1. Forecasting and Research: The Olympic Sochi Testbed
(FROST-2014)
Stéphane Bélair
Environment Canada
Based on documents and presentations prepared by
Dmitry Kiktev and
Michael Tsyrulnikov (from Roshydromet)

2. The Olympic region and venues

3. Filled circles – locations of AMS.
OBSERVATIONAL NETWORK
In situ: about 30 automatic
stations
Radars: Vaisala Doppler radar at Akhun, plus another radar at Adler airport, plus 5 new radar from an air traffic modernization in Russia (TBD)
Other instrumentation includes wind, temperature, and humidity profilers, several moored sea buoys, more frequent radiosondes, and a micro-rain vertically pointing radar
Mountain cluster
of sport venues
Doppler radar
Coastal cluster
of sport venues
Filled circles – locations of AMS.
50 km

4. International Participants
FROST-2014 KICKOFF MEETING (1-3 MARCH 2011 in SOCHI)
International
Participants

5. FROST-2014 RDP/FDP MAIN OBJECTIVES
Improve and exploit:
Improve understanding of physics of high impact weather phenomena in the region;
Deliver forecasts in real time to Olympic forecasters and decision makers and quantify benefits of forecast improvement.
mesoscale forecasts of meteorological conditions in complex terrain environment;
regional EPS forecast products;
nowcasts of high impact weather phenomena in complex terrain;

6. MESOSCALE RDP/FDP COMPONENT of FROST-2014
Timetable:
Pre-trial (winter 2011/2012); trial (winter 2012/2013); Olympics (winter 2013/2014)

7. DATA EXCHANGE PROTOCOL
Includes list of variables, frequency of outputs, format of files, ...
Verification plan presented by Pertti...

9. OTHER NEWS
Integrated FROST-2014 concept paper is being completed
Data from regional surface stations network now available on FROST server
Additional equipement (for visibility and cloud base) is being installed at Roshydromet stations this September.
Other surface stations are expected to be installed in December.
Delays with Doppler radar on Akhun mountain. Will be available only in winter 2012 / 2013.

10. CONCERNS, ISSUES, ...
Enough participants? Key participants missing?
Advertisement in international conferences, workshops (e.g., complex terrain, ICAM, ...)
Observational network sufficient for objective evaluation?
What about the data assimilation component?
Model intercomparison possible with current protocols?
Funding for some of the participants
More formal documentation will be needed (soon).

11. NOTES...
Include in the loop Jeanette, Matthias, Dale, Slobodan, and Tiziana
Contact the Koreans (with Dmitry) and maybe someone at the UK Met Office
Action to make things go forward (more final document, highlight the advantages of the experiment, try to attract new participants, more specific objectives from Russia and all the participants)
When is the next meeting?