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Future Upper-Air Network Development (FUND)-IntegrationTECO 2008 St Petersburg RussiaCatherine Gaffard, John Nash, Alec Bennett

Upper Air Team, Observations Research and Development

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Contents

This presentation covers the following areas

• Why do we need a new network

• How can we meet the user requirement

• How will we use the information

And concentrates on the Integration package of

The FUND Project [ instrumentation see posters and for link to EG-CLIMNET and testbeds see later talk]

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Next Generation Upper-Air NetworkWhy

• Meet User Requirements. (i.e. Higher spatial and temporal resolution ) for high resolution model (1km grid) for winds, temperature, humidity, cloud profile

• Resolve structures of mesoscale storms on a scale of less than 100 km

• Large-scale’ project to produce costed options for the future (2010 – 2020)

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Dimensions of a dangerousMesoscale storm over England identified with GPS water vapour measurementscombined with wind profiler winds andLightning location dataRed arrows show wind directionsfrom research wind profilerRed triangles main areas of heavy surface precipitation

Purple squares lightning strikes

5ºW 1ºW

Integrated water vapour

In Kg.m-2

at 14.00 on 22 July 2006

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17.00

14.00

Integrated water vapourIn Kg.m-2

at 17.00 on 22 July 200611.00

Movement of the Mesoscale storm over EnglandFor 6 hours identified with GPS water vapour measurements combined with wind profiler winds and weather radar.Red triangles main areas of heavy surface precipitationBlue circle indicates area where severewind gusts caused emergency

5ºW 1ºW

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Future Upper Air requirements?An interpretation of user review, but needs further examination during the FUND project.

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FUND

• Dense network needed

• Or exploit high time-res 4DVAR

• Optimize current network with surface measurements, weather radar and AMDAR

• Solution is probably a mixture of radiosonde and ground- based remote sensing

• Ground-based remote sensing likely to have most impact where

• Information concentrated in BL/lower tropopshere

• Rapid sampling captures BL variability© Crown copyright Met Office

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Need of integration

only a combination of observing systems such as

Radiosonde,

AMDAR,

weather radar,

Integrated ground base remote sensing

[ wind profiler,cloud radar,microwave radiometer,laser ceilometer?]

and satellite observations can be expected to get close to the user needs.

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Potential usefulness of wind profiler for integration will be shown in the following slides, showing

• height of significant levels or lid (most of the time)

• Identification of convective boundary layer (when well defined)

• height of cloud top (sometime)

• vertical speed (most of the time )

• height of bright band associated with melting layer (all the time)

• refractive index gradient ( possibly)

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Comparison of radiosonde and profiler height

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25.08.05 MCS system in relatively cold air.shows boundary layer collapses with cold poolgenerated behind both showers

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wind profiler,Cloud radar, Lidarshowing cloud top

Combined output from Camborne sensors – 27/28 February 2008

(uncalibrated)

WIND PROFILER (signal-to-noise)

WIND PROFILER (vertical velocity)

CLOUD RADAR

LIDAR

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Potential for integrated profiling

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Sea breeze front, change in the aerosol seen by the ceilometer CT75K on 13/07/05 (Chilbolton)

NortherlySoutherly

10m wind

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Gradient of the potential refractive index computed from the hourly radiosonde profile (dn/dz)^2

Wind profiler SNR, +cloud base from ceilometer ( white circle)

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Cooler /drier air behind band of lightning

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Development tasks for Integrated profiling package

• classification

target type ( follow CLOUDNET but add clear air)

atmospheric structure [stability?]

• quality control

• Deal with non-CLOUDNET measurements [e.g.microwave radiances] and associated forward operators

• comparison with model equivalent

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• Data to be used in integrated profiling development will come from at least 6 sites in the UK including the SE testbed network, see next slide.] with different mixtures of remote sensing data

• Aberystwyth

• Camborne

• Cardington

• Chilbolton

• Hesrtmonceux

• Wattisham

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Chilbolton

Wattisham

Herstmonceux

Cardington

Dunkeswell

Cobbacombe Cross

Dean Hill

Clee Hill

Chenies

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Questions and answers