Determination of Ångström and Schüepp's Parameters from Ground-based Spectral Measurements of Beam Irradiance in the Ultraviolet and Visible Spectrum in Athens, Greece

—?This work estimates the Ångström coefficients, assuming a linear behavior of the natural logarithm of aerosol optical thickness, ln δ_α(λ), versus the natural logarithm of wavelength, ln λ, in the urban environment of Athens for a period of one year. The calculation of the coefficients α, β, was carried out using records of spectral beam irradiance in the 320–575?nm spectral range. The seasonal and diurnal variation of the coefficients shows different features with generally higher values of β and lower values of α in summertime. The Ångström coefficients are investigated with respect to various wind regimes and the results are discussed with a view to air pollution sources, climatic and topographic characteristics of the Athens basin. A similar study is also carried out for the Schüepp's turbidity parameter.     

Optical properties of long-range transported volcanic ash over Romania and Poland during Eyjafjallajökull eruption in 2010

After Eyjafjallajökull volcano eruption on 14 April 2010, due to a complex air mass circulation, Romania was exposed to volcanic ash and its mixture with continental aerosols. Ash particles with an average Ångström (UV-VIS) exponent of 1.4 ± 0.2 and (VIS-IR) of 1.2 ± 0.3, a color ratio (VIS-UV) of 0.54 and (IR-VIS) of 0.49, an average particle depolarization value ～9.4%, and a lidar ratio of 50 sr were retrieved on 18 April from multiwavelength Raman lidar measurements in Bucharest. Mixed volcanic ash with mineral dust particles advected from Sahara, depolarization ～12%, Ångström (UV-VIS) exponent of 1.25 ± 0.25 and (VIS-IR) of 1.45 ± 0.25, an increased color ratio (VIS-UV) of 0.61, (IRVIS) of 0.39 and lidar ratio of 53 sr were identified on 28 April. From observations in Poland conducted by an elastic lidar at 532 nm and a ceilometer at 1064 nm we retrieved an average backscatter related Ångström (VIS-IR) exponent of 1.25 ± 0.35, and a color ratio (IR-VIS) of 0.53 in the layer at about 5.5 km during the night of 16/17 April, indicating fresh ash over Warsaw.     

Ultraviolet-B solar irradiance,the influence of Ångström turbidity,at Central Spain

UV-B solar irradiance and meteorological variables were measured at the C.I.B.A. site (Low Atmosphere Research Laboratory), University of Valladolid, Spain, between January 2003 and March 2006. Calculated Ångström turbidity and aerosol optical thickness values were evaluated from the direct downward irradiance, surface pressure, air temperature and relative humidity values. Monthly turbidity β values for an average year showed minimum values in winter and maximum values in summer. The obtained values are according to an aerosol standard atmosphere between mean and clean continental model. UV-B model calculations were performed using a radiative transfer tropospheric model, TUV 4.1a; measured and calculated UV-B irradiance values were compared in order to establish possible values of single scattering albedo. The results show that calculated single scattering albedo values are according to an aerosol standard atmosphere between mean and polluted continental model.     

Volcanic aerosol optical characteristics of Mt. Etna tropospheric plume retrieved by means of airborne multispectral images

Tropospheric volcanic plume features have been derived from airborne multispectral images collected during field measurement campaigns at the Mt. Etna volcano in June 1997, during a quiescent period, and in July 2001 during an eruptive period. Results have been obtained in terms of mapping the volcanic aerosol optical thickness (AOT), the Ångström parameters and the water vapor content using different bands from visible to infrared. The AOT values show average values of 0.1 and 1, for quiescent and eruptive plumes, respectively, demonstrating that this geophysical parameter well indicates a major contribution of particulates in the explosive plume with respect to the quiescent one. The mapping of Ångström parameters, in the explosive case, indicates the presence of larger particles and their distribution along the plume, while in the quiescent case indicates the particle size is dominated by small particles with an effective radius about 1 μm. Further in the quiescent case, the map of water vapor shows low values indicating that water vapor emitted condenses mainly in aerosols.     

Cases of aerosol optical depth estimation in the Athens area,Greece

This work estimates the Ångström turbidity coefficients and investigates the variation of the aerosol optical depth (AOD) in the Athens area, during different atmospheric conditions. The AOD is estimated in the wavelength band of 400–670 nm from direct-beam spectral irradiance measurements using ground-based instrumentation, during an experimental campaign performed in the period 22 September–1 October 2002. All data were collected under clear-sky conditions near the city center of Athens; the AODs were estimated relative to the local zenith to avoid the influence of the optical air mass. The study shows that the AOD is influenced by wind regime and traffic in the Athens area. The Angstrom's turbidity coefficients and the AOD values were found to be higher under the influence of South-sector winds compared to those from the North-sector. Under South-sector low winds, the pollutants are accumulated in the Athens basin. On the contrary, the North-sector winds clean the atmosphere.     

Measurement of aerosol optical thickness over the Atlantic Ocean and in West Antarctica, 2006–2007

In this paper, optical measurements of aerosol properties made during a ship cruise from Poland to Antarctic Station in September and October 2006, and during the cruise back to Gdynia in April and May 2007 are described. A large gradient of pollution between the clear South Atlantic and the dusty North Atlantic was observed. The maximum of aerosol optical thickness at a wavelength of 500 nm reached 0.4 at 20°N in September 2006 and 0.3 at 40°N in May 2007, respectively. Strong Saharan dust transport is suggested as an explanation for the small values of Ångström exponent observed (values of 0.2 and 0.4 on these respective dates). On the Southern Hemisphere the aerosol optical thickness at 500 nm ranged from 0.05 to 0.2. Significant increases of the aerosol optical thickness were associated with strong wind and sea salt production. Good agreement was found when the in situ measurements of aerosol optical thickness were compared to satellite retrievals and modelling results.     

Parameterization of the Ångström–Prescott formula based on machine learning benefit estimation of reference crop evapotranspiration with missing solar radiation data

Accurately estimated reference evapotranspiration (ET₀) is essential to regional water management. The FAO recommends coupling the Penman–Monteith (P-M) model with the Ångström–Prescott (A-P) formula as the standard method for ET₀ estimation with missing R_s measurements. However, its application is usually restricted by the two fundamental coefficients (a and b) of the A-P formula. This paper proposes a new method for estimating ET₀ with missing R_s by combining machine learning with physical-based P-M models (PM-ET₀). The benchmark values of the A-P coefficients were first determined at the daily, monthly, and yearly scales, and further evaluated in R_s and ET₀ estimates at 80 national R_s measuring stations. Then, three empirical models and four machine-learning methods were evaluated in estimating the A-P coefficients. Machine learning methods were also used to estimate ET₀ (ML-ET₀) to compare with the PM-ET₀. Finally, the optimal estimation method was used to estimate the A-P coefficients for the 839 regular weather stations for ET₀ estimation without R_s measurement for China. The results demonstrated a descending trend for coefficient a from northwest to southeast China, with larger values in cold seasons. However, coefficient b showed the opposite distribution as the coefficient a. The FAO has recommended a larger a but a smaller b for southeast China, which produced the region's largest R_s and ET₀ estimation errors. Additionally, the A-P coefficients calibrated at the daily scale obtained the best estimation accuracy for both R_s and ET₀, and slightly outperformed the monthly and yearly coefficients without significant difference in most cases. The machine learning methods outperformed the empirical methods for estimating the A-P coefficients, especially for the sites with extreme values. Further, ML-ET₀ outperformed the PM-ET₀ with yearly A-P coefficients but underperformed those with daily and monthly ones. This study indicates an exciting potential for combining machine learning with physical models for estimating ET₀. However, we found that using the A-P coefficients with finer time scales is unnecessary to deal with the missing R_s measurements.     

Probabilistic Assessment of Tsunami Recurrence in the Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean is one of the most tsunamigenic regions of the world and recently experienced a mega-tsunami in the Sumatra region on 26 December 2004 (M _W 9.2 earthquake) with tsunami intensity I (Soloviev-Imamura intensity scale) equal to 4.5, causing heavy destruction of lives and property in the Indian Ocean rim countries. In this study, probabilities of occurrences of large tsunamis with tsunami intensities I ≥ 2.0 and I ≥ 3.0 (average wave heights H ≥ 2.83 m and H ≥ 5.66 m, respectively) during a specified time interval were calculated using three stochastic models, namely, Weibull, gamma and lognormal. Tsunami recurrence was calculated for the whole Indian Ocean and the special case of the Andaman-Sumatra-Java (ASJ) region, excluding the 1945 Makran event from the main data set. For this purpose, a reliable, homogeneous and complete tsunami catalogue with I ≥ 2.0 during the period 1797–2006 was used. The tsunami hazard parameters were estimated using the method of maximum likelihood. The logarithm of likelihood function (ln L) was estimated and used to test the suitability of models in the examined region. The Weibull model was observed to be the most suitable model to estimate tsunami recurrence in the region. The sample mean intervals of occurrences of tsunamis with intensity I ≥ 2.0 and I ≥ 3.0 were calculated for the observed data as well as for the Weibull, gamma and lognormal models. The estimated cumulative and conditional probabilities in the whole Indian Ocean region show recurrence periods of about 27–30 years (2033–2036) and 35–36 years (2039–2040) for tsunami intensities I ≥ 2.0 and I ≥ 3.0, respectively, while it is about 31–35 years (2037–2041) and 41–42 years (2045–2046) for a tsunami of intensity I ≥ 2.0 and I ≥ 3.0, respectively, in the ASJ region. A high probability (>0.9) of occurrence of large tsunamis with I ≥ 2.0 in the next 30–40 years in the Indian Ocean region was revealed.     

Constraints on the dynamics of subglacial basalt eruptions from geological and geochemical observations at Kverkfjöll, NE-Iceland

The Kverkfjöll area, NE Iceland is characterised by subglacial basalt pillow lavas erupted under thick ice during the last major glaciation in Iceland. The water contents of slightly vesiculated glassy rims of pillows in six localities range from 0.85±0.03 to 1.04±0.03 wt %. The water content measurements allow the ice thickness to be estimated at between 1.2 and 1.6 km, with the range reflecting the uncertainty in the CO₂ and water contents of the melt. The upper estimates agree with other observations and models that the ice thickness in the centre of Iceland was 1.5–2.0 km at the time of the last glacial maximum. Many of the pillows in the Kverkfjöll area are characterised by vesiculated cores (40–60% vesicles) surrounded by a thick outer zone of moderately vesicular basalt (15–20% vesicles). The core contains ～1 mm diameter spherical vesicles distributed uniformly. This observation suggests a sudden decompression and vesiculation of the still molten core followed by rapid cooling. The cores are attributed to a jökulhlaup in which melt water created by the eruption is suddenly released reducing the environmental pressure. Mass balance and solubility relationships for water allow a pressure decrease to be calculated from the observed change of vesicularity of between 4.4 and 4.7 MPa depressurization equivalent to a drop in the water level in the range 440–470 m. Consideration of the thickness of solid crust around the molten cores at the time of the jökulhlaup indicates an interval of 1–3 days between pillow emplacement and the jökulhlaup. Upper limits for ice melting rates of order 10^?3 m/s are indicated. This interpretation suggests that jökulhlaups can reactivate eruptions.     

Shear modulus and Q of forsterite and dunite near partial melting from forced-oscillation experiments

An apparatus designed to determine the complex shear modulus of rock samples by forced torsion oscillations at high temperature and in the seismic frequency band 0.003–30 Hz is briefly described. Measurements were performed on natural dunite from Åheim (Norway) up to 1400°C and on polycrystalline forsterite up to 1500°C at 1 atm pressure. The two materials were chosen to study, by comparison, the effect of melt on the elasticity and anelasticity of mantle rocks.Between 1000 and 1200°C the absolute values of the shear modulus G are almost equal for both materials. Above 1200°C G for natural dunite decreases progressively with temperature and at 1400°C and 1 Hz reaches $\text{～}\text{1}\text{3}$ of its value at 1100°C. In contrast, G of pure forsterite depends little on temperature. For petrological reasons, supported by simultaneous measurements of the electric resistivity, there is strong evidence that the decrease of G in dunite above 1200°C is due to melt from the lower melting components of the dunite. Based on different models estimates of the melt fraction are made.At high temperature, in both materials Q^?1 is characterized by a monotonic decrease with frequency according to ω^?α, with α ≈ 0.25. An apparent activation energy of 38±5 kcal mol^?1 for forsterite and 48±8 kcal mol^?1 for dunite was found with no significant change in the regime of partial melting. From this it is concluded that Q^?1, even at partial melting, is dominated by solid state high temperature background absorption. There is no indication from these experiments for a constant-Q-band at low seismic frequencies or an increase of Q proportional to frequency as suggested by some seismologists. The present results are in good qualitative agreement with those for Young's modulus obtained previously by strain retardation experiments.     

Studies of aerosol optical depth with the use of Microtops II sun photometers and MODIS detectors in coastal areas of the Baltic Sea

In this paper we describe the results of a research campaign dedicated to the studies of aerosol optical properties in different regions of both the open Baltic Sea and its coastal areas. During the campaign we carried out simultaneous measurements of aerosol optical depth at 4 stations with the use of the hand-held Microtops II sun photometers. The studies were complemented with aerosol data provided by the MODIS. In order to obtain the full picture of aerosol situation over the study area, we added to our analyses the air mass back-trajectories at various altitudes as well as wind fields. Such complex information facilitated proper conclusions regarding aerosol optical depth and Ångström exponent for the four locations and discussion of the changes of aerosol properties with distance and with changes of meteorological factors. We also show that the Microtops II sun photometers are reliable instruments for field campaigns. They are easy to operate and provide good quality results.     

The hydrological significance of mountains: a regional case study,the Ebro River basin,northeast Iberian Peninsula

Abstract

This study evaluated the hydrological significance of mountain regions, comparing them with the lowlands of the Ebro River basin (northeast Iberian Peninsula). It was based on records obtained from measuring stations. An altitude of 1000 m above mean sea level was adopted as the criterion for distinguishing between lowland and mountain areas. We analysed 12 sub-basins whose rivers flow directly into the River Ebro, and which covered 66% of the total surface area, 91% of the mountain area and accounted for 77% of total annual runoff. For the River Ebro basin, we found that the mean precipitation depth, the runoff volume per unit of surface area, and the runoff coefficient were all greater in the mountains than in the adjacent lowlands, with respective differences of 70%, 180% and 60%. These results and the particular fragility of the Mediterranean mountain ecosystems confirm the mountain regions of the Ebro basin as strategic zones for hydrological and territorial planning.

Citation López, R. & Justribó, C. (2010) The hydrological significance of mountains: a regional case study, the Ebro River basin, northeast Iberian Peninsula. Hydrol. Sci. J. 55(2), 223–233.     

Mantle Attenuation Estimated from Regional and Teleseismic P-waves of Deep Earthquakes and Surface Explosions

We estimated the network-averaged mantle attenuation t*(total) of 0.5 s beneath the North Korea test site (NKTS) by use of P-wave spectra and normalized spectral stacks from the 25 May 2009 declared nuclear test (mb 4.5; IDC). This value was checked using P-waves from seven deep (580–600 km) earthquakes (4.8 < M _w < 5.5) in the Jilin-Heilongjiang, China region that borders with Russia and North Korea. These earthquakes are 200–300 km from the NKTS, within 200 km of the Global Seismic Network seismic station in Mudanjiang, China (MDJ) and the International Monitoring System primary arrays at Ussuriysk, Russia (USRK) and Wonju, Republic of Korea (KSRS). With the deep earthquakes, we split the t*(total) ray path into two segments: a t*(u), that represents the attenuation of the up-going ray from the deep hypocenters to the local-regional receivers, and t*(d), that represents the attenuation along the down-going ray to teleseismic receivers. The sum of t*(u) and t*(d) should be equal to t*(total), because they both share coincident ray paths. We estimated the upper-mantle attenuation t*(u) of 0.1 s at stations MDJ, USRK, and KSRS from individual and stacks of normalized P-wave spectra. We then estimated the average lower-mantle attenuation t*(d) of 0.4 s using stacked teleseismic P-wave spectra. We finally estimated a network average t*(total) of 0.5 s from the stacked teleseismic P-wave spectra from the 2009 nuclear test, which confirms the equality with the sum of t*(u) and t*(d). We included constraints on seismic moment, depth, and radiation pattern by using results from a moment tensor analysis and corner frequencies from modeling of P-wave spectra recorded at local distances. We also avoided finite-faulting effects by excluding earthquakes with complex source time functions. We assumed ω² source models for earthquakes and explosions. The mantle attenuation beneath the NKTS is clearly different when compared with the network-averaged t* of 0.75 s for the western US and is similar to values of approximately 0.5 s for the Semipalatinsk test site within the 0.5–2 Hz range.     

Estimation of vertical water and heat fluxes in the semi-confined aquifers in tokyo metropolitan area,japan

Groundwater circulation is known to be one of the agents responsible for the redistribution of geothermal energy by acting as a source or sink in the course of its movement through porous media. Heat transport in groundwater systems is considered to be a coupled process and the theory based on this was used to analyse temperature profiles of 30 thermally stable observation wells in a deep, semi-confined aquifer system in the Tokyo Metropolitan area. Vertical water fluxes in the semi-confined aquifers and the associated upward heat fluxes were estimated from a heat flux equation that describes convection and conduction processes of heat transport in one dimension. The vertical downward water fluxes in Shitamachi lowland, Musashino and Tachikawa terraces were 0.69.26.91 × 10^?9, 1.46-70.92 × 10^?9 and 2.61.2204 × 10^?9 m/s, respectively. A vertical upward water flux of 1.80-33.60 × 10^?9 m/s was estimated in Shitamachi lowland. The water flux generally decreased with increasing depth for observation wells which intercepted more than one semi-confining layer. The estimated upward heat fluxes for Shitamachi lowland, Musashino and Tachikawa terraces were 0.32-1.12, 0.49-1.21 and 1.00-11.62 W/m², respectively. The heat flux was highest in Tachikawa terrace where a major fault, the Tachikawa fault, is located. Generally, the estimated heat flux was higher in the semi-confining layers than in the aquifers. Areas with heat sources and sinks as well as groundwater flow patterns in the semi-confined aquifers were revealed by heat flux and temperature distributions in the study area.     

Application of first-arrival tomography to characterize a quick clay landslide site in Southwest Sweden

First-arrival traveltime tomography was applied to high-resolution seismic data acquired over a known quick-clay landslide scar near the Göta River in southwest Sweden in order to reveal the geometry and physical properties of clay-related normally consolidated sediments. Investigated area proved to be a challenging environment for tomographic imaging because of large P-wave velocity variations, ranging from 500 to 6000 m/s, and relatively steeply-dipping bedrock. Despite these challenges, P-wave velocity models were obtained down to ca. 150 m for two key 2D seismic profiles (each about 500-m long) intersecting over the landslide scar. The models portrait the sandwich-like structure of marine clays and coarse-grained consolidated sediments, but the estimated resolution (20 m) is too small to distinguish thin layers within this structure. Modelled velocity structures match well the results of reflection seismic processing and resistivity tomography available along the same profiles.     

Simulation of Ground Motion from Strong Earthquakes of Kamchatka Region (1992–1993) at Rock and Soil Sites

To estimate the parameters of ground motion in future strong earthquakes, characteristics of radiation and propagation of seismic waves in the Kamchatka region were studied. Regional parameters of radiation and propagation of seismic waves were estimated by comparing simulations of earthquake records with data recorded by stations of the Kamchatka Strong Motion Network. Acceleration time histories of strong earthquakes (M _w = 6.8–7.5, depths 45–55 km) that occurred near the eastern coast of Kamchatka in 1992–1993 were simulated at rock and soil stations located at epicentral distances of 67–195 km. In these calculations, the source spectra and the estimates of frequency-dependent attenuation and geometrical spreading obtained earlier for Kamchatka were used. The local seismic-wave amplification was estimated based on shallow geophysical site investigations and deep crustal seismic explorations, and parameters defining the shapes of the waveforms, the duration, etc. were selected, showing the best-fit to the observations. The estimated parameters of radiation and propagation of seismic waves describe all the studied earthquakes well. Based on the waveforms of the acceleration time histories, models of slip distribution over the fault planes were constructed for the studied earthquakes. Station PET can be considered as a reference rock station having the minimum site effects. The intensity of ground motion at the other studied stations was higher than at PET due to the soil response or other effects, primarily topographic ones. At soil stations INS, AER, and DCH the parameters of soil profiles (homogeneous pyroclastic deposits) were estimated, and nonlinear models of their behavior in the strong motion were constructed. The obtained parameters of radiation and propagation of seismic waves and models of soil behavior can be used for forecasting ground motion in future strong earthquakes in Kamchatka.     

Characteristics of chemistry and stable isotopes in groundwater of Chaobai and Yongding River basin,North China Plain

To identify the groundwater flow system in the North China Plain, the chemical and stable isotopes of the groundwater and surface water were analysed along the Chaobai River and Yongding River basin. According to the field survey, the study area in the North China Plain was classified hydrogeologically into three parts: mountain, piedmont alluvial fan and lowland areas. The change of electrical conductance and pH values coincided with groundwater flow from mountain to lowland areas. The following groundwater types are recognized: Ca? HCO₃ and Ca? Mg? HCO₃ in mountain areas, Ca? Mg? HCO₃ and Na? K? HCO₃ in piedmont alluvial fan areas, and HCO₃? Na in lowland areas. The stable isotope distribution of groundwater in the study area also has a good corresponding relation with other chemical characteristics. Stable isotope signatures reveal a major recharge from precipitation and surface water in the mountain areas. Chemical and stable isotope analysis data suggest that mountain and piedmont alluvial fan areas were the major recharge zones and the lowland areas belong to the main discharge zone. Precipitation and surface water were the major sources for groundwater in the North China Plain. Stable isotopic enrichment of groundwater near the dam area in front of the piedmont alluvial fan areas shows that the dam water infiltrated to the ground after evaporation. As a result, from the stable isotope analysis, isotope value of groundwater tends to deplete from sea level (horizontal ground surface) to both top of the mountain and the bottom of the lowland areas in symmetrically. This suggests that groundwater in the study area is controlled by the altitude effect. Shallow groundwater in the study area belongs to the local flow system and deep groundwater part of the regional flow system. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The crystal chemistry of armalcolites from Apollo 17*

X-ray single-crystal studies have been made of armalcolites from the 2–5-mm fraction of Apollo 17 soils 75082 and 78502. Two types of armalcolite, “ortho” and “para” have previously been distinguished on the basis of optical properties and crystal habit in the Apollo 17 samples. “Ortho”-armalcolite has the space group of pseudobrookite, Bbmm, and has cell dimensions: a = 9.743 (5); b = 10.001 (5); and c = 3.728 (2)Å. The crystal structure, refined from 582 symmetry-independent intensities, is ordered with Ti in the site with m symmetry and Mg and Fe in the site with mm symmetry. “Para”-armalcolite has space group Bbmm, cell dimensions: a = 9.712 (20), b = 9.997 (20), and c 3.735 (8)Å; and is structurally identical with “ortho”-armalcolite. The two crystals studied are similar but not identical in composition, but the slight compositional differences and identical structures do not warrant the use of separate mineral names.     

Field observations,rheological testing and numerical modelling of a debris‐flow event

Debris flows generated from landslides are common processes and represent a severe hazard in mountain regions due to their high mobility and impact energy. We investigate the dynamics and the rheological properties of a 90 000 m³ debris‐flow event triggered by a rapid regressive landslide with high water content. Field evidence revealed a maximum flow depth of 7–8 m, with an estimated peak discharge of 350–400 m³ s^?1. Depositional evidence and grain‐size distribution of the debris pose the debris flow in an intermediate condition between the fluid‐mud and grain‐flow behaviour. The debris‐flow material has silt–clay content up to 15 per cent. The rheological behaviour of the finer matrix was directly assessed with the ball measuring system. The measurements, performed on two samples at 45–63 per cent in sediment concentration by volume, gave values of 3·5–577 Pa for the yield strength, and 0·6–27·9 Pa s for the viscosity. Based on field evidence, we have empirically estimated the yield strength and viscosity ranging between 4000 ± 200 Pa, and 108–134 Pa s, respectively. We used the Flo‐2D code to replicate the debris‐flow event. We applied the model with rheological properties estimated by means of direct measurements and back‐analyses. The results of these models show that the rheological behaviour of a debris‐flow mass containing coarse clasts can not be assessed solely on the contribution of the finer matrix and thus neglecting the effects of direct grain contacts. For debris flows composed by a significant number of coarse clasts a back‐analysis estimation of the rheological parameters is necessary to replicate satisfactorily the depositional extent of debris flows. In these cases, the back‐estimated coefficients do not adequately describe the rheological properties of the debris flow. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Roundhouse (RND) Mountain Top Research Site: Measurements and Uncertainties for Winter Alpine Weather Conditions

The objective of this work is to better understand and summarize the mountain meteorological observations collected during the Science of Nowcasting Winter Weather for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics and Paralympics (SNOW-V10) project that was supported by the Fog Remote Sensing and Modeling (FRAM) project. The Roundhouse (RND) meteorological station was located 1,856 m above sea level that is subject to the winter extreme weather conditions. Below this site, there were three additional observation sites at 1,640, 1,320, and 774 m. These four stations provided some or all the following measurements at 1 min resolution: precipitation rate (PR) and amount, cloud/fog microphysics, 3D wind speed (horizontal wind speed, U _h; vertical air velocity, w _a), visibility (Vis), infrared (IR) and shortwave (SW) radiative fluxes, temperature (T) and relative humidity with respect to water (RH_w), and aerosol observations. In this work, comparisons are made to assess the uncertainties and variability for the measurements of Vis, RH_w, T, PR, and wind for various winter weather conditions. The ground-based cloud imaging probe (GCIP) measurements of snow particles using a profiling microwave radiometer (PMWR) data have also been shown to assess the icing conditions. Overall, the conclusions suggest that uncertainties in the measurements of Vis, PR, T, and RH can be as large as 50, >60, 50, and >20 %, respectively, and these numbers may increase depending on U _h, T, Vis, and PR magnitude. Variability of observations along the Whistler Mountain slope (~500 m) suggested that to verify the models, model space resolution should be better than 100 m and time scales better than 1 min. It is also concluded that differences between observed and model based parameters are strongly related to a model’s capability of accurate prediction of liquid water content (LWC), PR, and RH_w over complex topography.