Jet Stream Winds: Enhanced Aircraft Data Acquisition and Analysis

在北半球冬季，副热带急流从北非、波斯湾和红海地区一直延伸到喜马拉雅山。理论模式的数值实验表明，对流层和平流层的平稳波幅值对副热带急流的扰动都很敏感。平流层波幅的大幅和快速增加是公认的“突然变暖”的前兆；在“突然变暖”期间，北极附近10mb的温度可在一周内升高40-60度，平均纬向风可由西风转为东风。不幸的是，对这一副热带急流的常规高空观测极为稀少。商业航班上记录的气象信息可能有潜在的用途。然而，这些信息通常不会到达世界上任何一个主要的天气预报中心。根据该合同，特南鲍姆教授将与英国航空公司合作，收集亚热带喷气机区域某些飞行路径的气象记录。然后，Tenenbaum教授将分析这些数据，评估天气预报模型在该数据稀疏区域的性能，如果有必要，还将进行数据同化实验。>//

During the Northern Hemisphere winter, the subtropical jet stream stretches from the northern Africa, the Persian Gulf and Red Sea regions to the Himalayas. Numerical experiments with theoretical models have given some indication that the stationary wave amplitudes in both troposphere and stratosphere are sensitive to perturbations in the subtropical jet. A large and rapid increase in stratospheric wave amplitude is a recognized precursor to "sudden warming"; during a "sudden warming", the temperature at 10 mb near the north pole can increase by 40-60 degrees in a week, and the mean zonal wind can reverse from a westerly to an easterly direction. Unfortunately the routine upper air observations of this subtropical jet are extremely sparse. The meteorological information recorded on commercial flights can be of potential use. However, this information generally does not reach any of the major weather prediction centers worldwide. Under this award, Professor Tenenbaum will work with the British Airways to collect the meteorological recordings from certain flight paths in the region of the subtropical jet. Professor Tenenbaum will then analyze this data, evaluate the performance of weather prediction models in this data sparse region, and, if warrented, conduct data assimilation experiments. >//