Southern Great Plains ARM central facility to measure the atmospheric absorption in the column of air between the surface and the Twin Otter altitude ceiling around 7 km on both clear and overcast days. For this experiment, three types of broadband radiometers were used to measure upwelling and downwelling shortwave flux on the aircraft at 7 km. This provided redundancy that was lacking in the first ARESE. Further, all instruments used on the ground and on the aircraft were calibrated on the ground against the same radiation standard. Preflight and postflight comparisons of the broadband instruments used on the aircraft during the flight series with the standard, and comparisons of the ground instruments with the standard during the flights, suggest agreement much better than the target uncertainty of 20 W/m 2 at the 95% confidence level. Comparisons of the standard and the aircraft instruments for low-altitude passes on clear days indicate more uncertainty as expected for a nonstationary platform. The estimated uncertainty in the measured column absorption based on the difference in measured net irradiances at the surface and near 7 km at the 95% confidence level is 20 W/m 2 .

Exhibit 3: Demand and Supply Balance in the West, Summer 2001 (1) NERC region 2001 summer assessment. (2) RDI Consulting estimate. (3) Regionally installed capacity and net imports. (4) Average weighted by regional peak demand.

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