1. T-NAWDEX THORPEX - North Atlantic Waveguide
and Downstream Impact Experiment
Current Status - June 2011
Andreas Dörnbrack, Andreas Schäfler, Ulrich Corsmeier,
Heini Wernli
DLR Oberpfaffenhofen, ETH Zürich, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)

2. T-NAWDEX
Has been proposed by the THORPEX working group Predictability and Dynamical Processes for the European THORPEX Science Plan
Its overarching scientific goal is to investigate in detail the
physical processes that are primarily responsible for degradation in 1-7 day forecast skill in global prediction systems and of their representation in NWP models.
Planned for autumn 2012 as an international field experiment in conjunction with HYMEX - the Hydrological Cycle in the Mediterranean Experiment

3. Funded national activities exist in the UK & Germany/Switzerland:
T-NAWDEX will have
- experimental (international field experiment) and
theoretical/diagnostic/modeling
research components
which investigate the different phases of wave guide disturbances:
1) Triggering of wave guide disturbances by different dynamical processes
2) Downstream evolution of the disturbances along the wave guide
3) Downstream impact of wave guide disturbances over Europe and North Africa
Funded national activities exist in the UK & Germany/Switzerland:
DIAMET and PANDOWAE

4. T-NAWDEX (experimental part): Current Status
German HALO research aircraft is not accessible for our community in the next years for different reasons ... ;=(
Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IPA) arranged to keep the DLR FALCON research aircraft for the next years - opens the possibility to conduct field campaigns with THORPEX focus
interest at IPA, ETH Zürich and KIT triggered initiative to deploy FALCON in collaboration with DIAMET and/or HYMEX in 2012: "T-NAWDEX-Falcon"
scientific focus on water vapour transport and on cloud processes within weather systems involving condensation of water vapour and latent heat release and fluxes in the atmospheric boundary layer
instrumentation:
(a) water vapour lidar not available any more for the FALCON, wind lidar could be installed
(b) most probably: in-situ sensors to observe thermodynamic properties of the air and turbulent quantities plus dropsondes
(c) check the possibility of a tracer experiment for WCBs

5. T-NAWDEX (experimental part): Further Timeline
explore possibilities to access in-situ instruments and DLR resources for conducting a THORPEX field campaign (including a tracer experiment) in September-November (mid July 2011)
common project meeting involving KIT, ETH and DLR and interested external partners from DIAMET and HYMEX (autumn 2011)
science plan
EUFAR proposals for additional flight hours (interest by Uni Vienna and Croatian colleagues)
fine-tuning with DIAMET and HYMEX
big, transatlantic T-NAWDEX: discussion with US partners next weeks 5

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