Atmospheric convection is the engine that powers weather systems around the globe. From local effects such as valley winds and cumulus clouds, to deep towering thunderclouds in the tropic fuelling cyclones. Every day it transports huge amounts of moisture and energy into atmosphere, yet, we can only guess at its shape and strength from the clouds it forms. But no more! The goal of the gLidar project is to see the thermals!
Using high-end laser equipment (LIDARs) in combination with data collected by sailplanes, hang gliders and paragliders we map out the shape and strength of atmospheric convection.
Understanding atmospheric convection is essential for weather prediction and climate models. Unfortunately, the representation of convection in computers is very difficult due to its multiscale characteristics and turbulent behaviour.
Luckily, every year thousands of pilots spend hundreds of hours flying in the convective air, trying to beat distance records, or just enjoying the view from a bird’s perspective. With each flight the pilots learn intricate details about finding the invisible streams of air to propel them upwards. Using this data, the scientists can learn from what each pilot have discovered about the local convective patterns and piece together a complex image of this phenomenon.
Since the pilots are only small dots in the skies; drifting, raising, and sinking in the turbulent air patterns, only aware of their immediate surroundings, we combine the flight observation with a state-of-the-art laser measurement system called LIDAR. This LIDAR is a line of sight, remote sensing instrument, that shoots laser beams into the air and detects wind speeds along the beam’s direction. Using multiple such instruments, we are able to scan the air where the pilots fly and explain what is happening to the pilot turning a thermal. This data is essential for explaining and utilizing the large online flight-tracking datasets.