Recently, portable automated research micrometeorological stations (PARMS) were designed and fabricated by staff at the Oklahoma Climatological Survey (OCS) to provide enhanced observations of atmospheric conditions at remote locations. During 2005 and 2006, four PARMS were deployed at the Tar Creek Superfund site near Picher, Oklahoma to provide enhanced environmental monitoring. Because the transport of hazardous toxins through the surface water system is such a critical aspect of research and remediation at the Tar Creek Superfund site, multiple research objectives were identified using the PARMS. These objectives include: (a) quantifying precipitation variability at the Tar Creek watershed for initialization into hydrologic models, (b) comparing radar estimated precipitation and variability with in situ observations, and (c) quantifying the spatial variability of surface observations across the watershed.

During more than one year of nearly continuous observations, over 40 rainfall events have been observed by the PARMS. For each of these events, the variability of precipitation across the watershed has been quantified. Further, the in situ rainfall observations have been compared with quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE) products created by the National Weather Service Arkansas-Red Basin River Forecast Center (NWS ABRFC). This study will present the results of the comparison between PARMS observations and various mosaic radar data products and will provide insight into the unique challenges of QPE at Tar Creek.