9 radiosonde stations, 2 wind profilers, 4 Doppler sodars, 2 scintillometers, 1 scanning and 1 ba... more 9 radiosonde stations, 2 wind profilers, 4 Doppler sodars, 2 scintillometers, 1 scanning and 1 backscatter lidar and different research aircraft. This paper gives an overview of the objectives of FORM, describes the target area and its instrumentation, and provides a detailed synoptic description of the 12 foehn cases observed during the MAP SOP.
Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, 2007
This paper summarizes the findings of seven years of research on föhn conducted within the projec... more This paper summarizes the findings of seven years of research on föhn conducted within the project 'Föhn in the Rhine Valley during MAP' (FORM) of the Mesoscale Alpine Programme (MAP). It starts with a brief historical review of föhn research in the Alps, reaching back to the middle of the 19th century. Afterwards, it provides an overview of the experimental and numerical challenges identified before the MAP field experiment and summarizes the key findings made during MAP in observation, simulation and theory. We specifically address the role of the upstream and cross-Alpine flow structure on föhn at a local scale and the processes driving föhn propagation in the Rhine Valley. The crucial importance of interactions between the föhn and cold-air pools frequently filling the lower Rhine Valley is highlighted. In addition, the dynamics of a low-level flow splitting occurring at a valley bifurcation between the Rhine Valley and the Seez Valley are examined. The advances in numerical modelling and forecasting of föhn events in the Rhine Valley are also underlined. Finally, we discuss the main differences between föhn dynamics in the Rhine Valley area and in the Wipp/Inn Valley region and point out some open research questions needing further investigation.
This article examines how alternative rural funding scenarios might influence the pattern of func... more This article examines how alternative rural funding scenarios might influence the pattern of functional land types in mountain areas. The study aims were to explore the use of stakeholders to predict landscape change and to provide a future policy context for other papers in the Carbomont program. EU rural funding policies could have a strong influence on land use and landscapes in mountain areas. At eight sites across Europe, groups of local stakeholders were asked to compare the possible effects of three contrasting funding scenarios over an imagined period of 20 years on (1) the importance of the main landuse sectors; (2) the areas of the main land functional land types; and (3) the management of individual land types. Stakeholders also listed their interests in the area to help define the perspective of the group. The protocols used were ranking and scoring procedures that permitted quantification of changes and of the degree of consensus within the group. The scenarios were (1) continuation of current rural funding (status quo), (2) rapid reduction of farm income support (reduce support), and (3) increasing rural diversification funding (diversification). The eight countries sampled included five established EU members (UK, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain), two new accession members (Czeck Republic and Slovakia), and Switzerland. There were predicted to be widespread reductions in the importance of the agricultural sector across Europe and increases in the transport, built environment, and tourism sectors. In general, the status quo scenario was perceived to be unsatisfactory in various respects, reduce support was worse, but diversification offered opportunities for conservation and development of mountain communities and land use. Changes in the areas of land types would mainly involve loss of arable and grazing land and increases in scrub, and settlements. Some elements of the landscape such as most forests, mountain tops, and wetlands would, however, be little affected by any of the scenarios.
First results of the European project "ECOMONT" are presented. In a field campaign on M... more First results of the European project "ECOMONT" are presented. In a field campaign on Monte Bondone near Trento, Italy, fluxes of H20 and C02 above a composite ecosystem area were measured with scintillation anemometers and an instrumented aircraft. The turbulent fluxes from the aircraft data are discussed. The budget of the fluxes from the aircraft data is evaluated and compared
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions, 2004
The Alps represent the largest barrier to meridional air flow in Europe, strongly influencing the... more The Alps represent the largest barrier to meridional air flow in Europe, strongly influencing the weather and hence the distribution of atmospheric trace components. Here for the first time, chemical records from two ice cores retrieved from glaciers located in the northern and southern Swiss Alps were compared in conjunction with an analysis 5 of "weather type," in order to assess geographical and seasonal trends in the deposition of trace species and to identify source regions and transport patterns.
Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, 2006
The föhn/cold-pool interactions in the lower Alpine Rhine valley documented in the framework of t... more The föhn/cold-pool interactions in the lower Alpine Rhine valley documented in the framework of the Intensive Observing Period (IOP) 15 of the Mesoscale Alpine Programme (MAP) on 5 November 1999 are analysed. The present study focuses on the water vapour mixing ratio measurements acquired with the airborne differential absorption lidar LEANDRE 2 which enabled detailed documentation of the along-valley structure of the cold pool. LEANDRE 2 and microbarograph measurements revealed the presence of Kelvin-Helmholtz waves (KHW) at the top of the cold pool. The characteristics of the waves were different in the region of the coldpool leading edge (the southernmost part of the cold pool) and in the vicinity of the Bodensee (Lake Constance), further to the north. Gravity waves were also observed above the cold pool in the in situ aircraft data acquired in the vicinity of the Bodensee. The gravity waves are suspected to be triggered by the KHW at the top of the cold pool. We also investigate the respective role of the three known processes likely to control the structure of the cold pool and its erosion along the Rhine valley, namely (i) convection within the cold pool, (ii) turbulent erosion at the top of the cold pool due to the presence of KHW, and (iii) dynamic displacement of the cold pool by föhn air. The former two processes are likely not to play a role in the erosion of the cold pool observed in the course of this IOP. Finally, the temporal evolution of the heat budget advection term in the lower Rhine valley was investigated using temperature profiles derived from balloon soundings acquired at two sites which were overpassed by the cold-pool edge in the course of its displacement northwards during the early afternoon as the result of the action of the föhn, and then southwards in the late afternoon as the föhn weakened and cold air from the Bodensee area was filling the lower Rhine Valley.
Figure 1: FORM target area (a) with a zoom (b) on the region of interest at local scale. Red ital... more Figure 1: FORM target area (a) with a zoom (b) on the region of interest at local scale. Red italic (green) writing indicates names of cities (valleys). The straight lines indicate the scintillometer light beams.
Spectrochimica Acta Part B: Atomic Spectroscopy, 2008
The determination of trace element mass concentrations in ambient air with a time resolution high... more The determination of trace element mass concentrations in ambient air with a time resolution higher than one day represents an urgent need in atmospheric research. It involves the application of a specific technique both for the aerosol sampling and the subsequent analysis of the collected particles. Beside the intrinsic sensitivity of the analytical method, the sampling interval and thus the quantity of collected material that is available for subsequent analysis is a major factor driving the overall trace element detection power. This is demonstrated for synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (SR-XRF) of aerosol samples collected with a rotating drum impactor (RDI) in hourly intervals and three particle size ranges. The total aerosol mass on the 1-h samples is in the range of 10 µg. An experimental detection of the nanogram amounts of trace elements with the help of synchrotron X-rays was only achievable by the design of a fit-forpurpose sample holder system, which considered the boundary conditions both from particle sampling and analysis. A 6-µm polypropylene substrate film has evolved as substrate of choice, due to its practical applicability during sampling and its suitable spectroscopic behavior. In contrast to monochromatic excitation conditions, the application of a 'white' beam led to a better spectral signal-to-background ratio. Despite the low sample mass, a counting time of less than 30 s per 1-h aerosol sample led to sufficient counting statistics. Therefore the RDI-SR-XRF method represents a high-throughput analysis procedure without the need for any sample preparation. The analysis of a multielemental mass standard film by SR-XRF, laboratory-based wavelength-dispersive XRF spectrometry and laboratory-based micro XRF spectrometry showed that the laboratory-based methods were no alternatives to the SR-XRF method with respect to sensitivity and efficiency of analysis.
A severe bow-echo storm over northern Switzerland is investigated. Wind damage occurred along a t... more A severe bow-echo storm over northern Switzerland is investigated. Wind damage occurred along a track 15 km long and some 100 m wide. Damage data, meteorological data from a ground micronet, and Doppler radar data are analyzed. Volume-scan radar data in the direction of the approaching storm are available every 2.5 min.
The special issue presented here deals with the latest, 28th International Conference on Alpine M... more The special issue presented here deals with the latest, 28th International Conference on Alpine Meteorology, ICAM, which took place at the Eastern Adriatic coast, in Zadar, Croatia, from Monday 23rd through Friday 27 th of May 2005. In front of you is the first glance of the peer-review harvest after ICAM2005.
Rotating drum impactors (RDI) are cascade type impactors used for size and time resolved aerosol ... more Rotating drum impactors (RDI) are cascade type impactors used for size and time resolved aerosol sampling, mostly followed by spectrometric analysis of the deposited material. They are characterized by one rectangular nozzle per stage and are equipped with an automated stepping mechanism for the impaction wheels. An existing three-stage rotating drum impactor was modified, to obtain new midpoint cutoff diameters at 2.5 μm, 1 μm, and 0.1 μm, respectively. For RDI samples collected under ambient air conditions, information on the ...
The carbon balance of managed mountain ecosystems in Europe has been of primary interest during t... more The carbon balance of managed mountain ecosystems in Europe has been of primary interest during the European Union's Framework Research Programmes 4 (ECOMONT) and 5 (CARBOMONT). The current land use pattern found in the Alps and other mountain ranges in Europe is a result of historical developments and does no longer represent a pure economic benefit for society. However, the
Carbon dioxide and water vapour are the most important greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere... more Carbon dioxide and water vapour are the most important greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere. Their global budgets show large uncertainties even today because not all sources and sinks have been quantitatively well determined. This is especially true in mountain areas where measurements are sparse or often difficult to obtain. The EU project CARBOMONT seeks, among other goals, to quantify the
The exchange of trace gases between the atmosphere and the vegetation is an important lower bound... more The exchange of trace gases between the atmosphere and the vegetation is an important lower boundary condition for atmospheric budget calculations and climate modelling. The fluxes from the atmosphere into the plants and vice versa are still not well quantified because the partitioning of the fluxes requires complicated techniques and expensive instrumentation. The EU project CARBOMONT seeks to quantify the
Within the EU project CARBOMONT the carbon dioxide and water vapour budget as well as the energy ... more Within the EU project CARBOMONT the carbon dioxide and water vapour budget as well as the energy budgets over an Alpine grassland ecosystem are quantified. The goal of our continuous measurements of ecosystem fluxes can improve the understanding of the global carbon and water budgets. PSI has equipped a site at Rigi-Seebodenalp in Central Switzerland. The site is divided into
The burden of road dust re-suspension on urban air quality varies depending on several local fact... more The burden of road dust re-suspension on urban air quality varies depending on several local factors such as precipitation rate, vehicle fleets and state of pavement. In Mediterranean cities emissions from traffic re-suspension can be comparable or even higher than direct exhaust emissions while in central Europe precipitation helps in maintaining street cleaning, reducing re-suspension. Receptor models are useful tools
Mechanically produced abrasion particles and resuspension processes are responsible for a signifi... more Mechanically produced abrasion particles and resuspension processes are responsible for a significant part of the PM10 emissions of road traffic. However, specific differentiation between PM10 emissions due to abrasion and resuspension from road pavement is very difficult due to their similar elemental composition and highly correlated variation in time. In this work Mobile Load Simulators were used to estimate PM10 emission factors for pavement abrasion and resuspension on different pavement types for light and heavy duty vehicles.From the experiments it was derived that particle emissions due to abrasion from pavements in good condition are quite low in the range of only a few mg·km−1 per vehicle if quantifiable at all. Considerable abrasion emissions, however, can occur from damaged pavements. Resuspension of deposited dust can cause high and extremely variable particle emissions depending strongly on the dirt load of the road surface. Porous pavements seem to retain deposited du...
9 radiosonde stations, 2 wind profilers, 4 Doppler sodars, 2 scintillometers, 1 scanning and 1 ba... more 9 radiosonde stations, 2 wind profilers, 4 Doppler sodars, 2 scintillometers, 1 scanning and 1 backscatter lidar and different research aircraft. This paper gives an overview of the objectives of FORM, describes the target area and its instrumentation, and provides a detailed synoptic description of the 12 foehn cases observed during the MAP SOP.
Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, 2007
This paper summarizes the findings of seven years of research on föhn conducted within the projec... more This paper summarizes the findings of seven years of research on föhn conducted within the project 'Föhn in the Rhine Valley during MAP' (FORM) of the Mesoscale Alpine Programme (MAP). It starts with a brief historical review of föhn research in the Alps, reaching back to the middle of the 19th century. Afterwards, it provides an overview of the experimental and numerical challenges identified before the MAP field experiment and summarizes the key findings made during MAP in observation, simulation and theory. We specifically address the role of the upstream and cross-Alpine flow structure on föhn at a local scale and the processes driving föhn propagation in the Rhine Valley. The crucial importance of interactions between the föhn and cold-air pools frequently filling the lower Rhine Valley is highlighted. In addition, the dynamics of a low-level flow splitting occurring at a valley bifurcation between the Rhine Valley and the Seez Valley are examined. The advances in numerical modelling and forecasting of föhn events in the Rhine Valley are also underlined. Finally, we discuss the main differences between föhn dynamics in the Rhine Valley area and in the Wipp/Inn Valley region and point out some open research questions needing further investigation.
This article examines how alternative rural funding scenarios might influence the pattern of func... more This article examines how alternative rural funding scenarios might influence the pattern of functional land types in mountain areas. The study aims were to explore the use of stakeholders to predict landscape change and to provide a future policy context for other papers in the Carbomont program. EU rural funding policies could have a strong influence on land use and landscapes in mountain areas. At eight sites across Europe, groups of local stakeholders were asked to compare the possible effects of three contrasting funding scenarios over an imagined period of 20 years on (1) the importance of the main landuse sectors; (2) the areas of the main land functional land types; and (3) the management of individual land types. Stakeholders also listed their interests in the area to help define the perspective of the group. The protocols used were ranking and scoring procedures that permitted quantification of changes and of the degree of consensus within the group. The scenarios were (1) continuation of current rural funding (status quo), (2) rapid reduction of farm income support (reduce support), and (3) increasing rural diversification funding (diversification). The eight countries sampled included five established EU members (UK, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain), two new accession members (Czeck Republic and Slovakia), and Switzerland. There were predicted to be widespread reductions in the importance of the agricultural sector across Europe and increases in the transport, built environment, and tourism sectors. In general, the status quo scenario was perceived to be unsatisfactory in various respects, reduce support was worse, but diversification offered opportunities for conservation and development of mountain communities and land use. Changes in the areas of land types would mainly involve loss of arable and grazing land and increases in scrub, and settlements. Some elements of the landscape such as most forests, mountain tops, and wetlands would, however, be little affected by any of the scenarios.
First results of the European project "ECOMONT" are presented. In a field campaign on M... more First results of the European project "ECOMONT" are presented. In a field campaign on Monte Bondone near Trento, Italy, fluxes of H20 and C02 above a composite ecosystem area were measured with scintillation anemometers and an instrumented aircraft. The turbulent fluxes from the aircraft data are discussed. The budget of the fluxes from the aircraft data is evaluated and compared
Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions, 2004
The Alps represent the largest barrier to meridional air flow in Europe, strongly influencing the... more The Alps represent the largest barrier to meridional air flow in Europe, strongly influencing the weather and hence the distribution of atmospheric trace components. Here for the first time, chemical records from two ice cores retrieved from glaciers located in the northern and southern Swiss Alps were compared in conjunction with an analysis 5 of "weather type," in order to assess geographical and seasonal trends in the deposition of trace species and to identify source regions and transport patterns.
Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, 2006
The föhn/cold-pool interactions in the lower Alpine Rhine valley documented in the framework of t... more The föhn/cold-pool interactions in the lower Alpine Rhine valley documented in the framework of the Intensive Observing Period (IOP) 15 of the Mesoscale Alpine Programme (MAP) on 5 November 1999 are analysed. The present study focuses on the water vapour mixing ratio measurements acquired with the airborne differential absorption lidar LEANDRE 2 which enabled detailed documentation of the along-valley structure of the cold pool. LEANDRE 2 and microbarograph measurements revealed the presence of Kelvin-Helmholtz waves (KHW) at the top of the cold pool. The characteristics of the waves were different in the region of the coldpool leading edge (the southernmost part of the cold pool) and in the vicinity of the Bodensee (Lake Constance), further to the north. Gravity waves were also observed above the cold pool in the in situ aircraft data acquired in the vicinity of the Bodensee. The gravity waves are suspected to be triggered by the KHW at the top of the cold pool. We also investigate the respective role of the three known processes likely to control the structure of the cold pool and its erosion along the Rhine valley, namely (i) convection within the cold pool, (ii) turbulent erosion at the top of the cold pool due to the presence of KHW, and (iii) dynamic displacement of the cold pool by föhn air. The former two processes are likely not to play a role in the erosion of the cold pool observed in the course of this IOP. Finally, the temporal evolution of the heat budget advection term in the lower Rhine valley was investigated using temperature profiles derived from balloon soundings acquired at two sites which were overpassed by the cold-pool edge in the course of its displacement northwards during the early afternoon as the result of the action of the föhn, and then southwards in the late afternoon as the föhn weakened and cold air from the Bodensee area was filling the lower Rhine Valley.
Figure 1: FORM target area (a) with a zoom (b) on the region of interest at local scale. Red ital... more Figure 1: FORM target area (a) with a zoom (b) on the region of interest at local scale. Red italic (green) writing indicates names of cities (valleys). The straight lines indicate the scintillometer light beams.
Spectrochimica Acta Part B: Atomic Spectroscopy, 2008
The determination of trace element mass concentrations in ambient air with a time resolution high... more The determination of trace element mass concentrations in ambient air with a time resolution higher than one day represents an urgent need in atmospheric research. It involves the application of a specific technique both for the aerosol sampling and the subsequent analysis of the collected particles. Beside the intrinsic sensitivity of the analytical method, the sampling interval and thus the quantity of collected material that is available for subsequent analysis is a major factor driving the overall trace element detection power. This is demonstrated for synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (SR-XRF) of aerosol samples collected with a rotating drum impactor (RDI) in hourly intervals and three particle size ranges. The total aerosol mass on the 1-h samples is in the range of 10 µg. An experimental detection of the nanogram amounts of trace elements with the help of synchrotron X-rays was only achievable by the design of a fit-forpurpose sample holder system, which considered the boundary conditions both from particle sampling and analysis. A 6-µm polypropylene substrate film has evolved as substrate of choice, due to its practical applicability during sampling and its suitable spectroscopic behavior. In contrast to monochromatic excitation conditions, the application of a 'white' beam led to a better spectral signal-to-background ratio. Despite the low sample mass, a counting time of less than 30 s per 1-h aerosol sample led to sufficient counting statistics. Therefore the RDI-SR-XRF method represents a high-throughput analysis procedure without the need for any sample preparation. The analysis of a multielemental mass standard film by SR-XRF, laboratory-based wavelength-dispersive XRF spectrometry and laboratory-based micro XRF spectrometry showed that the laboratory-based methods were no alternatives to the SR-XRF method with respect to sensitivity and efficiency of analysis.
A severe bow-echo storm over northern Switzerland is investigated. Wind damage occurred along a t... more A severe bow-echo storm over northern Switzerland is investigated. Wind damage occurred along a track 15 km long and some 100 m wide. Damage data, meteorological data from a ground micronet, and Doppler radar data are analyzed. Volume-scan radar data in the direction of the approaching storm are available every 2.5 min.
The special issue presented here deals with the latest, 28th International Conference on Alpine M... more The special issue presented here deals with the latest, 28th International Conference on Alpine Meteorology, ICAM, which took place at the Eastern Adriatic coast, in Zadar, Croatia, from Monday 23rd through Friday 27 th of May 2005. In front of you is the first glance of the peer-review harvest after ICAM2005.
Rotating drum impactors (RDI) are cascade type impactors used for size and time resolved aerosol ... more Rotating drum impactors (RDI) are cascade type impactors used for size and time resolved aerosol sampling, mostly followed by spectrometric analysis of the deposited material. They are characterized by one rectangular nozzle per stage and are equipped with an automated stepping mechanism for the impaction wheels. An existing three-stage rotating drum impactor was modified, to obtain new midpoint cutoff diameters at 2.5 μm, 1 μm, and 0.1 μm, respectively. For RDI samples collected under ambient air conditions, information on the ...
The carbon balance of managed mountain ecosystems in Europe has been of primary interest during t... more The carbon balance of managed mountain ecosystems in Europe has been of primary interest during the European Union's Framework Research Programmes 4 (ECOMONT) and 5 (CARBOMONT). The current land use pattern found in the Alps and other mountain ranges in Europe is a result of historical developments and does no longer represent a pure economic benefit for society. However, the
Carbon dioxide and water vapour are the most important greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere... more Carbon dioxide and water vapour are the most important greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere. Their global budgets show large uncertainties even today because not all sources and sinks have been quantitatively well determined. This is especially true in mountain areas where measurements are sparse or often difficult to obtain. The EU project CARBOMONT seeks, among other goals, to quantify the
The exchange of trace gases between the atmosphere and the vegetation is an important lower bound... more The exchange of trace gases between the atmosphere and the vegetation is an important lower boundary condition for atmospheric budget calculations and climate modelling. The fluxes from the atmosphere into the plants and vice versa are still not well quantified because the partitioning of the fluxes requires complicated techniques and expensive instrumentation. The EU project CARBOMONT seeks to quantify the
Within the EU project CARBOMONT the carbon dioxide and water vapour budget as well as the energy ... more Within the EU project CARBOMONT the carbon dioxide and water vapour budget as well as the energy budgets over an Alpine grassland ecosystem are quantified. The goal of our continuous measurements of ecosystem fluxes can improve the understanding of the global carbon and water budgets. PSI has equipped a site at Rigi-Seebodenalp in Central Switzerland. The site is divided into
The burden of road dust re-suspension on urban air quality varies depending on several local fact... more The burden of road dust re-suspension on urban air quality varies depending on several local factors such as precipitation rate, vehicle fleets and state of pavement. In Mediterranean cities emissions from traffic re-suspension can be comparable or even higher than direct exhaust emissions while in central Europe precipitation helps in maintaining street cleaning, reducing re-suspension. Receptor models are useful tools
Mechanically produced abrasion particles and resuspension processes are responsible for a signifi... more Mechanically produced abrasion particles and resuspension processes are responsible for a significant part of the PM10 emissions of road traffic. However, specific differentiation between PM10 emissions due to abrasion and resuspension from road pavement is very difficult due to their similar elemental composition and highly correlated variation in time. In this work Mobile Load Simulators were used to estimate PM10 emission factors for pavement abrasion and resuspension on different pavement types for light and heavy duty vehicles.From the experiments it was derived that particle emissions due to abrasion from pavements in good condition are quite low in the range of only a few mg·km−1 per vehicle if quantifiable at all. Considerable abrasion emissions, however, can occur from damaged pavements. Resuspension of deposited dust can cause high and extremely variable particle emissions depending strongly on the dirt load of the road surface. Porous pavements seem to retain deposited du...
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