Welcome to Barrow Observatory!
Barrow Observatory

Barrow, Alaska Observatory (BRW) is located on the northern most point of the United States. It is about 8 km northeast of the village of Barrow and has a prevailing east-northeast wind off the Beaufort Sea. In addition, the National Weather Service (NWS) maintains a weather observing facility in Barrow. Although the measurements at Barrow are made over open tundra, there are large lagoons and a number of lakes in the vicinity, and the Arctic Ocean is less than 3 km northwest of the site. Because of its proximity to these bodies of water and the fact that the prevailing winds are off the Beaufort Sea, BRW is perhaps best characterized as having an Arctic maritime climate affected by variations of weather and sea ice conditions in the Central Arctic.

Due to its unique location, dedicated and highly trained staff, excellent power and communications infrastructure, the Barrow Observatory is host to numerous cooperative research projects from around the world. Barrow Observatory began operation in 1973.

The observatory is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) - Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) - Global Monitoring Division (GMD).

Barrow Map
Map of the Point Barrow area showing the relative positions of the NOAA Barrow Observatory (BRW), the town of Barrow, the National Weather Service (NWS) facility, the DOE/ARM CART site and various geographical landmarks.

Additional Information