Abstract
TEAMx (Multi-scale transport and exchange processes in the atmosphere over mountains – programme and experiment) is an international research program that aims at improving our understanding of atmospheric transport and exchange processes over complex terrain and at evaluating and improving the representation of these processes in numerical weather and climate prediction models. As part of TEAMx a one-year long observational campaign started in September 2024, which includes observations in four target areas aligned in an approximate north-south transect through the Alps. Activities during the TEAMx Observational Campaign (TOC) include long-term monitoring of the mountain boundary layer at multiple locations in the TEAMx domain throughout the whole TOC and two six-week long extended observational periods (EOPs). During the two EOPs, a suite of observational techniques is applied at individual supersites within the TEAMx domain to target specific processes, including research flights with three aircraft, radiosonde launches from multiple locations, UAS flights, tethered-balloon ascents, a range of different remote-sensing instrumentation to capture the vertical wind and temperature profiles throughout the TEAMx domain, and networks of weather and turbulence stations. In addition, the observational activities are supported by high-resolution forecast runs from several European weather services to provide guidance for daily IOP decisions.
The winter EOP took place between January and February 2025, with experiments focusing on the mean and turbulence characteristics of katabatic winds, the three-dimensional structure of the mountain boundary layer, the life cycle of low-level stratiform clouds forming in the valley atmosphere, and the structure of gravity waves. The presentation will give an overview of TEAMx and the activities during the recent winter EOP, as well as an outlook on the upcoming activities during the summer EOP taking place in June and July 2025.
Short Bio
Manuela Lehner is a Senior Scientist in the Department of Atmospheric and Cryospheric Sciences at the University of Innsbruck. She studied Meteorology and Geophysics at the University of Innsbruck before moving to the University of Utah, where she received her PhD in Atmospheric Sciences in 2012, focusing on thermally driven circulations in a crater basin. After her PhD she stayed at the University of Utah working on downslope-windstorm type flows and nocturnal cold-air pools. In 2016, she returned to the University of Innsbruck, where her research shifted slightly to focus more on turbulent exchange in the mountain boundary layer. Her overall interest is in improving our understanding of processes in the boundary layer over complex terrain and their representation in numerical models. Since 2024, she is the programme coordinator for TEAMx.