Data collection for validating the AROME-Arctic Weather Model. RiS ID: 11430

In this project we will collect wind data with a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) instrument for validation of the AROME-Arctic numerical weather prediction (NWP). AROME-Arctic has been run operationally for a region covering the European Arctic, including Svalbard, since late 2015 by the Norwegian Meteorological Institute (MET Norway). AROME Arctic has previously been shown to add value compared to global weather forecasting models at a regional scale, but further validation is needed with respect to the local- and subgrid-scales. Given its high temporal and spatial resolution observations, a wind LIDAR provides an excellent tool for such validation. In this project we plan to deploy a wind LIDAR in Adventdalen, outside Longyearbyen, in the spring of 2020. The LIDAR will provide semi continuous wind profiles from 10 to about 2-300 m above ground level. These profiles will in turn be post-processed, quality checked, and finally used for model validation in a master thesis project at the University of Hamburg and at the University Centre in Svalbard.