TEAMx-UIBK

PC22 took place in summer 2022, with measurement sites at Kolsass and surroundings, in the Weer Valley (Nafingalm), in Innsbruck, and at the exit of the Inn Valley near Kufstein and Brannenburg. The goals of PC22 were mainly to test (new) instruments and measurement sites for the TOC. Activities by the TEAMx-UIBK group included a lidar intercomparison study together with GeoSphere Austria, distributed temperatures sensing measurements, observations of the valley atmosphere in a small tributary valley together with DLR using AWS and temperature/humidity sensors, testing of a new Raman lidar by KIT and deployment of a co-located Doppler lidar. [UIBK PIs: A. Gohm, L. Pfister]

A measurement campaign will take place in summer 2023 at Hintereisferner to study the heterogeneity over the glacier surface and flow interactions between glaciated and non-glaciated areas. Measurements are planned with a turbulence tower equipped with sonic anemometers at multiple levels, thermal camera measurements, and UAVs. [UIBK PIs L. Nicholson, I. Stiperski]

As part of the ISM project, the Kolsass valley bottom site will be intensively investigated using Distributed Temperature Sensing and mini-sonic anemometers in winter 2023/24. These intense observations will be objectively analyzed using a new framework tailored to complex distributed data in order to understand the interactions between submeso structures and turbulence and the role complex terrain plays in modulating these interactions. [PI K. Lapo]

As part of the INTERFACE project to study the surface-energy balance in the Inn Valley and Adige Valley, UAV flights are planned at some of the i-Box sites by the project collaborators from EURAC to test UAV measurements and study the role of advection in the non-closure of the surface-energy budget. [UIBK PI M. Rotach]

As a part of the HighResMountains, two high-resolution data sets are compared - dynamically downscaled km-scale simulations versus ÖKS statistically downscaled i.e. bias adjusted data. The main goal is to assess how are extreme events, processes related to them and their changes with further warming, presented in these datasets. [PI: N. Ban]

As a part of the kmMountains project, COSMO simulations are performed with a horizontal grid spacing of 2.2 and 1.1 km over two mountainous regions for multi-decadal periods in the present and future climate. The main goal is to evaluate the performance of the high-resolution models over complex topography and assess how furter warming of the atmosphere will affect the mountain climate. [PI N. Ban]

As part of the ASTER project WRF simulations with a grid spacing of 1 km are performed for the Inn Valley to evaluate the impact of the land-use dataset, boundary-layer parameterizations, initial soil fields, and the model evaluation strategy on the model’s representation of the surface-energy balance and the valley atmosphere. [UIBK PI: M. Lehner]

A subgroup of the MoBL WG co-led by A. Gohm is performing an intercomparison of mesoscale models for a case study of thermally driven flows in the Inn Valley.

A subgroup of the MoBL WG led by M. Lehner is performing an intercomparison of mesoscale models for a case study of cold-air pool formation in the Inn Valley.

Several case studies at kilometer and hectometer resolution are performed within four Master’s theses supervised by A. Gohm to study the impact of model resolution, boundary layer parameterization and tributary valleys on the representation of MoBL processes.

As part of the SCHiRM project, building-resolving simulations will be conducted for the Innsbruck Atmospheric Observatory using PALM. Model output will be compared with observations and the model will be used to study the urban and orographic effects on atmospheric conditions in the city. Mesoscale model performance (including WRF with the multi-layer urban canopy parameterisation) will also be considered. [PI H. Ward]

As part of the Unicorn project, the group led by I. Stiperski will perform ultra-high resolution LES and DNS to examine the influence of complex terrain on turbulence characteristics and surface-exchange processes. [PI: I. Stiperski]

Machine learning approaches will be used together with the measurements during TOC, HEFEX II and high-resolution simulations, to study and develop parametrizations of surface-atmosphere exchange and general turbulence characteristics. [PI: I. Stiperski]

One of the major challenges in machine learning is data engineering and data-driven model discovery. Developing methods that objectively extracts useful features from complex data is the primary focus of the ISM project. [PI: K. Lapo]

ASTER is a collaborative research project between the University of Innsbruck, the University of Trento, and the University of Bolzano. The objective is to evaluate the performance of turbulence and land-surface parameterizations in a numerical weather prediction model over complex Alpine terrain and to quantify the model's sensitivity to potential errors in these parameterizations.

Funding: EGTC European Region Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino, Austrian Science Fund FWF - IPN 101-32.

UIBK PI: M. Lehner; People: G. Simonet, M. Rotach

Although the total global CH4 budget is relatively well understood, the contributions of individual sources to CH4 emissions are poorly constrained. Recent data for example suggest significantly higher emissions. In the project CH4IAO we study urban methane emissions based on direct eddy covariance measurements. Additionally, chemical tracers are measured allowing to obtain chemical fingerprints of urban CH4 sources. These measurements will provide a top down assessment of urban methane fluxes in the urban core of Innsbruck, and will help to improve our understanding of urban methane emissions. 

PI: Thomas Karl

The objective of this project is a detailed process-based understanding of the uptake of carbonyl sulfide (COS) by a Scots Pine forest in order to narrow down the uncertainties that still surround the application of COS as a proxy for gross primary productivity. To this end we combine eddy covariance COS and CO2 flux measurements with chamber measurements on soils, branches, stems and needles and a process-based multi-layer canopy model. Field activities take place at the FAIR site.

PI: G. Wohlfahrt

The main goal of HighResMountains is to gain a deeper understanding of extreme events and their processes and changes with further warming of the atmosphere over the Alps. The specific focus will be on precipitation (rain and snow) and mountain wind systems (like foehn) which will be analyzed using different high-resolution datasets - more specifically CORDEX FPS Alps and ÖKS15.

PI: N. Ban; People: A. Medvedova, M. Rotach

INTERFACE is a collaborative project between the University of Innsbruck, University of Trento and EURAC with the objective to investigate the surface energy balance (non-)closure in highly complex terrain and the role of advection. The UIBK contribution focuses on i-Box sites and generalization for different site characteristics. 

Funding: EGTC European Region Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino, Austrian Science Fund FWF - IPN 187-N.

UIBK PI: M. Rotach; People: M. Destro, M. Lehner

ISM is an ESPRIT project. It addresses the lack of a comprehensive analytic framework for spatially-complex geospatial data using cutting-edge applied math to robustly identify distinct motions at overlapping scales. The new framework will be used to understand the interactions between turbulence, submeso structures, and complex terrain using Distributed Temperature Sensing. 

Funding: Austrian Science Fund (FWF): ESP-214

PI: K. Lapo

The overarching goals of kmMountains are to (i) better understand mountain climate and extreme events associated with mountains, (ii) to improve our models for the simulation of climate (and weather) over complex orography, and (iii) to better understand how mountainous areas will be affected by further warming of the atmosphere. To do so, COSMO simulations will be performed with a horizontal grid spacing of 2.2 and 1.1 km over two mountainous regions for multi-decadal periods in the present and future climate. The main focus of our project is on two regions: the Himalayas and the adjacent Tibetan Plateau on the one hand and the European Alps, on the other hand, thus enabling us to transfer the knowledge from one region to another. 

PI: N. Ban; People: E. Collier, A. Medvedova, M. Rotach

In this doc:funds project two PhD theses will investigate the forest -atmosphere exchange of biogenic volatile organic compounds and use a multiple constraints approach to gross primary productivity. Field activities take place at the FAIR site.

TEAMx-UIBK PIs: T. Karl, G. Wohlfahrt

The SCHiRM project aims to devise a modelling strategy that can represent the impact of the surrounding orography (e.g. the Inn Valley and tributary valleys) and the urban envrionment (e.g. building form and materials) on atmospheric conditions in the city of Innsbruck. Simulations at various scales (down to 1-m grid boxes) will be evaluated against a range of observations and provide new insights into near surface turbulence in this extremely complex setting.

PI: H. Ward

The objective of TExSMBL is to analyze the relative contributions of mountain-specific processes to turbulence production and damping in the stable boundary layer of the Inn Valley, analyzing i-Box data. Turbulent exchange is typically weak and intermittent under stable conditions, but wind shear associated with slope and valley winds can contribute to turbulence production even under otherwise undisturbed conditions.

Funding: Austrian Science Fund (FWF): V 791-N

PI: M. Lehner

Unicorn focuses on understanding  turbulence characteristics over complex terrain and glaciated surfaces to develop a novel similarity scaling framework and parametrizations allowing correct representation of turbulence and surface-atmosphere exchange over realistic surfaces. The project uses experimental data, idealized ultra-high resolution modelling and machine learning to explore how different aspects of terrain complexity impact turbulence characteristics, especially turbulence anisotropy. The project funding covers the aircraft measurements during the summer TOC as well as the HEFEX II campaign.

PI: I. Stiperski