Expressions of Intent for IPY 2007-2008 Activities

Expression of Interest Details

PROPOSAL INFORMATION

Greenland Flow Distortion  (GFDex)

Outline
Greenland has a major influence on the atmospheric circulation of the North Atlantic-Western Europe region; dictating the location and strength of mesoscale weather systems around the coastal seas of Greenland and directly influencing synoptic-scale weather systems both locally and downstream over Europe. High winds associated with the local weather systems can induce large air-sea fluxes of heat, moisture and momentum in a region that is critical to the overturning of the thermohaline circulation and so play a key role in controlling the coupled atmosphere-ocean climate system. This project will investigate the role of Greenland in defining the structure and the predictability of both local and downstream weather systems, through a programme of aircraft-based observation and numerical modelling. The Greenland Flow Distortion Experiment (GFDex) will provide some of the first detailed in situ observations of the intense atmospheric forcing events that are thought to be important in modifying the ocean in this area (but are presently poorly understood): namely tip jets, barrier winds and mesoscale cyclones. It will also investigate Greenland’s role in atmospheric flow predictability by carrying out upstream observations that are “targeted” at investigating the sensitivity of the downstream flow to the details of the upstream flow and at improving subsequent forecasts over Europe. Numerical modelling case studies of the high-impact weather systems will be evaluated and refined using the observations, thus increasing our understanding of these systems and providing accurate fields of air-sea heat and moisture fluxes. Further numerical modelling will be used to assess any improvements in predictability from the additional observations.

What significant advance(s) in relation to the IPY themes and targets can be anticipated from this project?
Improve our understanding and ability to predict interactions between the atmospheric circulation and the topography of Greenland, both locally and downstream over Western Europe.· Obtain hitherto rare in situ observations of high-impact weather systems and their associated air-sea fluxes around Greenland and Iceland· Improve the numerical modelling of these weather systems and thus improving the quality of the atmospheric forcing fields that are essential for accurate atmosphere-ocean coupling and the thermohaline circulation. · Increase knowledge of the sensitivity of the large-scale downstream flow to the flow distortion caused by Greenland.

What international collaboration is involved in this project?
The project has investigators from the UK, Canada and the USA. It will form an integral part of the ASOF (Arctic-Subarctic Ocean Fluxes) Task 5 Process Study, an international programme.

FIELD ACTIVITY DETAILS

Geographical location(s) for the proposed field activities:
Aircraft-based meteorological observations off Cape Farewell, Greenland (between 45W to 30 W, 62N to 56S), along SE Greenland coast (between 73N, 15W and 60N, 40W), and east of Greenland (area bounded by 40W to 10W, 70N to 60N). All observations are likely to be over the sea.

Approximate timeframe(s) for proposed field activities:
Arctic: 02/07 – 03/07            
Antarctic: n/a

Significant facilities will be required for this project:
We have asked for 50 hours of flight time from the UK’s Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurement (FAAM), detached to Keflavik, Iceland. It is conceivable that the aircraft could be shared with other projects.

Will the project leave a legacy of infrastructure?
Only in that it will inform future meteorological observing strategies.

How is it envisaged that the required logistic support will be secured?
National agency
Other sources of support

A grant has been submitted to the UK’s NERC. The international project partners are submitting grants to national agencies during 2005.

Has the project been "endorsed" at a national or international level?
Informed this will occur after the 14 Jan deadline in the UK.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND STRUCTURE

Is the project a short-term expansion (over the IPY 2007-2008 timeframe) of an existing plan, programme or initiative or is it a new autonomous proposal?
No
This will be a component of the ASOF Task5 Process study and a component of the World Weather Research Programme’s THORPEX – a global programme aimed at accelerating the benefits of forecasting over periods of 1-14 days.

How will the project be organised and managed?
The UK part of the project will be managed by the NERC project PI, with help from the CoI. The overall ASOF Task 5 project is being run by the ASOF Task5 working group, of which the NERC project partners chair or are members.

What are the initial plans of the project for addressing the education, outreach and communication issues outlined in the Framework document?
Research results will be disseminated via international conferences and via high-quality scientific journals. In addition, information and results will be put on University and science community web sites. At the time of the field campaign, the UEA press office will publicise this event.

What are the initial plans of the project to address data management issues (as outlined in the Framework document)?
The PI will act as data manager for the GFDex observations, being responsible for their archiving at the BADC (the British Atmospheric Data Centre).

How is it proposed to fund the project?
The UK aircraft and modelling work will hopefully be funded by an NERC grant submitted on 1/12/2004. The international project partners will be seeking funds from their national agencies.

Is there additional information you wish to provide?
The project forms a key component of the programme of work proposed by a joint THORPEX/IPY initiative – see the THORPEX Implementation plan Chapter 10 (http://www.wmo.int/thorpex/ep_tip.html). Related work is being proposed in the EOI “Extreme winds in the Arctic region” lead by Erik Kolstad.

PROPOSER DETAILS

Dr Ian Renfrew
University of East Anglia
School of Environmental Sciences
University of East Anglia, Norwich
NR4 7TJ
UK

Tel: 44 (0) 1603 592557
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Other project members and their affiliation

Other Information