Status reports of the MAP Working Groups

Table 2       List of MAP Working Groups with chair or contact persons.

FORM  

The group chaired by Hans Richner and Reinhold Steinacker consists of approximately 20 members from following institutions: 

•        CNRM Toulouse, F

•        ETH Zurich, CH

•        IMG Vienna, A

•        IMK Karlsruhe, D

•        LA Lannemezan, F

•        LMD Palaiseau, F

•        Meteo Suisse Zurich and Payerne, CH

•        Obs. Neuchatel, CH

•        PSI Villigen, CH

•        UIV Bregenz, A

•        ZAMG Vienna, A

•        1st Meeting in Lochau, A, February 2000

•        2nd Meeting in Charmey, CH, October 2000

•        3rd Meeting held in Vienna, A, April 2001

•        4th Meeting scheduled in CH (Rhine Valley), November 8/9, 2001

•        5th Meeting scheduled in F, Spring 2002

GAP  

Numerical Modelling  

The working group on Numerical Modelling decided to un­dertake an intercomparison exercise focused on the IOP2b situation aiming i) to assess and compare different high- resolution precipitation forecasts on the Lago Maggiore Target Area and ii) to evaluate their potential for improving flood forecasting. Six different non hydrostatic models (BOLAM, COAMPS, LM, MC2, MM5, Meso-NH) will be run using a common simulation protocole (horizontal reso­lution as close as possible to 2km, initial and boundary conditions taken from operational ECMWF analysis, 30- hour forecast starting on Sep 19,, 1200UTC, …). The model outputs will be made available on the MDC (in the format defined for the RAPHAEL EU project) and will be used as input for one and possibly two hydrological models. In addition, specific validation products will be defined with the help of the radar groups working on this situation. MAP-SOP model intercomparison (A. Buzzi) The Dept. of Physics of the Uni Genova group has undertaken a systematic model intercomparison of models that were run during the MAP SOP (see presentation of Arena et al. at MAP 2001). So raf, model data were processed for the following models for precipitation (6-12h) only: ECMWF, LM, BOLAM, SM, MC2. They are looking forward to re­ceiving precip model output from other models, e.g. COAMPS, ALADIN, MM5, LAMBO, … The work will be repeated using updated MDC precip data, and applying more scores, also following any suggestion from the MAP community about best scores and best procedures to be applied. 

Gravitiy wave breaking  

There are four main groups working in the subject area of mountain forced gravity waves from the MAP-SOP. These are from Yale University, USA (led by Ron Smith), from NRL, Monterey, USA (Jim Doyle), from DLR, Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany (led by Hans Volkert) and from the Met Office, UK (led by Adrian Broad). The working group has highlighted 3 IOP’s from the SOP for in-depth investi­gation: i) IOP2b - large amplitude trapped lee waves over Austria, ii) IOP13 - moderate amplitude lee waves over Mt Blanc, and iii) IOP15 - trapped lee waves and upwardly propagating longer waves over Monte Rosa.Linear and non-linear numerical models (Smith linear model and COAMPS) are being used, in conjunction with aircraft observational data, to investigate the complex dy­namics involved in these cases. The linear model has been adapted to include an absorption factor at the bottom boundary in an attempt to represent the effect of the atmos­pheric boundary layer. Scientifically the working group aims to advance understanding of 3D mountain gravity waves from systematic analysis of the exceptional MAP- SOP observational dataset. Two further issues are of prime interest. Firstly to explore the predictability of mesoscale features such as non-hydrostatic gravity waves with very high resolution numerical models. Secondly there is an aim to utilize the observations and high resolution modeling studies to compare against, and improve, current subgridscale orographic parametrization schemes in NWP forecast models. A particular issue to address is the partitioning be­tween partially resolved features and unresolved features which need parametrization. Systematic study of this parti­tioning is required as NWP model horizontal resolution in­creases, both in global and limited area models. Achievements to date have been an examination of IOP13 which has led to an appreciation of how the atmospheric boundary layer can modulate gravity wave amplitude and activity in high mountainous terrain. There are indications from IOP2b that the boundary layer is also playing a role in interacting with the gravity lee wave field in this case. Fur­ther investigations are on going in all cases. 

PV-Banners 

The PV-Banner Working Group met during the MAP2001 meeting in Schliersee, Bavaria. The items below summarize the MAP PV cases and research projects. PV Cases be­ing studied from MAP are:

•        IOP 4-Mistral

•        IOP 8-Bavaria

•        IOP 15- Mistral

•        IOP 15- Po Valley

•        IOP 15 -Bora

A partial list of research groups is given in . The additional issues discussed by the Working Group included:

•        The quality of aircraft in situ data

•        Model intercomparisons

•        Email communications of progress and problems

•        Coordinated publications

•        Future overview paper on PV-Banners

•        WG meeting in park City

•        Leadership of the WG (V. Grubisic and C. Schär)

Table1 Partial list of research groups contributing in the WG PV banners.

Hydrological models (R.Ranzi)

Now the Technical Report on the experiments of hydrological interest (P3) in the Lago Maggiore Target Area is ready. The papers, indicated below, will soon be ready also as pdf files at the WG site http://www.ing.unibs.it/~dic- segr/maphyd.htm. The Report - each paper was revised by one reviewer, in most cases anonymous - aims at providing a description on when, where and how the measurements or the numerical experiments were conducted. This is a necessary and non sufficient condition for a successful sci­entific experiment, in the Galileo’s concept[1].

Sometimes on papers on scientific journals there is not sufficient space to describe the experiments in detail and our collection of papers, maybe not yet at a ‘top’ level, might help in better understanding how they are framed in the MAP-SOP experiment. The WG-HYD has been asked by the WG-NM to run hydrological models (WATFLOOD and DIMOSOP implemented at the time of the SOP and, maybe, others) forced by mesoscale models for the IOP-2 with the aim ‘to provide a quantitative assessment of high- resolution model capabilities in term of rain (and eventu­ally flood) forecasting …’. In the group we will hope to find the resources to contribute to this experiment.

Hydrological aspects in the Mesoscale Alpine Programme- SOP experiment, Technical Report of the Department of Civile Engineering of the University of Brescia, Nr. 10, 2000, Brescia, May 2000, Edited by R. Ranzi and B. Bacchi

1. Ranzi, R., Hydrological aspects in the Mesoscale Alpine Programme-SOP experiment: an overview.

2. Zappa M., Matzinger N., Gurtz J., Hydrological and Me­teorological Measurements at Claro (CH)- Lago Maggiore Target Area in the MAP-SOP 1999 RIVIERA experiment including first evaluation.

3. Falappi L., S. Barontini, A. Clerici, G. Grossi, E. Sa­voldi, R. Ranzi, Field and laboratory soil measurements in the Toce Valley (Italy), during the MAP-SOP 1999 TOCEX experiment.

4. Paloscia, S., G. Macelloni, P. Pampaloni, E. Santi, R. Ruisi Monitoring of soil moisture and vegetation biomass in the Toce Valley (Italy) by using micorwave radiometry.

5. Menziani M., S. Pugnaghi, S. Vincenzi, L. Pilan, Soil Moisture TDR Measurements at Pallanzeno - Lago Maggiore Target Area in the MAP-SOP 1999 TOCEX experi­ment.

6. Eccel, L. Sicher, Toller, G., The field and laboratory measurements of soil hydraulic properties in the MAP- SOP 1999 TOCEX experiment.

7. Obled, Ch. and A. Djerboua, Quantitative precipitation forecasts: a real time exercise during the MAP experiment.

8. Grossi, G., B. Bacchi, F. Gagni, R. Ranzi, Hydrometeorological monitoring in the Toce valley in the MAP-SOP 1999 TOCEX experiment.

9. Kouwen N. and J. Innes, Coupled MC2-Watflood flood forecasting.

10. Montaldo, M., V. Toninelli, M. Mancini, J. D. Albert­son and P. A. Troch, Estimation of actual evapotranspiration and soil moisture in the Pieve Vergonte case study.
11. Tagliazucca, M., U. Giostra, L. Falappi, Measurements of turbulent fluxes in the surface layer in the Domodossola- Siberia site during the MAP-SOP 1999 TOCEX experiment. 

Upper-level PV-anomalies 

Work on PV-streamers is in progress at ETH/Zurich and DLR/Oberpfaffenhofen. The IOPs 15 and 17 of MAP-SOP are the key periods of interest. Recently a Diploma-thesis (ETH) and a PhD-thesis (DLR) were finished. At DLR DIAL data in combination with dropsonde data and numerical simulations (MESO-NH) are presently analyzed. Dur­ing the SOP of MAP it was planned to perform a validation of the DIAL instrument, however, this was not carried out. Therefore, on 28.03.01 an experiment was performed in order to validate humidity data remotely sensed by the DIAL. This was done in cooperation with ETH/Zurich. 

Planetary boundary layer 

The working group as such has not been very active in the last months, mainly because its destiny (establishing contacts, defining scientific tasks, preparing specific experiments) seems to be fulfilled. The scientists of WG-PBL have, according to their involvement in the various projects dispersed into many other working groups (FORM, TOCEX, Po valley, Riviera). At the moment WG-PBL exists as an address list, which can be activated if necessary. MR will coordinate this and - as a first occasion - will try to stimulate an extract from the (yet to be built) literature list of MAP publications with an emphasis on boundary layer issues in complex terrain. As far as the Riviera project is concerned, which probably forms the project that was most specifically devoted to the research issues of WG-PBL, large efforts were undertaken for the preparation of post processed data and the establish­ment of a so-called Meta Data Report. This can be found on the net (http://www.geo.umnw. ethz.ch/research/ map_riviera/index.html) and will — among other things — serve as a ‘read-me file’ for the data to appear at the MDC (data will be made available in short time). Besides data analysis, a number of mesoscale numerical models are be­ing used for the simulation of some of the R-IOPs (Riviera IOPs). As far as publications are concerned there is an overview paper for BAMS in its late stage of preparation. Also, some more technical papers are already in the review process. For 2002, a workshop organized by the Riviera community is planned, for which input from the other WG-PBL members will be sought.