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DEVELOPMENT OF VHF/UHF WINDPROFILERS AND VERTICAL SOUNDERS FOR USE IN EUROPEAN OBSERVING SYSTEMS

Objective

Improvement in wind measurement over Europe, to be used in numerical weather forecasts and for direct application, e.g. to aviation, is one of the components leading to better meteorological services to users.
COST 74 has shown the degree of interest in establishing a European VHF/UHF Radar wind profiler network. However, it has also shown more research to be required before reaching an operational phase. COST 76's main objective is to demonstrate the feasibility of assimilating into numerical weather models, of different temporal and spatial scales, the near-continuous stream of windprofiler data, and how to use them, locally, for monitoring and "nowcasting" purposes.
It should be noted that, so far as Europe is concerned, wind measurement is reasonably well covered. However, it is expensive to maintain such a network. The aim of this Action is to study the possibility of establishing a more economic system while realising the objective of having continuous measurement of wind.
Since the decision to establish this Action was taken, advances have been made in other techniques. The possibility, for the near future, of measuring temperature and humidity is now predictable and will also be studied during Action 76. This could lead to the replacement of part of the radiosounding network by a VHF/UHF Radar network and complementary measuring techniques.

Current status
On the basis of recommendations made by COST 74 and by the Technical Committee on Meteorology, the Committee of Senior Officials has supported the establishment of Action 76 to carry out studies and research required to facilitate the establishment of an operational VHF/UHF wind profiler network in Europe. Eight main topics have been identified :
Frequency allocation for wind profiler radars;
Research into algorithms and techniques;
Pre-operational data assessment;
User requirements and technical specifications;
Telecommunications and networking;
User guidelines and operator training;
Commercial exploitation of vertical sounding products;
Experimental and operator assessment.

The corresponding MoU has been signed by Denmark, Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Hungary, The Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Switzerland, Finland and United Kingdom and came into effect on 24 March 1994 for five years.
Three Working Groups have been established : WG1, on frequency allocation ; WG2, on scientific and technological aspects ; and WG3, on quality evaluation and data assimilation.
WG1 has the responsibility to ensure that the necessary frequencies will be allocated by the relevant authorities. Such attribution is a prerequisite for the establishment of the network. PTTs of participating countries, which are national representatives to the International Union for Telecommunications (ITU), have been approached to support meteorological requests. Studies and experiments have been carried out, in particular in Germany, France, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Austria and United Kingdom, in some cases in collaboration with industrial and/or Telecommunication Services, to show that wind profilers are not causing "pollution" outside the allocated frequency band. Representatives of the Action have presented results of such stud-ies/research to the Study Group set up by ITU to report on this problem. Co-ordination with the World Meteorological Organisation has been ensured. COST 76 contributed to the drafting of an input document on which decisions concerning frequency allocations will be based at the World Radio Conference in November 1997

WG2 has three main duties :
To provide a scientific and technical review of wind profiler technology, techniques, performance and applications, and of other complementary vertical sounding systems;
To identify main areas of research that serve the general objectives of COST Action 76;
To promote collaborative and intercomparison experiments, between laboratories of the participating countries, that would address those topics.

Work has started and co-operative projects are under consideration. A publication has been issued on meteorological parameters that can be measured by vertical remote sensing. A survey was made of European Atmospheric Profiling Systems, and one on possible experimental sites in Europe.
A bibliography is being prepared, on which a review on wind profiling will be based.
WG3, in charge of quality evaluation and data assimilation, is updating the economic study carried out in the frame of COST Action 74. Contacts are established to ensure good participation of experts in the field of data assimilation.
To demonstrate the flexibility of wind profiler data exchange and the usefulness of wind profiler data, the CWINDE '97 (COST Wind Initiative for a Network Demonstration in Europe) project will start on 1st January 1997, for a period of two months. A demonstration network was established, based on the available windprofilers in Europe, to exchange data in BUFR-Code. Data are archived in a database for studies on the usefulness of windprofilers. CWINDE co-operates closely with FASTEX.

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Last update: 5 March 2003

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Permalink: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/2226

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