Partner 2: MeteoSwiss

MeteoSwiss has more than 40 years of experience in operational usage of weather radar technology for precipitation measurement in the Alpine region (Joss and Waldvogel, 1990). The operational radar products are based on appropriate system design and sophisticated data processing (Joss and Lee, 1995; Germann and Joss, 2004). The key products for nowcasting are quantitative precipitation estimation (Germann et al, 2006), 4-dimensional monitoring at 1km/5min resolution, thunderstorm tracking (Hering et al, 2004), and wind profiles (Germann 1999). As a national weather service MeteoSwiss has also a long tradition in real-time precipitation forecasting and is operationally running the non-hydrostatic numerical weather prediction model COSMO at a spatial resolution of 7 and 2km. Scientists of MeteoSwiss are also involved in investigating atmospheric ensemble prediction systems (Walser et al. 2004, Scherrer et al. 2004) and contribute to the improvement and analysis of the limited-area EPS COSMO-LEPS (Walser et al. 2005). In the Mesoscale Alpine Programme (MAP), which had a strong component in precipitation forecasting, MeteoSwiss has considerably contributed to the planning (Binder and Schär 1996) and especially to studies related to hydrometeorological processes (Jasper and Kaufmann 2003, Bolliger et al. 2004, Germann and Joss 2002). Furthermore, MeteoSwiss is currently leading the efforts for the fourth phase of MAP, the demonstration phase (D-PHASE, Rotach 2004). See www.meteoswiss.ch, www.map.meteoswiss.ch, and www.map.meteoswiss.ch/map-doc/dphase/dphase_info.htm

Dr Urs Germann (born in 1971), senior scientist in radar meteorology, radar hydrology and nowcasting. PhD Doctor of Natural Sciences at Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Sciences ETH Zurich with Dr J Joss and Prof A Waldvogel. Postdoc with Prof I Zawadzki, McGill University, Montréal. Principal investigator in MAP D-PHASE, WG co-chair in COST-731, scientist in VOLTAIRE. Presently head of Radar and Satellite team at MeteoSwiss.

Dr Mathias W Rotach (born in 1960), senior scientist in boundary layer meteorology. PhD Doctor of Natural Sciences and habilitation at ETH Zurich. Participant of ETH Greenland expedition, postdoc at Riso National Laboratory in Denmark, Senior researcher at ETH, visiting scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratories (Richland, WA) and NCAR (Boulder, CO). Chair of COSMO steering committee, chairman of international hydrometeorological forecast demonstration project MAP D-PHASE. Presently head of Research and Development of MeteoSwiss.

Selected Publications

2008.    Binder, P. and C. Schär, 1996: MAP Design Proposal. Available from MeteoSwiss, Krähbühlstrasse 58, 8044 Zürich.
2004.    Bolliger, M., P. Binder, H. P. Rösli and H. Wanner, 2004: Satellite- and radar-based investigations of heavy precipitation systems on the southern side of the European Alps. Meteorology and Atmospheric Physics, 87, 219-234.
2006.    Germann, U., G. Galli, M. Boscacci and M. Bolliger, 2006: Radar precipitation measurement in a mountainous region. Q. J. Royal Meteorol. Soc., 132, 1669-1692.
1999.    Germann, U., 1999: Vertical wind profile by Doppler radars. MAP Newsletter, 11, 6-7. Available from MeteoSwiss, Krähbühlstrasse 58, 8044 Zürich.
2004.    Germann, U. and J. Joss, 2004: Operational measurement of precipitation in mountainous terrain. In: P. Meischner (editor), Weather Radar: Principles and Advanced Applications, Vol XVII of Physics of Earth and Space Environment, Chapter 2, 52-77. Springer Verlag.
2002.    Germann, U. and J. Joss, 2002: Mesobeta Profiles to Extrapolate Radar Precipitation Measurements above the Alps to the Ground Level. Journal of Applied Meteorology, 41, 542-557.
2004.    Hering, A. M., C. Morel, G. Galli, S. Sénesi, P. Ambrosetti, and M. Boscacci, 2004: Nowcasting thunderstorms in the Alpine region using a radar based adaptive thresholding scheme. In: Proceedings of Third European Conference Radar on Hydrology (ERAD), Visby (Sweden), Copernicus, 206-211.
2003.    Jasper, K. and P. Kaufmann, 2003: Coupled runoff simulations as validation tools for atmospheric models at the regional scale. Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, 129, 673-692.
1990.    Joss, J. and A. Waldvogel, 1990: Precipitation measurement and hydrology. Radar in Meteorology: Battan Memorial and 40th Anniversary Radar Meteorology Conference, American Meteorological Society, 577-597.
1995.    Joss, J. and R. Lee, 1995: The application of radar-gauge comparison to operational precipitation profile corrections. Journal of Applied Meteorology, 34, 2612-2630.
2004.    Rotach, M., 2004: The upcoming MAP Forecast Demonstration Project (FDP). MAP Newsletter, 19, 6-8.
2004.    Scherrer, S., C. Appenzeller, and M. Laternser, 2004: Trends in Swiss Alpine snow days: The role of local- and large-scale climate variability. Geophysical Research Letters, 31, L13215.
2004.    Walser, A. and C. Schar, 2004: Convection-resolving precipitation forecasting and its predictability in Alpine river catchments. Journal of Hydrology, 288, 57-73.
2006.    Walser, A., M. Arpagaus, C. Appenzeller, and M. Leutbecher, 2006: The Impact of Moist Singular Vectors and Horizontal Resolution on Short-Range Limited-Area Ensemble Forecasts for Two European Winter Storms. Monthly Weather Review, 134, 2877-2887.