MétéoSuisse - Mesoscale Alpine Programme MAP

MeteoSwiss played an instrumental role in the planning and conduction of the Mesoscale Alpine Programme (MAP). This large international project was the first Research and Development program (RDP) of the World Weather Research Programme (WWRP) of WMO and aimed at investigating atmospheric processes over a major mountain chain: the ALPS.

The MAP Operations Center in Innsbruck (Photo NN)

Scientific projects of MAP

Eight scientific themes were investigated during MAP. These are

Orographic precipitation

Incident Upper-Tropospheric anomalies

Gravity wave braking

Hydrological processes

Gap flows

Foehn in the Rhine Valley (FORM)

Gravity Waves

PV banners

Boundary layers in complex terrain

Contribution of MeteoSwiss to MAP

Staff of MeteoSwiss was active in the design and preparation of MAP (see the MAP design proposal).

Binder und Schär (1996).pdf, 2.9 MB

Furthermore MeteoSwiss contributed through

Hosting the MAP programme office that was financed through the EUMETNET program MAP-NWS

Delegation of dedicated forecasters to the operations center (POC) in Innsbruck during the SOP

Contribution to the operational high-resolution NWP model to be used for operations decisions during the SOP.

Delegation of Peter Binder as Operations Director at the POC during the second half of the SOP

Many research activities, e.g. to FORM, operation of constant level balloons for trajectories over the alps, operation of a wind profiler deployed on a high alpine pass

Hosting the MAP data base after summer 2005.

Taking a leading role in the definition and design of the MAP Forecast Demonstration Project.

MAP: an instrumental success

During the decade 1995-2005 the MAP initiative provided an important motor for mountain meteorology and weather research. Four years of detailed planning (phase A) led to a broad field campaign over the European Alps during autumn 1999, the MAP special observing period (SOP or phase B). During the following years a large variety of studies synthesized the data collected during the SOP and used their findings for further research (phase C). While a number of solicited presentations at the ICAM-MAP conference highlight the scientific achievements made during the conduct of MAP, it is outlined here to how the overall success of MAP may be measured and which facets were conducive to it. It is assumed that some generalities can be distilled which may provide useful guidelines for future enterprises of a similar scope.

Hans Volkert, MAP chairman, in: The Mesoscale Alpine Programme (MAP): a Multi-fascetted Success Story, ICAM/MAP, Zadar, CR, May 23-27 2005.

MAP D-PHASE

The fourth and last phase of MAP is a Forecast Demonstration Project and is called MAP D-PHASE. This projects aims at demonstrating the benefits MAP brought for forecasting high impact weather in the alps. As a specific theme heavy precipitation and associated flooding events were chosen. The demonstration period will be summer/fall 2007.

Contact: Mathias Rotach

MAP - Mesoscale Alpine Programme

Scientific projects of MAP

Contribution of MeteoSwiss to MAP

MAP: an instrumental success

MAP D-PHASE