- The Mesoscale Alpine Programme

Science Plan (98/6)
– 35 –
3 Target Areas and Available Facilities
REMARK: The proposed set-ups of observational means are first guesses. They will be
detailed in the MAP Implementation Plan.
3.1 “Background” Observational Coverage of the Alpine Region
3.1.1
Surface Networks
Many national and regional, meteorological and hydrological institutions in the Alpine
area operate surface observation networks. Only a subset of the routinely made
measurements are exchanged over international communication channels. It is one of
the ambitions of MAP to make available to the scientific community as many of these
data as possible. This applies for past periods of particular interest to MAP as well as
for the SOP in particular. A special working group has become active to identify the
existing surface observational networks and to build a data base of this inventory.
Figure 3-1 shows the result of such an effort for the stations which record in an
automatic mode and/or transmit in real-time a basic set of meteorological parameters.
It is easily recognized that the Alpine region may probably be the most densely
instrumented mountain area in the world.
3.1.2
Precipitation Measuring Network
The network for climatological precipitation recordings is depicted in Fig. 3-2. The large
majority of these stations measures daily precipitation sums and the readings are
available only in delayed mode. However, automatic and real-time measuring rain
gauge stations are included as well.
FIGURE 3-1. Network of stations observing a basic set of meteorological parameters with
automatic recording and/or real-time data transmission capabilities.
– 36 –
Target Areas
FIGURE 3-2. Precipitation measuring network in the Alpine region. Most of these stations report
daily sums in delayed mode. (map based on Frei and Schär, 1998)
FIGURE 3-3. Upper-air observation network in the Alpine region (o: radiosounding stations.
+: wind profiling radars (UHF and VHF); #: permanently installed RASS; @: permanently
installed (Doppler) sodar). The radiosounding stations at Ajaccio (Corsica), Cagliari (Sardinia)
and Las Palmas de Mallorca (Balearic Islands) are outside the frame of the display but will play
an important role for MAP. The radiosonde stations at Nice, Alessandria and Verona and the
windprofilers at Annecy and Turbigo are temporary MAP instruments. Additional
instrumentation of this type will be set up in the target areas and are detailed in later figures.
The ellipsis indicates the location of the Rhine Valley target area, where several radiosounding
stations and windprofilers will be concentrated.
Science Plan (98/6)
3.1.3
– 37 –
Observation in the Vertical Dimension
Figure 3-3 gives an impression of the upper-air network in the Alpine region. During
the SOP the routinely operating sites will be supplemented by a number of additional
stations. Furthermore, most of the radiosounding stations displayed will launch four
ascents per day during the periods of special interest to MAP.
TABLE 3-1. Supplemental “vertically pointing” observations in the Alpine region (target area instrumentation not included); fs: funding status (u: uncertain, p: proposed/pending, ok), ls: location status (f: fix, t:
transportable, m: mobile). In the “interest” column the following abbreviations are used: GEN=general;
GW=gravity waves; HYD=hydrology; PBL=planetary boundary layer; ULF=upper level features.
country
group
instrument
#
fs
ls
interest
location
remarks
Austria
Austro Control
UHF WP
1
ok
f
GEN, PBL
Vienna
Austria
Austro Control
UHF WP
1
p
f
GEN, PBL, gap
Innsbruck
flow
France
LAMP
VHF WP
1
ok
f
GEN, ULF, GW Clermont Fd
France
LA
VHF WP
1
ok
t
GEN, ULF, GW near Geneva
France
LSEET
VHF WP
1
ok
f
GEN, ULF, GW Toulon
France
LSEET
mini-VHF WP
1
ok
f
wake, PBL
France
Meteo France/
CNRM
UHF WP + RASS 1
ok
t
GEN, PBL, preLago Maggiore
cip
France
Meteo France/
CNRM
VHF WP
1
ok
t
GEN, ULF, GW Lago Maggiore
France
SA
VHF WP
1
ok
f
GEN, ULF, GW
St. Michel de
Provence
Italy
ENEL
RASS
1
p
f
PBL, precip
Milano
good Po-Valley coverage
Italy
ENEL
RASS
1
p
f
PBL, precip
Fusina
good Po-Valley coverage
Italy
ENEL
RASS
1
p
f
PBL, precip
Ostiglia
good Po-Valley coverage
Italy
ENEL
RASS
1
p
f
PBL, precip
Turbigo
good Po-Valley coverage
Italy
ENEL
RASS
1
p
t
PBL, precip
Lago Maggiore
Austria
ZAMG
Doppler sodar
1
ok
f
PBL
NE-border
semi-opr
Italy
ENEL
sodar
1
p
f
PBL, precip
Turbigo
good Po-Valley coverage
Italy
ENEL
sodar
1
p
f
PBL, precip
Alessandria
good Po-Valley coverage
Italy
ENEL
sodar
1
p
f
PBL, precip
Cameri
good Po-Valley coverage
Italy
ENEL
sodar
1
p
f
PBL, precip
Torino
good Po-Valley coverage
Italy
ENEL
sodar
1
p
f
PBL, precip
Milano
good Po-Valley coverage
Italy
ENEL
sodar
1
p
f
PBL, precip
Ostiglia
good Po-Valley coverage
Italy
ENEL
sodar
1
p
f
PBL, precip
Fusina
good Po-Valley coverage
Italy
ENEL
sodar
1
p
f
PBL, precip
Porto Tolle
good Po-Valley coverage
Toulon
mid 1999
best location in France
flow splitting
best location
– 38 –
Target Areas
In order to illustrate the overall coverage of the region the fixed installations managed
by research institutions and normally operating only temporarily are also indicated (in
parentheses). The detailed instrumental set-ups of the target areas are not included in
these figures. They are illustrated by close-up schematics later in this document.
In addition to the radiosounding stations also sites equipped with wind profiling radars
(windprofilers) are given in Fig. 3-3.
The devices installed at Annecy and Turbigo are temporary installations whilst all other
windprofilers have their fix locations. There are still other instruments probing the
vertical dimension.
Apart from radiosounding and windprofilers the permanent radio acoustic sounding
systems (RASS) and (Doppler) sodars are also displayed in Fig. 3-3. A summary of all
“vertically pointing” systems is given in Table 3-1 (special equipment of the target areas
not included).
3.1.4
Weather Radars
The Alpine region is observed by a network of weather radar stations. These stations,
both operational and research, are depicted in Fig. 3-4. Most radars have Doppler
capabilities, with the exception of the French radars, the Slovenian radar and the
Italian radars at Spino d’Adda and Istrana. The Italian radars at San Pietro (Bologna),
Fossalon di Grado (Cervignano del Friuli), Pisa, and the German radar at DLR
Oberpfaffenhofen have even polarization capabilities. The Fossalon di Grado radar can
be switched from its operational to a research-dedicated scanning mode on demand.
FIGURE 3-4. Weather radar stations in the Alpine area. Radars operated by research institutions
for special periods are written in parentheses. Additional research radars will be set up in the
Lago Maggiore target area the location of which is indicated by the ellipsis. The Doppler radar at
Monte Rasu in Sardinia is outside the frame of the figure, but will provide information on the
upstream precipitation activity.
Science Plan (98/6)
– 39 –
3.2 The Lago Maggiore Target Area
3.2.1
Introduction
From climatology (cf. sect. 2.1.1) it becomes evident that the local precipitation maxima
on the southern slope of the Alps are tied to indentations in the mountain range (for
precipitation amounts and for frequency of heavy precipitation). Distinct maxima occur
in the Lago Maggiore area (canton of Ticino and northern part of Regione Piemonte) and
in a region straddling the Italian-Slovenian border in the north-eastern part of Italy
(Friuli) (Fig. 2-2). From this latter maximum a distinct zone of enhanced precipitation
extends westwards along the southern slope of the Alps into the region of Veneto.
To tackle the scientific questions related to heavy precipitation:
•
the Lago Maggiore area has been selected as MAP target area, and
•
the North-East Italian/Slovenian area is defined to be a MAP mission area.
A target area is equipped with supplemental ground-based instruments, temporarily
installed for the MAP SOP. By definition a target area is geographically fixed. A
particularly careful selection is needed in order to maximise the probability of
occurrence of the meteorological phenomena to be investigated during the SOP.
Ground-based observation campaigns are supported by airborne missions over the
target area.
A mission area is a region featuring increased frequency of occurrence of the
phenomena in question. But in contrast to the target area it is not equipped with
additional ground-based instrumentation but is a preferred candidate for research
aircraft missions.
3.2.2
Overview of the Lago Maggiore Target Area
A map of the Lago Maggiore target area is provided in Fig. 3-5. This area is best suited
to study all aspects related to heavy orographic precipitation. The observational devices
which will be installed in the Lago Maggiore target area during the SOP are listed in the
following tables (for legend of table columns cf. header of Table 3-1). They will deserve
the following interests:
•
monitoring of the general flow setting (Table 3-2)
•
Orographic lifting, convection and precipitation microphysics (Table 3-3)
•
PBL conditioning for convective precipitation events (Table 3-4)
•
hydrological aspects (Table 3-5) (many of the systems attributed to PBL observation
also contribute to hydrological issues, cf. key HYD in Table 3-4)
•
atmospheric electricity (Table 3-6)
In addition to the ground-based measurements the deployment of research aircraft for
in-situ and remote-sensing observations constitute a cornerstone of the overall
experimental set-up: Electra (ELDORA/ASTRAIA), P-3, Fokker (LEANDRE II).
– 40 –
Target Areas
Yverdon
Yverdon
Yverdon
Yverdon
Yverdon
Thun
Thun
Thun
Thun
Thun
Lago
Maggiore
Vallorbe
Vallorbe
Vallorbe
Vallorbe
Vallorbe Romont
Romont
Romont
Romont
Romont
Romont
Radar-type
Bulle
Bulle
Bulle
REICHENBACH
Bulle
Bulle
DISDR
(5)
Zweisimmen
Zweisimmen
Zweisimmen
Zweisimmen
Zweisimmen
Zweisimmen
Laussane
Laussane
Laussane
Laussane
Laussane
RADAR
(3)
SAANEN
Y
Vevey
Vevey
Vevey
Vevey
Vevey
La
Dole
a
Dole
Y
MM
V-RADAR
(2)
Thonon-les-bains
Thonon-les-bains
Thonon-les-bains
Thonon-les-bains
Thonon-les-bains
Biasca
Biasca
Biasca
Biasca
Biasca
Biasca
Brig
Brig
Brig
----------------------
Brig
Brig
Aigle
Aigle
Aigle
Aigle
Aigle
Sierre
Sierre
Sierre
Sierre
Sierre
U
LAPETH
LAPETH GIETH
Raso-type
GENEVA
COINTRIN
IMK
Karlsruhe
IMK
Karlsruhe
SION
Bellinzona
Bellinzona
Bellinzona
Bellinzona
Bellinzona
Bellinzona
Locarno
Locarno
Locarno
Locarno
Locarno
LIDAR
(2)
Morbe
Morbe
Morbe
Morbe
Morbe
Gravedona
Gravedona
Gravedona
Domodossola
Domodossola
Gravedona
Gravedona
Gravedona
Domodossola
Domodossola
Domodossola
Martigny-ville
Martigny-ville
Bonneville
Bonneville
Martigny-ville
Bonneville
Martigny-ville
Martigny-ville
RASO
(3)
Bonneville
Bonneville
Y
Monte Lema
Lema
Monte
IMK
IMK Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe
IMK
IMK Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe
LUGANO
)
)
VHF
WP (1)
MEYTHET
Verbania
Verbania
Saint-gervais-les-bains
Saint-gervais-les-bains
Verbania
Saint-gervais-les-bains
Verbania
Verbania
Saint-gervais-les-bains
Saint-gervais-les-bains
(Annecy
(Annecy
VHF)
VHF)
Lecco
Lecco
Lecco
Lecco
Lecco
-------------------
Erba
Varallo
Varese
Varese
Varallo
Varallo
Varese
Erba
Erba
Varallo
Varallo
Varese
Varese
Erba
Erba
Erba
PBL-type
NCAR
NCAR
VENEGONO
Y
AOSTA Coggiola
Coggiola
)
Coggiola
ANEMO
(11)
)
Coggiola
Coggiola Alberville
Alberville
Alberville
Alberville
Alberville
Alberville
LAPETH
LAPETH
Romagnano
Romagnano
Romagnano
Romagnano
Romagnano
Saronno
Saronno
Saronno
Saronno
Saronno
Bourg-saint-maurice
Bourg-saint-maurice
Bourg-saint-maurice
Bourg-saint-maurice
Bourg-saint-maurice
Donnaz
Donnaz
Donnaz
Trezzo
Trezzo
Trezzo
Donnaz
Donnaz
S
IFA-CNR,
Roma
IFA-CNR,
Roma
Trezzo
Trezzo
Trezzo S
AUTO_STN
(1)
Biella
Biella
Biella
Biella
Biella Meteo
France/CNRM
Meteo
France/CNRM
O
IFA-CNR,
Roma
IFA-CNR,
Roma
Trev
Trevi
Trevi
CETP
Turbigo
CETP
Trev
Trevi
FLUX Turbigo
(1)
Turbigo )Turbigo
)
Y
Magenta
Magenta
Magenta
(Spino d'Adda
Magenta
Magenta
Magenta
Pont
Pont
Pont
Canavese
Canavese
Pont
Canavese
Pont
Canavese
Canavese
RASS
(1)
Milano
Milano
Cameri
)
)
) Y
)Cameri
)
)
IMK
Karlsruhe
IMK
Karlsruhe
CCCC
Energy
Balance
(4)
Santhia
Santhia
Santhia
Vercelli
Vercelli
Vercelli
Vercelli
Vercelli
Vigevano
Vigevano
Vigevano
Vigevano
Vigevano
Vigevano
Lodi
Lodi
Lodi
Lodi
Lodi
SODAR
(4)
)
)
Saint
Saint
Saint
Jean-de-maurienne
Jean-de-maurienne
Jean-de-maurienne
Cirie
O
Cirie
Cirie
Cirie
Cirie
O
Chivasso
Chivasso
Trino
Trino
Pavia
Pavia
T-BALL
Chivasso
Trino
Pavia
Modane
Modane
Chivasso
Chivasso
Trino
Trino
Pavia
Pavia
Modane
Modane
Modane (2)
1 Casale
Casale Monferrato
Monferrato
Monferrato
Casale
Monferrato
Casale
Casale
Monferrato
TOWER
(4)
Avigliana
Avigliana
Avigliana
U
Avigliana
Avigliana
Broni
Broni
Broni
Broni
Castel
Castel
Castel San
San
San
Croce
Bric della
della
Croce
Broni
Broni
Castel
Castel
San
San
Castel
San
Bric
)
)
GGG
0
20
40
UHF
WP
(1)
Chieri
Casteggio
Casteggio
Torino Y
Valenza
Torino
Chieri
Chieri
Valenza
Casteggio
Chieri
Chieri Valenza
Casteggio
Casteggio
Valenza
Valenza
)
)
MDC
Kilometers
with data @
Poirino
Stations
Poirino
Poirino
Poirino
Poirino
Briancon
Briancon
Briancon
Asti
Asti
Briancon
Briancon
Asti
RT=real
time
)
)
Asti
Asti
Pinerolo
Pinerolo
Pinerolo
Pinerolo
Pinerolo
Travo
Travo
Travo
Varzi
Travo
Travo
Travo
Alessandria Alessandria
Varzi
Varzi
Varzi
Varzi
manual
RT
auto RT Novi
Novi
Novi Ligure
Ligure
Ligure
Novi
Ligure
Novi
Ligure
manual
non-RT Bra
Bra
Bra
Bra
Bra
Bra
Acqui
Acqui
Acqui
auto non-RT Acqui
Acqui
Acqui
ICG-CNR,
Torino
ICG-CNR,
Torino
Savigliano
Savigliano
Savigliano
Savigliano
Savigliano
Savigliano
Cortemilia
Cortemilia
Cortemilia
Cortemilia
Cortemilia
Cortemilia
ap
ap
ap
LEVALDIGI
Dronero
Dronero
Barcelonnette
Dronero
Dronero
Dronero
SESTRI
GENOVA
Bragno
Bragno
Barcelonnette
Mondovi
Bragno Barcelonnette
Mondovi
Mondovi
Barcelonnette
Barcelonnette
Mondovi
Mondovi
Mondovi
Bragno
FIGURE 3-5. Tentative layout of the Lago Maggiore target area.
TABLE 3-2.
country
Extra upper-air observations in the Lago Maggiore target area (see legend in Table 3-1).
group
instrument
#
fs
ls
interst
location
remarks
Italy
ICG-CNR, Torino raso
1
p
m
GEN, precip
Lago Maggiore, Ligurian operational (>= 4/d)
gap
Switzerland
GIETH
raso
1
p
t
GEN, PBL,
HYD
Lago Maggiore
France
Meteo France/
CNRM
VHF WP
1
ok
t
GEN, ULF, GW Lago Maggiore
Italy
IFA-CNR, Roma
lidar
1
p
t
GW
Lago Maggiore
IOPs
best location
Science Plan (98/6)
TABLE 3-3.
– 41 –
Dynamics and microphysics of precipitation systems (see legend in Table 3-1).
country
group
instrument
#
fs
ls
interest
location
remarks
France
CETP
Ronsard Doppler
1
radar
ok
t
precip
Lago Maggiore
Switzerland
SMI
Doppler radar
1
ok
f
precip
Lago Maggiore
operational, Mt. Lema
USA
NCAR
S-POL Doppler
radar
1
p
t
precip, microphysics
Lago Maggiore
8.5m antenna
Germany
IMK Karlsruhe
vert. pointing
Doppler radar
(K)
1
ok
m
precip
Lago Maggiore
8 height steps, resolution 20-200m
Switzerland
LAPETH
vert. radar on
van (X)
1
p
m
precip
Lago Maggiore
USA
NCAR
Doppler radar
on wheels (X)
1
p
m
precip
Lago Maggiore
being discussed
Germany
IMK Karlsruhe
disdrometer
1
ok
m
precip, microphysics
Lago Maggiore
Joss/Waldvogel
Germany
IMK Karlsruhe
optical disdrom2
eter
ok
m
precip, microphysics
Lago Maggiore
Loeffler-Mang, size
and velocity
TABLE 3-4.
Supplemental PBL equipment in the Lago Maggiore target area (see legend in Table 3-1).
country
group
instrument
#
fs
ls
interest
location
remarks
France
Meteo France/
CNRM
UHF WP + RASS 1
ok
t
GEN, PBL, preLago Maggiore
cip
Italy
CNR Bologna
surface energy
balance
2
ok
t
PBL
Lago Maggiore
Italy
ENEL
Doppler sodar
1
p
m
PBL, precip
Lago Maggiore
Italy
ENEL
RASS
1
p
t
PBL, precip
Lago Maggiore
Italy
ENEL
tethered balloon 1
p
t
PBL
Lago Maggiore
Italy
FISBAT-CNR,
Bologna
radiation balance
1
ok
t
PBL, HYD
Lago Maggiore
Italy
IFA-CNR, Roma
Doppler sodar
1
p
t
PBL, precip
Lago Maggiore
Italy
IFA-CNR, Roma
tethered balloon 1
p
t
PBL
Lago Maggiore
Italy
ISIATA-CNR,
Lecce
Doppler sodar
1
p
t
PBL, precip
Lago Maggiore
Italy
varia
sonic anemome6
ter
p
t
PBL
Lago Maggiore
Switzerland
GIETH
KH 20 (latent
heat fluxes)
2
p
t
PBL
Lago Maggiore
on tower
Switzerland
GIETH
meteo tower
(30m, fluxes, ra- 1
diation)
p
t
PBL, HYD
Lago Maggiore
SOP
Switzerland
GIETH
meteo tower
(30m, fluxes, tel- 1
escopic)
p
m
PBL, HYD
Lago Maggiore
SOP
Switzerland
GIETH
meteo tower
(5m, fluxes)
2
p
p
PBL, HYD
Lago Maggiore
SOP
Switzerland
GIETH
scintillometer
(vert. fluxes)
1
ok
t
PBL
Lago Maggiore
IOPs
Switzerland
GIETH
sonic anemome5
ter
p
t
PBL
Lago Maggiore
on tower
– 42 –
TABLE 3-5.
country
Target Areas
Special observations for hydrology (see legend in Table 3-1).
group
instrument
#
fs
ls
interest
location
Italy
Uni Brescia
gravimetric soil
moisture measurement
1
ok
f
HYD
Brescia for
Lago Maggiore
Italy
nat./reg. hydrotelehydrometer
graphic services
5
ok
f
HYD
Lago Maggiore
Italy
variaa)
TDR
reflectometer
5
p
t
HYD, PBL
Lago Maggiore
Italy
IROE-CNR
1.4, 6.8GHz and
8-14µm IR an1
tenna
p
m
HYD
Lago Maggiore
Switzerland
GIETH
TDR
reflectometer
1
p
t
HYD, PBL
Lago Maggiore
Switzerland
nat. hydrological service
telehydrometer
6
ok
f
HYD
Lago Maggiore
EU
JRC, Ispra
TDR
1
p
t
HYD, PBL
Lago Maggiore
a)
remarks
real time
airborne
Politecnico di Milano (1), Istituto Agrario di S. Michele all'Adige (1), Uni Modena (2),
Uni Brescia (1)
TABLE 3-6.
country
Atmospheric electricity measurements (see legend in Table 3-1).
group
instrument
electrical measurements
#
fs
ls
interest
location
remarks
other funds needed,
uncertain
France
LA
3.2.3
Mesoscale Convective Systems in the Alpine Environment
1
u
t
precip
Lago Maggiore
Given the good coverage of the Po Valley by PBL instruments and in particular of the
Lago Maggiore area during the SOP, the conditions for initiation of mesoscale
convective systems are best observed and documented there. However, developing and
moving systems can be tracked by aircraft and the high-technology standard Doppler
radars all over the Po Valley. Particularly good observations will be possible, when the
systems move over the ground-based target area.
3.3 North-east Italian / Slovenian Mission Area
This area is well covered by the operational Doppler radars near Bologna, Teolo, at
Noventa di Piave and Cervignano del Friuli and the non-Doppler at Istrana with
significant overlap of the scanning ranges of the Doppler radars. Furthermore the
region is well covered by surface station networks as well as by a number of remotesensing boundary layer instruments. In Slovenia an additional weather radar station
will be set up for the time of the SOP. An overview is presented in Fig. 3-6.
Due to the excellent “background coverage” by operational instrumentation, no
additional ground-based instrumentation is installed in this mission area. Rather it is
proposed for airborne missions given the occurrence of important precipitation events.
However, one mobile upper-air sounding station for inflow probing as well as for
upstream-measurements for the gap-flow studies (Brenner pass) is currently planned
at Verona.
Asiago
Asiago
Asiago
Asiago
Asiago
Asiago
Verona
Verona
Verona
Verona
Verona
Verona
Lonigo
Lonigo
Lonigo
Lonigo
Lonigo
Villafranca
Villafranca
Villafranca
Di
Di
Verona
Verona
Villafranca
Villafranca
Villafranca Di
Di
Di
Di Verona
Verona
Verona
Verona
Padova
Padova
Padova
Padova
Padova
Padova
Parma
Parma
Parma
Parma
Parma
Parma
Carpi
Carpi
Carpi
Carpi
Carpi
Carpi
Bonden
Bonden
Bonden
Bonden
Bonden
Bonden
Ferrara
Ferrara
Ferrara
Ferrara
Ferrara
Ferrara
Latisana
Latisana
Latisana
Latisana
Latisana
Latisana
Mestre
Mestre
Mestre
Mestre
Mestre
Mestre
0
000
0
50
50
50
50
50
Labin
Labin
Labin
Labin
Labin
Labin
Vodnjan
Vodnjan
Vodnjan
Vodnjan
Vodnjan
Vodnjan
Rovinj
Rovinj
Rovinj
Rovinj
Rovinj
Rovinj
Trieste
Trieste
Trieste
Trieste
Trieste
Trieste
Rijeka
Rijeka
Rijeka
Rijeka
Rijeka
Rijeka
Kofla
Kofla
Kofl
Kofla
Kofla
Kofl
Crikvenica
Crikvenica
Crikvenica
Crikvenica
Crikvenica
Crikvenica
Kocevje
Kocevje
Kocevje
Kocevje
Kocevje
Kocevje
O
O
O
O
O
O
Crn
Crn
Crn
Crn
Crn
Crn
Nov
Nov
Nov
Nov
Nov
Nov
Trbovlje
Trbovlje
Trbovlje
Trbovlje
Trbovlje
C
C
C
C
C
C
Sostanj
Sostanj
Sostanj
Sostanj
Sostanj
Sostanj
Visnja
Visnja
Visnja Gora
Gora
Gora
Gora
Visnja
Visnja
Visnja
Gora
LJUBLJANA
LJUBLJANA
LJUBLJANA
LJUBLJANA
LJUBLJANA
LJUBLJANA
Kranj
Kranj
Kranj
Kranj
Kranj
Kranj
raingauges
Klagenfurt
Klagenfurt
Klagenfurt
Klagenfurt
Klagenfurt
Klagenfurt
manual RT
auto RT
manual non-RT
auto non-RT
Vrhnika
Vrhnika
Vrhnika
Vrhnika
Vrhnika
Vrhnika
Gorizia
Gorizia
Gorizia
Gorizia
Gorizia
Palmanova
Palmanova
Palmanova
Palmanova
Palmanova
Ajdovscina
Ajdovscina
Ajdovscina
Ajdovscina
Ajdovscina
Ajdovscina
Monfalcone
Monfalcone
Monfalcone
Monfalcone
Monfalcone
Monfalcone
Postonja
Postonja
Postonja
Postonja
Postonja
Udine
Udine
Udine
Udine
Udine
Udine
Kilometers
Kilometers
Kilometers
Kilometers
Kilometers
Kilometers
25
25
25
25
25
Paese
Paese
Paese
Treviso
Treviso
Paese
Paese
Paese
Treviso
Treviso San
Treviso
San
San
Dona Di
Di Piave
Piave
Dona
Di
Piave
Dona
Di
Piave
San Dona
Dona
Di
Piave
San
San
Oderzo
Oderzo
Oderzo
Oderzo
Oderzo
Oderzo
Vittorio
Vittorio
Vittorio
Veneto
Veneto
Vittorio
Vittorio
Vittorio Veneto
Veneto
Veneto
Veneto
Pordenone
Pordenone
Pordenone
Pordenone
Pordenone
Pordenone
Codroipo
Codroipo
Codroipo
Valdobbiadene
Valdobbiadene
Valdobbiadene
Valdobbiadene
Valdobbiadene
Conegliano
Conegliano
Conegliano
Conegliano
Conegliano
Conegliano
Feltre
Feltre
Feltre
Feltre
Feltre
Feltre
Belluno
Belluno
Belluno
Belluno
Belluno
Belluno
Jesenice
Jesenice
Jesenice
Jesenice
Jesenice
Jesenice
Villach
Villach
Villach
Villach
Villach
Villach
Emmersdorf
Emmersdorf
Emmersdorf
Spittal
Spittal
Spittal
Spittal
Spittal
Spittal
Obervellach
Obervellach
Obervellach
Obervellach
Obervellach
Obervellach
Villa
Villa
Villa
Santina
Santina
Villa
Villa
Villa Santina
Santina
Santina
Santina
Lietz
Lietz
Lietz
Lietz
Lietz
Lietz
Maniago
Maniago
Maniago
Maniago
Maniago
Maniago
Cortina
Cortina
Cortina
D'ampezzo
D'ampezzo
Cortina
Cortina
Cortina D'ampezzo
D'ampezzo
D'ampezzo
D'ampezzo
Bassano
Bassano
Bassano Del
Del
Del Grappa
Grappa
Grappa
Del
Grappa
Bassano
Bassano
Bassano
Del
Grappa
Vicenza
Vicenza
Vicenza
Schio
Schio
Schio
Schio
Schio
Valdagno
Valdagno
Valdagno
Valdagno
Valdagno
Valdagno
Riva
Riva
Riva
Rovereto
Rovereto
Riva
Riva
Riva Rovereto
Rovereto
Rovereto
Borgo
Borgo
Borgo
Borgo
Borgo
Borgo
Bressanone
Bressanone
Bressanone
12°E
Plove
Plove Di
Di
Di Sacco
Sacco
Sacco
Plove
Di
Sacco
Plove
Plove
Di
Sacco
Isola
Isola
Isola Della
Della
Della Scala
Scala
Scala
Della
Scala
Isola
Isola
Isola
Della
Scala
Este
Este
Este
Este
Este
Legnago
Legnago
Legnago
Legnago
Legnago
Mantova
Mantova
Mantova
Mantova
Mantova
Mantova
Piadena
Piadena
Piadena
Piadena
Piadena
Bozzolo
Bozzolo
Bozzolo
Badia
Badia
Badia
Polesine
Polesine
Bozzolo
Bozzolo
Badia
Badia
Badia Polesine
Polesine
Polesine
Polesine
Rovigo
Rovigo
Ostiglia
Ostiglia
Rovigo
Ostiglia
Rovigo
Rovigo
Adria
Adria
Ostiglia
Ostiglia
Adria
Adria
Adria
Contarina
Contarina
Contarina
Contarina
Contarina
Suzzara
Suzzara
Suzzara Poggio
Suzzara
Suzzara
Suzzara
Poggio
Poggio
Rusco
Rusco
Rusco
Poggio
Poggio
Poggio Rusco
Rusco
Rusco
Leno
eno
eno
Leno
eno
eno
Brescia
Brescia
Brescia
Brescia
Brescia
Brescia
Salo
Salo
Salo
Salo
Salo
Salo
Bolzano
Bolzano
Bolzano
Bolzano
Bolzano
Bolzano
Mezzolombardo
Mezzolombardo
Mezzolombardo
Mezzolombardo
Mezzolombardo
Mezzolombardo
Cles
Cles
Cles
Cles
Cles
Cles
Trento
Trento
Trento
Trento
Trento
Trento
Tione
Tione
Tione
Di
Di
Trento
Trento
Tione
Tione
Tione Di
Di
Di
Di Trento
Trento
Trento
Trento
Bagolino
Bagolino
Bagolino
Bagolino
Bagolino
Bagolino
Breno
Breno
Breno
Breno
Breno
Breno
Bormio
Bormio
Bormio
Merano
Merano
Merano
Merano
Merano
Merano
Lana
Lana
Lana
Lana
Lana
Vipiteno
Vipiteno
Vipiteno
Vipiteno
Vipiteno
Murau
Murau
Murau
Murau
Murau
Y
Zirbitzkogel
Zirbitzkogel
Stations
with
data @
MDC
Y
47°N
RT=
real
time
:
:
:
:
# :
Udine
Y
Udine
Ljubljana
Ljubljana
:
:
46°N
:
:
Fossalon
Fossalon
di
di
Grado
Grado
Y
Noventa
di
Grado
:
Approximate
Approximate
Slovenia
Slovenia
Istrana
Istrana
Y
Noventa
di
Piave
Y
:
:
:
:
:
:
Y
: Verona
#
#
Fusina
Fusina
:
Grande
:
:
Monte
Monte
Grande
:
##Ostiglia
Ostiglia
##
N
Porto Tolle
Tolle
Porto
:
:
Science Plan (98/6)
– 43 –
15°E
FIGURE 3-6. Layout of the north-east Italian / Slovenian mission area. Surface stations: see inset
legend; Radiosoundings at Udine, Ljubljana and Verona; radar stations at Monte Grande,
Noventa di Piave; Istrana, Fossalon die Grado and in western Slovenia; #: permanently installed
RASS (Ostiglia); @: permanently installed (Doppler) sodar (Ostiglia, Porto Tolle, Fusina).
– 44 –
Target Areas
3.4 Rhine Valley Target Area
3.4.1
Rationale
The Rhine Valley between the town of Chur and the Lake of Constance is selected as
target area for the investigations of the unstationary aspects of Foehn in a large valley
and the interaction with the pre-existing PBL. The main arguments are the following:
•
maximum frequency of Foehn events during the fall season (slightly higher than the
Reuss valley, cf. Fig. 3-7),
•
“broad” valley with well defined side-walls, length ca. 75km,
•
3d effects by side valleys,
•
well defined geometry.
Fig. 3-7 illustrates the mean occurrence of Foehn during fall at a sample of Foehnprone climatological stations in Switzerland. The basis of these statistics is the number
of observations with Foehn where observations are made three times daily at 07, 13
and 19 local time. In Fig. 3-8 the probability of the occurrence of a given number of
Foehn observations at Vaduz during the SOP season (15 August to 15 November) is
illustrated. These statistics are based on a 26 year (1971-1996) record with three
observations daily. The probability to have more than at least 6 Foehn observations is
higher than 80% (60% for at least 12 events). The probability curve does not attain
100% since no Foehn event occurred in 1978. However, general Foehn flow over the
Alps is more frequent than these numbers suggest, since during autumn cold air in the
valley floor may hinder the touch down of the Foehn to the ground. From the same data
Autumn
Rohrspitz
2
•3
•
•12
Bad Ragaz
21
•
11 Landquart • 18
•
Vaduz
9
7
•
• • • 15
21
Altdorf
•
Chur
21
•3
FIGURE 3-7. Mean number of Foehn observations during the fall season (Sept., Oct., Nov.) at a
selection of meteorological stations in Switzerland (long-term records). Observations are carried
out daily at 07, 13 and 19 local time; Rhine Valley. (courtesy of S. Bader)
Science Plan (98/6)
– 45 –
Estimations of Foehn event ocurrence during MAP SOP based on data from Vaduz (1971-1996)
Possibility of Foehn ocurrence
100
97
94
91
88
85
82
79
76
73
70
67
64
61
58
55
52
49
46
43
40
37
34
31
28
25
22
19
16
13
10
7
4
1
100
97
94
91
88
85
82
79
76
73
70
67
64
61
58
55
52
49
46
43
40
37
34
31
28
25
22
19
16
13
10
7
4
1
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
Number of climatological observations with Foehn
FIGURE 3-8. Probability of a given number of Foehn observations (07/13/19 local time) to occur
at Vaduz during the SOP season (15 August to 15 November). (courtesy of M. Bolliger, SMI)
20
5
10
15
September: 10 months without Foehn
Oktober: 5 months without Foehn
November: 5 months without Foehn
0
Sum of climatological observations with Foehn
Sum of climatological observations for each Foehn case at Vaduz from 1971 - 1996
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Number of climatological observations for each Foehn case
FIGURE 3-9. Number of events with a given number of consecutive Foehn observations (07/13/19
local time) at Vaduz. (courtesy of M. Bolliger, SMI)
record it can be deduced that short Foehn episodes are more frequent than long-lasting
periods (Fig. 3-9).
The Rhine Valley is a multi-national target area (A/CH/D/FL) and less investigated
than the Reuss Valley (Gotthard). The upstream topography may be more complex,
although it seems, that the Lago Maggiore area is in many cases of SW to S flow
favourably located upstream of the Rhine Valley as it is for the Reuss Valley.
– 46 –
3.4.2
Target Areas
Instrumentation
An outline of the Rhine Valley target area is given in Fig. 3-10. The summary of special
equipment installed during the SOP is listed in Table 3-7. Furthermore aircraft will be
deployed to study the flow structure, vertical fluxes and turbulence. Stemme and
Merlin are the candidate aircraft.
TABLE 3-7.
Extra instruments in the Rhine Valley target area (see legend in Table 3-1).
country
group
instrument
#
fs
Austria
Uni Vienna
ZAMG
Doppler sodar
1
p
Austria
Uni Vienna
instrumentd car 1
Austria
Uni Vienna
pilot balloon
Austria
Uni Vienna
Austria
Austria
ls
interest
location
remarks
t
PBL, Foehn
Rhine Valley
u
m
PBL, Foehn
Rhine Valley
sensors, GPS, PCs
2
ok
m
PBL, Foehn
Rhine Valley
2 special theodolites
each
special cameras
4
ok
t
PBL, Foehn
Rhine Valley
more than simple
video
Uni Vienna
surface station
5
ok
m
PBL, Foehn
Rhine Valley
not high accuracy
ZAMG
Doppler sodar
2
u
t
PBL, Foehn
Rhine Valley
Austria
ZAMG
eddy corr. system
1
u
t
PBL, Foehn
Rhine Valley
Austria
ZAMG
kite (6 sondes)
1
u
m
PBL, Foehn
Rhine Valley
Austria
ZAMG
surface station
1-2
u
t
PBL, Foehn
Rhine Valley
TAWES like
France
CNES/LA
CLB
1
p
t
GEN,
Foehn,wake
Rhine Valley
trans-Alpine trajectories, cooperation with
SMI
France
CNRM
surface station
barograph
15
u
t
PBL, Foehn,
drag
Rhine Valley
France
LMD
scanning Doppler lidar
1
ok
t
PBL, Foehn
Rhine Valley
Germany
IMK Karlsruhe
UHF WP + RASS 1
u
t
PBL, Foehn
Rhine Valley
T, ff, dd; dt=30’,
dz=60m, ztop~=4km
Switzerland
Army
raso P760
2
ok
t/m
GEN, Foehn
Alpine crest,
Rhine Valley
full raso
Switzerland
Army
raso P763
4
ok
m
GEN, Foehn
Rhine Valley
simple raso (T, ff, dd)
Switzerland
LAPETH/SMI
micro barograph ~5
u
t
Foehn, wave
Rhine Valley
structure, drag
modified ANETZ stations
Switzerland
LAPETH
Doppler sodar
1
ok
t
PBL, Foehn
Rhine Valley
Switzerland
LAPETH
raso
1
ok
t
GEN, Foehn
Rhine Valley
Switzerland
Meteolabor
raso P763
1
u
m
GEN, Foehn
Rhine Valley
simple raso (T, ff, dd)
Switzerland
Obs. Neuchatel
Upw. lidar
1
u
t
Foehn
Rhine Valley
aerosol, H2O,(T)
Switzerland
SMI AER
UHF WP
1
p
t
GEN, PBL,
Foehn
Rhine Valley,
Alpine crest
during IOPs
Switzerland
SMI ENV
Doppler sodar
2
p
t
PBL, Foehn
Rhine Valley
Switzerland
SMI ENV
MADD automatic station
2-4
p
t
PBL, Foehn
Rhine Valley
ptu, ff, dd, RR, rad
Switzerland
SMI ENV
raso/CLB
1
p
t
GEN, Foehn,
wake
Rhine Valley
raso or CLB, trans-Alpine trajectories, coop.
with CNES/LA
Switzerland
SMI ENV
video cameras
2-4
p
t
GEN, PBL,
Foehn
Rhine Valley
Schaffhausen
Schaffhausen
Wangen
Wangen
FIGURE 3-10. Tentative layout of the Rhine Valley target area.
(2)
(1)
(5)
(1)
(1)
(2)
(1)
(1)
(4)
(5)
UHF WP
upwlidar
camera [4]
eddy corr [0]
inst. car
pilot bal
scanlidar
sf+baro [0]
sf. stn. [3]
sodar
manual RT
auto RT
manual non-RT
auto non-RT
Stns with data@ MDC
RT=real-time
raso LAPETH (1)
(5)
rasoP763
Kilometers
20
Biasca
Biasca
0
9°E
Brig
Brig
(2)
(1)
MADDauto [0] (1)
raso-ALT
(1)
rasoP760
(3)
CLB [1]
kite [1]
Instrument [#on map] | (#in table
40
Maloggia
Maloggia
Bormio
Bormio
I
Kempten
Kempten
Nesselwan
Nesselwan
Immenstadt
Immenstadt
Konstanz
Konstanz
Lindau
Lindau
Frauenfeld
Frauenfeld
Switzerland
Switzerland
Rorschach
Baden
Rorschach
Winterthur
Winterthur
Wil
Baden
Wil
OLustenau
Lustenau
Zurich
Zurich
Aarau
Aarau
Dubendorf
Dubendorf
Hohenems
Mittelberg
Hohenems
Mittelberg
Albis
Ruti
Ruti
Feldkirch
Feldkirch
Nesslau
Nesslau
Zug
Zug
VADUZ
VADUZ
O
O
Luzern
Luzern
Schwyz
Schwyz
47°N
Schwanden
Schwanden
Sarnen
Sarnen
Altdorf
Altdorf
Chur
Chur
Davos
Davos
Waldshut
Waldshut
FORM TARGET
Singen
Singen
Science Plan (98/6)
– 47 –
10°E
– 48 –
Target Areas
3.5 Brenner pass Target Area
The Brenner pass is by far the deepest gap in the Alpine chain. This makes it the target
area for the investigation of gap flow and shallow Foehn. The Wipptal which is on the
Austrian side of the Brenner pass, will be equipped with different types of additional insitu (meteorological surface stations, microbarographs, radiosoundings) and remotesensing (UHF profiler, NCAR scanning Doppler lidar) instruments. Deployment of the
Merlin and Fokker, the Electra and the P-3 are also advisable to probe the structure of
the flow through the gap.
The list of special instruments deployed in the Brenner target area is given in
Table 3-8. An overview map is displayed in Fig. 3-11.
TABLE 3-8.
country
Extra instruments in the Brenner target area (see legend in Table 3-1).
group
instrument
#
fs
p
ls
f
interest
location
GEN, PBL, gap
Innsbruck
flow
Austria
Austro Control
UHF WP
1
Austria
Austro Control
raso
1
ok
f
GEN, gap flow
Innsbruck
Austria
Uni Bodenkultur mini flux towers 3
p
t
PBL, gap flow
Innsbruck
Austria
Uni Bodenkultur Doppler sodar
1
p
t
PBL, gap flow
Innsbruck
Austria
mini Doppler soUni Bodenkultur
2
dar
p
m
PBL, gap flow
Innsbruck
Austria
Uni Innsbruck
flux and radiation
1
p
t
PBL
MOC Brenner
Austria
Uni Innsbruck
instrumented
car
2
ok
m
gap flow, PBL
Brenner
Austria
Uni Innsbruck
surface station
14
ok
t
gap flow
Brenner
Austria
Uni Innsbruck/
Vaisala
raso
1
p
t
gap flow
Sterzing
Austria
ZAMG
Doppler sodar
1
p
t
PBL, gap
Brenner
Brenner
Brenner
UK
Uni Leeds
micro barograph 8
u
t
Foehn, gap
flow
USA
NOAA
scanning Doppler lidar
p
t
gap flow
1
remarks
operational (>= 4/d)
Special instruments
instrumented car
(1)
Innsbruck
Innsbruck
kite
Wattens
/ tethered bal.
(1)
Wattens
Austro Control
(13) micro barogr.
mini
Doppler
(1)
#
Innsbruck
Innsbruck UHF
UHF
Uni Inns
Patscherkofel
raso
(1)
Patscherkofel
Y
scanning Dop. lidar (1)
Uni Inns NCAR
surface
stn.
(14)
Uni Bode
Uni
Inns
UHF WP
(1)
Uni Bode
Stations with data @ MDC
Uni Inns
RT=real time
Uni Inns RT
manual
auto
RT
manual non-RT
auto non-RT
Uni Inns
raingauges
Uni Inns
Upstream sounding
Vipiteno
Vipiteno
20
0
10
Kilometers Brenner Pass
Science Plan (98/6)
– 49 –
FIGURE 3-11. Tentative layout of Brenner target area for gap flow studies.
– 50 –
Target Areas
3.6 Research Aircraft
Table 3-9 presents a summary of the research aircraft proposed for participation in
MAP. Their availability is very likely. The anticipated use of the individual aircraft for
the scientific projects presented in chapter 2 together with the prominent
instrumentation is also summarized in Table 3-9. Some general characteristics are
summarized in Table 3-10 and visualized as “endurance-ceiling scatterplot” in
Figure 3-12.
TABLE 3-10. General characteristics of the aircraft.
Aircraft
Ceiling
Endurance
Range
Payload
Electra
28’400ft
7.5h (IBK)
*)
1’500nmi at 1’000ft
2’400nmi at 20’000ft
9’300kg max.
3300kg (full fuel)
P-3
27’000ft
7.5h (IBK)
*)
2’000nmi
N.N.
Falcon
41’000ft
5h
2’000nmi
1’000kg
Merlin
26’000ft
5h max.
1’100nmi at 23’000ft
800kg
Fokker ARAT
20’000ft
3.5h max.
600nmi at 20’000ft
3’150kg
2’600kg (full fuel)
C-130 UK
31’000ft
11h at ceiling
12h max.
3’000nmi at 22’000ft
29’000kg (typical)
17’600kg (full fuel)
Stemme
S10VC
16’000ft
7h max.
700nmi
310kg max. (100kg equipment)
Pilatus Porter
25,000ft
4h
500nmi
800kg
*)
endurance adapted to runway length in Innsbruck (IBK)
TABLE 3-9.
Proposed research aircraft
country
group
instrument
fs
Projects
special
instruments
availability /
remarks
USA
NCAR / INSU
Electra
p
P1; P4; P6; P7
Eldora/Astraia, SABL,
dropsondes, microphysics
15. Aug to 15 Nov.;
~25 missions, 3x60h/mt
USA
NOAA
P-3
p
P1; P4; P7
Doppler radar, dropsondes,
microphysics
15 Sept to 15 Nov;
~15 missions, 2x60h/mt
Germany
IPA DLR
Falcon
p
P2; P6
dropsondes, backscatter and H2O lidar, Dop- 2-3 weeks;
5-6 missions, 30h
pler lidar (WIND)
France
Météo France
Merlin
ok
P4; P5; P7
in situ instruments for
mean flow and turbulence measurements
2 months; 15 missions of
4 hours
France
INSU
Fokker ARAT
ok
P1; P4; P7
water vapour lidar:
(LEANDRE 2)
2 months; 20 missions of
3 hours
UK
UKMO
C-130
p
P6; P7
dropsondes,
2 weeks from 31 Oct to
14 Nov;
~4-5 missions, ~25h
Switzerland
Metair AG
Stemme S10VC
p
P5; P8
Austria
Military Service
Pilatus Porter
u
P5
20h for P5; 40h for P8
basic instrumentation
15.8.-15.11., 30 hours
Science Plan (98/6)
0
– 51 –
endurance (hours)
3
5 7
9
12 15
18
ceiling (km)
15
FA
12
9
6
ME
FOPP
E
P-3
C-130
S10
3
0
FIGURE 3-12. Ceiling versus endurance of the aircraft listed in Table 3-10 (approximate).
FA: Falcon; E: Electra; ME: Merlin; FO: Fokker ARAT; S10: Stemme S10VC;
PP: Pilatus Porter.
3.7 Special METEOSAT Support for the SOP
3.7.1
Novel Scanning Strategy
Geostationary satellite coverage of the MAP area will be ensured by two METEOSAT
spacecraft. The normal half-hourly image dissemination will be provided by
METEOSAT 7, which will be the operational satellite at the time of the SOP (positioned
at 0˚ longitude). METEOSAT 6, the back-up satellite, will be situated at 10˚W and carry
out rapid scans of the MAP area on demand. The rapid scan image data will be rectified
to 0˚ degrees. The main interest is in rapid scanning with six or eight scans per
30 minutes. The current preference is for six rapid scans, that is an image repetition
time of about 5min providing the full-disk lines between approximately 39˚N and 56˚N
latitude. A typical image of the infrared channel is shown in Fig. 3-13a and the
corresponding sea-land mask in Fig. 3-13b.
The period of rapid scanning will be requested by the MAP mission selection team with
a lead time around 24 hours. It will probably not be possible to operate METEOSAT 6
in a permanent imaging mode, since the equipment used for MAP processing will also
be used to provide redundancy for the prime operational and the INDOEX missions. It
is foreseen to start imaging by METEOSAT 6 approximately six hours before the time
– 52 –
Target Areas
a)
b)
FIGURE 3-13. METEOSAT infrared sample image (upper panel) for the radpid scan strategy and
corresponding sea-land mask (lower panel).
requested for rapid scan coverage, in order to allow a sufficient warm-up phase for the
image rectification system to stabilise. Then rapid scanning lasts for a period of about
six hours. This period may be extended if the rapid scanning mode is interrupted to
acquire one or two nominal images to stabilize the rectification algorithm. Rapid scans
can be requested for any time of the day.
3.7.2
Scientific Needs for “Special” Satellite Observations
Scientific needs for a METEOSAT rapid scan strategy during MAP can be seen in
several aspects, namely deep convection monitoring, satellite wind field extraction,
rainfall estimation and mesoscale analysis. Observations conducted by means of rapid
scan from GOES-8/9 over the U.S. Great Plains have already contributed to document
mechanism of storm evolution. Rapid scans of the order of 5min by METEOSAT will
greatly improve the monitoring of deep convective cloud formation and evolution within
the MAP area. High-frequency METEOSAT imagery over the MAP area can contribute to
wind derivation tests for ingestion into forecast models. Infrared precipitation
estimation methods will be tested against an unprecedented data set of rain gauge and
radar measurements. High-frequency scanning strategies give the possibility of
obtaining rainfall maps at time intervals approaching the radar frequency. Better
statistics and calibration are considered achievable. High-resolution mesoscale models
will benefit from the availability of cloudiness and cloud temperature maps at a few
minutes interval. Last but not least the availability of frequent scans in the water
vapour channel is important for the analysis of convergence/divergence in the upper
air structures. PV streamer research and upper-tropospheric feature studies, in
general, will benefit from such images.