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DOT/FAA/RD-94/5 Project Report ATC-212 Data Requirements for Ceiling and Visibility Products Development J. L. Keller 13 April 1994 Lincoln Laboratory MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS Prepared for the Federal Aviation Administration, Washington, D.C. 20591 This document is available to the public through the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, VA 22161 This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The United States Government assumes no liability for its contents or use thereof. TECHNICAL REPORT STANDARD TITLE PAGE 1. Report No. 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient's Catalog No. ATC-212 DOTfFAAJRD-94/5 4. TItle and Subtitle 5. Report Date 13 April 1994 Data Requirements for Ceiling and Visibility Products Development 6. Performing Organization Code 7. Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Report No. John L. Keller ATC-212 9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS) Lincoln Lahoratory, MIT P.O. Box 73 11. Contract or Grant No. Lexington, MA 02173-9108 DTFAO1-93-Z-02012 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address 13. Type of Report and Period Covered Department of Transportation Project Report Federal Aviation Administration Washington, DC 20591 14. Sponsoring Agency Code 15. Supplementary Notes This report is hased on studies performed at Lincoln Laboratory, a center for research operated hy Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The work was sponsored hy the Air Force under Contract Fl9628-90-C-0002. 16. Abstract The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Integrated Terminal Weather System (ITWS) is supporting the development of weather products important for air traffic control in the terminal area. These products will take advantage of new terminal area sensors, including Terminal Doppler Weather Radar (TDWR), Next Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD), and the Meteorological Data Collection and Reporting System (MDCRS). Some of these ITWS products will allow air traffic managers to anticipate significant short-term changes in ceiling and visibility. This report focuses on the scientific data requirements for supporting prototype model-system development and diagnostics. Model diagnostics can include case studies to determine the most important physical processes that were responsible for a particular ceiling and visibility "event," providing the insight necessary for the development of effective ceiling and visibility product algorithms. In time such case study diagnostics could also include careful off-line "failure analyses" that may affect the design of the operational system. General ceiling and visibility test beds are discussed. Updated reports will he released periodically as the ITWS ceiling and visibility project proceeds. 17. Key Words 18. Distribution Statement Terminal Weather Ceiling and Visibility This document is available to the puhlic through the Fog Stratus National Technical Information Service, Weather Sensors Nowcasting Springfield, VA 22161. 19. Security Classif. (of this report) 20. Security Classif. (of this page) 21. No. of Pages 22. Price Unclassified Unclassified 50 FORM DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized ABSTRACT The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Integrated Terminal Weather System (ITWS) is supporting the development of weather products important for air traffic con­ trol in the terminal area. These products will take advantage of new terminal area sensors, including Terminal Doppler Weather Radar (TDWR), Next Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD), and the Meteorological Data Collection and Reporting System (MOCRS). Some of these ITWS products will allow air traffic managers to anticipate significant short-term changes in ceiling and visibility (C&V). This report focuses on the scientific data requirements for supporting prototype model-system development and diagnostics. Model diagnostics can include case studies to determine the most important physical processes that were responsible for a particular C&V "event", providing the insight necessary for the development ofeffective C&V prod­ uct algorithms. In time, such case study diagnostics could also include careful off-line "failure analyses" that may affect the design of the operational system. General C&V data requirements, alternative data sources and candidate sensors for any eventual C&V test beds are discussed. Updated reports will be released periodically as the ITWS C&V proj­ ect proceeds. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS SectiOD Abstract iii List ofIDustrations V11 List ofTables ix I. INTRODUCTION 1 ll. PHENOMENOLOGY OF C&V DEGRADATION 3 DescriptioD ofPrimary C&V Phenomena at Candidate Sites 4 Mechanisms Responsible for Ameliorating C&V Conditions 7 ill. DATAELEMENTSRELEVANTTOC&VDEGRADATION 11 Soil-Vegetation Atmospheric Transfer (SVAT) Data 11 Vertical Atmospheric ProIDe Data 12 Static and Parameter Data 13 IV. KEY C&V DATA SET FUNCTIONS 15 Algorithm Development 15 Operational Prototype System Development 15 Sensitivity Analyses 15 Model-System Diagnostics 17 V. PossmLE DATA SOURCES FOR ITWS C&V PRODUCTS 19 Sensor Systems 19 Local Adaptation ofDatalSensor Systems 23 Alternative Data Sources 24 VI. SUMMARY 33 ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS 35 REFERENCES 37 APPENDIX: Other Institutions Developing Relevant Technologies 39 v LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Fipre 1. Stratocumulus formed by sea fog advecting over warmer land 8 surface. The vertical dew point and temperature profiles are indicated by Td and T, respectively. 2. Fog lifting process caused by shortwave radiation heating ofland 9 surface and subsurface heat conduction. 3. An example ofan eddy potential potential temperature flux 13 vertical profile calculated from the Oregon State University One-Dimensional PBL (OSUIDPBL) model. 4. Data flow diagram for a hypothetical C&V "model triad" system. 16 s. FOG-82 instrumentation and measurement system. 25 6. The Meteo France radiation fog test bed and surrounding regions. 26 7. STORM-FEST surface station locations shown for the NCAR 27 Portable Automated Mesonet (PAM), Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS), Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS), (HPCN) Dlinois Climate Network (lCN), High Plains Climate Network and the NOAA Forecast Systems Laboratory (FSL) networks. 8. STORM-FEST Upper Air Stations for the Inner Network. 29 vii LIST OF TABLES I.ahk ~ 1. Possible Ceiling and Visibility test bed sensors I platforms. 20 2. Current and planned operational terminal area dataI sensors. 20 3. Possible special-observation sensors for ITWS C&V product 21 support. 4. Possible C&V test bed sensors for product validation and 22 otT-line development. s. Possible SFO test bed sensor suite. 24 6. Sensors and data collected during two intensive observation 26 periods (lOP's) at the Meteo France primary radiation fog test bed site. 7. Summary ofSTORM·FEST surface data sets archived by the 28 National Climate Data Center (NCDC). 8. Summary ofadditional archived field program data sets under 30 consideration for use in C&V physical model development. ix I. INTRODUCTION As currently visualized, Integrated Tenninal Weather System (ITWS) Ceiling and Visibility (C&V) products will require the complex integration of a mesoscale model, in­ cluding four-dimensional data assimilation (4DDA) that will be part of an ITWS gridded analysis system, and a one-dimensional planetary boundary layer (IDPBL) "column" mod­ el. Real time data provided by these components of the model system will feed what is ex­ pected to be the third part of the triad: short-term statistical forecasts (Le., one hour 'nowcasts") ofphysically-based C&V products. The development of both physically-based C&V product algorithms and statistical nowcast techniques will require large amounts ofhigh quality data. In an ideal world, both the C&V algorithms and their supporting parts of the triad system would be developed si­ multaneously using a large, quality-controlled data set from a test bed that provides a pre­ cise three-dimensional description of cloud evolution and resulting C&V degradation. Such a test bed would provide data for statistical forecast model development and valida­ tion, while also providing maximum control of data quantity and quality. As well, due to the local nature ofthe phenomena responsible for C&V degradation, it might be necessary to operate more than one test bed. Each of these test beds, located near the airport center, would operate over a sufficient number of years to gather the quantity of data required for optimal tuning of the system. Other applications for a C&V test bed data (e.g., freezing rain, approach corridor winds, wake vortex advisory system support etc.) may provide a further justification for comprehensive test bed sensor suites. An attempt is made in this report to reconcile what data sets would be ideal with what may be sufficient for the development of C&V product algorithms. Since data from even the first of several possible test beds may not become available for several years, this report also discusses alternative data sources, including archived field experiment and real­ time data sets. The primary role of archived data sets will be to aid in development of the prototype 4DDAllDPBL components of an integrated model triad system. Archived data sets will also likely be investigated for use in statistical nowcast technique development. Any statistically-based nowcast technique developed using insufficient data, however, should be thoroughly tested before operational release. Before
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