Explore & Fly - global scientific research of gravity waves and associated turbulence

 

Expeditions (1999-2011)

- Argentina’99: Base San Martín de los Andes (Argentina); some flights above 1,000 km, a record flight (1,550 km) of Klaus Ohlmann up to Fireland (Rio Grande), the southernmost glider flight in the World

- Serres (France) & Jaca (Spain) 2003: Measurement flights of southerly wave conditions in Provence, additionally wave flights under stormy weather conditions in the Lee of Pyrenees

- Operation Mendoza 2006: Base Plumerillo (Argentina); Measurement Campaign at invitation of the Fuerza Aérea Argentina (Argentine Air Force), Flights with BATprobe up to 12,500 m height over the cordillera of the Tupungato-Aconcagua region. Measurments i.e. of turbulent kinetic energy, vertical momentum transport, vertical wind.

- Tibet 2010 site visit: Presentation of the MWP field campaign in Lhasa (China) and concerning a co-operation with the Chinese Academy of Sciences and their Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research. Exploration of emergency landing strips along the route Shigatse - Tingri .

 

A new challenge for the soaring world - aiRborne measurements over the TibetAN plateau

 

After two expeditions to the Andes the MWP Team is now in the process of planning a research mission to the Tibetan Plateau and the Himalayas. Objectives are going to be once more measurement of turbulence parameters in and above the highest valleys and mountains, vertical momentum transfer and the diurnal anabatic flow in the complex terrain. Investigation of ozone and carbon dioxide levels is also being considered.

   

From the view of atmospherically physics respective science at all the following facts concern Chinese Interests of the Tibetan area.

  • As the Tibetan Plateau is the only region on Earth, where the Planetary Boundary Layer  (PBL) often directly borders the Tropopause, one can expect that exchange processes between the Earth’s surface and the Stratosphere might be much more direct and intense than anywhere else on Earth. High-resolution measurements of the vertical transport of water vapour, trace gases and other quantities in that region are therefore extremely interesting and might lead to improvements of global exchange processes.
  • There are several surface energy balance station in operation on the Tibetan Plateau which measure the exchange of water vapour, CO2 and other constituents between the Earth’s surface and the lower atmosphere. These measurements would increase in significance greatly, if they could be linked into the Tropospheric/Stratospheric exchange by means of aircraft measurements.
  • As the Himalayan mountain range reaches into the high-wind levels (often even into the Jetstream niveau), they have a dramatic effect on flow patterns on a regional, but often even global scale. Due to its significance, this circulation has been modelled by many groups world-wide, but there is nearly no upper air verification data, apart from a very sparse radiosonde network. In particular the parameterisation of meso- and small-scale processes over the high mountains  will benefit greatly by an aircraft-based measurement campaign.

 

To our best knowledge, there have never been high-resolution aircraft-based scientific measurements of atmospheric parameters carried out over the Tibetan Plateau or the high mountains surrounding it. Therefore there are a multitude of scientific questions that would greatly benefit, if even a limited set of such measurements could be made. Therefore a great interest was developed by the MWP-members to focus their ambitions on a research campaign executed in the Himalayan and Transhimalayan Region and on the Tibetan Plateau in requested co-operation with the "Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research".

MWP- Xigaze 20XX

After a short presentation of the Mountain Wave Project at the Embassy of the P.R. China, MWP sent an offical letter of inquiry to the ambassador. In this letter MWP is asking for a study of orographic turbulence and a new MWP-expedition to Himalaya. Additionally several national institutes and universities was involved, which is assuring support of our project, giving advice to work out a memorandum of understanding with the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research in Lhasa which gave signs of high interest of sharing our results. Our MoU is in process now. We are looking forward to a close co-operation with the Chinese Academy of Sciences and their Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research.

Flight region for Field Experiment

Key support comes from the Stemme GmbH, manufacturer of high tech motorgliders, which makes one or two of its state of the art S10VT aircraft available as airborne research platforms and high performance (motor-)gliders. This aircraft has proven its capabilities in various research missions related to climatological and meteorological questions. Technical support for the aircraft will also be provided by Stemme GmbH. 

   Glacier monitoring  (i.e. Maderaner Valley/ Switzerland) flown with Riegl Q560 Laser Scanner (Hacker/ARA)                                                         

In summery the following items are of importance:

The successful conclusion of the MWP's Tibetan Campaign make possible:

  • Increasing of flight safety for civilian and military aviation,
  • Atmospheric measurements resulting in an improvement of  complex climate simulations,
  • Better understanding of ozone chemistry and carbon dioxide circulation,
  • Improvement of the parameterisation of impulsive transport of atmospheric dimensions at the tropospheric stratospheric crossing.

 

The MWP-waveforecasts (example-11/04/2010) show very often well developed wave systems along the requested flight region in the pre -monsoon season

Instrumentation

Aircraft parameters

- OXTS RT4003 IMU/GPS & Riegl LD90 laser altimeter

Standard atmospheric parameters

- BATprobe with FUST

- LiCor 7500 open-path IR-gas analyser

- MeteoLabor TP4 dewpoint mirror

This combination of sensors allows us to derive high resolution measurements of:

  • 3-dimensional wind vector
  • turbulence
  • turbulent fluxes (of sensible heat, latent heat (evaporation) and CO2)
  • vertical profiles of all parameters

 

First Site Visit - Lhasa 2010

Because of an invitation of the Chinese Academy of Science (CAS) a part of the mwp-team has been in Tibet in October 2010. Main topics were the key aspects of the common research missions on the Tibet Plateau, a lecture of the MWP-director Rene Heise at the Insitute of Tibetan Plateu Research in Lhasa and a fact finding tour from Xigaze to Tingri. The Team has found several emergency outlandings fields and got some impressions of anabatical flow systems. Due to a strong southwesterly upper airflow over the Himalayan they have been observed few rotor systems in the leeside of Mt. Everest.

 

           

 

In autumn 2011 MWP-director Rene Heise had some high level talks with the embassy and representatives concerning airspace clearance for airborne measurements. In planning are a field experiment and a mess campaign with daily cross- section airborne measurement-flights (two Stemme S10 VT) from XIGAZE (CHN) towards the Himalaya-Crest (Mt. Everest- Changtse- Shuguan Peak) in an altitude level between 4.000-13.500 m MSL. The beginning of the MWP- expedition is focused on springtime (essential diurnal visual flight conditions over the mountains) .

 

Informations about the last mwp- expeditions

 

MWP- Argentina '99 

  • see reports on the old version of mwp-website (www.mountain-wave-project.de)

 

Exploration of wave systems in the vicinity of volcano Lanin

Region of measurement flights

Measurement ot the potential temperature

 

MWP- Operation Mendoza 2006

  • see reports on the old version of mwp-website (www.mountain-wave-project.de)

 

Flights in mountain waves up to 12.500m

Low level flights in the lee of Aconcagua    Measurements of vertical wind - visualization of waves

Measurements of TKE and vertical wind       data evaluatiion - waveclimbs of MWP-flights

 

 

Flight optimization -last world records of Klaus Ohlmann over the Andes ( see also data evaluation)

List of publications

Heise, R. (2011) : Understanding Mountain Gravity Waves Helps Optimize Glider Flights over the Andes, ArcNews-Magazine, p.32, online-version

Heise, R. (2011) : Meteorological Calender 2011 ( back side Oct ), European Meteorological Society

Heise, R. (2010): Wellenaufwinde in Atmosphärenphysik und Extremsport, arcAktuell, 3/2010, S.14 ( online-article )

Knueppel, J. , Heise,R. (2010): Aviation Medicine - Mountain Wave Project, Aerospace Medical Association Meeting Phoenix (AZ),   Poster

MetPanel OSTIV (2009): Weather Forecasting for Soaring Flight, World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), No. 1038, 76 p. ( Info - Contents )

Heise, R., Herold, W-D. (2008) : Meteorological Calender 2008 (back side Febr), European Meteorological Society ( PDF-File )

Hacker, J. et.al. (2007): Measuring mountain waves and turbulence at up 12km altitude over the Andes in South America using an instrumented motorised glider, 14th National Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society (AMOS) Conference in ADELAIDE (AUSTRALIA), ( PDF-File )

Lindemann, C., Heise, R. , Herold, W-D.(2001): Leewaves in the Andes Region, Mountain Wave Project (MWP) of OSTIV, submitted to XXVII. OSTIV Congress, Mafikeng, South Africa, TECHNICAL SOARING, Vol. 32, number 3,  ( TS-article )

Heise, R. (2001): Orografische Turbulenz als Forschungsobjekt und sportliche Herausforderung, Mitteilungen der Deutschen Meteorologischen Gesellschaft, 3, p. 13-25 ( online- article )

Knueppel, J. (2000): Gliding Aviation Medicine, High Altitude Aspects and  Mountain Wave Project 1999, St. Martin de los Andes, Argentina, Poster, Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Luft- und Raumfahrtmedizin, Berlin, ( online-article )

Selection of lectures

Heise, R., Gens, A., Ohlmann, K. Ledderhos, C. (2011): Challenges of the Mountain Wave Project at Tibetan Plateau and the Himalayas, Aerospace Medical Association, 82nd Annual Scientific Meeting, Anchorage ( Abstract )

Heise, R., Ohlmann, K. (2011): In den Föhnstürmen über den Anden - mit dem Mountain Wave Project auf Forschungsmission und  Rekordjagd,                       6. ExtremWetterKongress, Hamburg ( EWC- Journal )

Heise, R., Hacker, J., Ultsch, A. (2011): How to obtain a large database of measurements on atmospheric gravity waves, American Geophysical Union Chapman Conference, Atmospheric Gravity Waves and Their Effects on General Circulation and Climate, Honolulu

Heise, R. (2010): MWP-Field Campaign Tibet, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Science, Lhasa 

Ultsch, A., Heise, R. (2010): Data Mining to Distinguish Wave from Thermal Climbs in Flight Data, 34th Annual Conference of the German Classification Society (GfKl), Karlsruhe

Heise, R. (2010): MWP - MTW and exploration of turbulence, NASA Dryden Flight Research Center , AFB Edwards

Heise, R. (2010): Where Wild Winds Rule, Federal Aviation Administration-Seminar, Mountain Wave Flying Training, Crystalair (CA) [ more... ]

Heise, R., Ohlmann, K. (2010): ON THE WINGS OF WAVE RESEARCH - about mwp-visions, missions and a 6-day adventure in the Zonda of the Andes, NCAR-UCAR Boulder [ Info ]

Heise, R. (2009): 10 Jahre Mountain Wave Project- ein Rückblick und Visionen, Festvortrag BWLV- Segelfliegertag 2009, Universität Stuttgart

Heise, R. (2009): STEMME S10 im Mountain Wave Project - in Grenzbereichen des Fliegens, Firmenjubiläum der STEMME AG ( PDF-Info )

Heise, R. (2009): Die numerische Modellierung und Simulation von Leewellensystemen - eine Kurzübersicht für Wellenflugpiloten (PDF );   Ansätze der Einbindung von empirischen Positionen des Systems Rotor-Welle, von Wellenvorhersagen und statistisch gefilterten Wellenaufwindbändern in einem Geographischen Informationssystem (GIS) (PDF ), Mittelgebirgswellen-Symposium, Inst. für Meteorologie und Klimatologie, Leibniz-Universität Hannover 

Hacker, J., Heise, R., Herold, W.-D., Ohlmann, K. (2008): Im Reich der wilden Winde - mit dem Mountain Wave Project auf Rekordjagd, Forschungsmission und Abenteuertrip am Rande der Stratosphäre, Internationale Luft- und Raumfahrtausstellung, Conference Center, Berlin (ILA-Pressrelease,  press article - Aerokurier )

Hacker, J. et.al. (2007): Measuring mountain waves and turbulence at up 12km altitude over the Andes in South America using an instrumented motorised glider, 14th National Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society (AMOS) Conference in ADELAIDE (AUSTRALIA), ( PDF-File )

Heise, R. (2007): Höhenforschungsflüge über dem ACONCAGUA- eine MWP Entdeckungsreise in die Stratosphäre, 66. Deutscher Segelfliegertag, Messezentrum Sinsheim ( impressions -photo I , photo II)

Herold, W-D., Heise, R. (2003): 15 m/s up - 4000ft down Im Segelflugzeug und Airbus durch Rotorwalzen und mountain waves, Lufthansa-Verkehrsfliegerschule, Bremen, (more...)

Herold, W-D., Heise, R. (2002):  Forschungslabor Segelflugzeug-  In den Föhnstürmen über den Anden, planeterde - 2002 jahr der geowissenschaften, Leipzig,  Multimediashow ( press article )

Ohlmann, K. (2001):  World records flights in a Stemme & News of  Mountain Wave Project, BGA -Conference, Nottingham (GBR)

Herold, W-D.(2000):  Surfing the waves over the Andes-  with a Stemme S10 and OSTIV 's  Mountain Wave Project in Argentina, SSA- Convention, Albuquerque, New Mexico (USA)

Academic support for pupil's work and degree dissertation

2009: two degree dissertations - Evaluation of measurement flights over the TUPUNGATO- ACONCAGUA region;  Identification of lee waves in logger files of soaring flights over the alps ( Philipp Ohrndorf; german; PDF )

Graefenstein, Helge (2007): Meteorologische und geographische Vorraussetzungen für einen 2000km-Zielflug mit dem Segelflugzeug, Facharbeit Gymnasium Oppenheim        ( PDF-File )