An Intercomparison of Aircraft Turbulence Measurements Made During JASIN

Abstract

During the Joint Air-Sea Interaction (JASIN) experiment over the North Atlantic, three aircraft equipped to measure turbulent fluctuations of wind, temperature and humidity flew together in close formation, in order to compare results. These aircraft were the MRF C130, the NCAR Electra and the DFVLR Falcon. Most runs were made in the atmospheric boundary layer. This paper presents the results of this intercomparison exercise. Results are presented in terms of comparisons between variances and covariances which are further investigated by comparing spectra and co-spectra. Overall, very good agreement is found between the C130 and the Electra, although small differences can be detected. However, these are negligible compared to the scatter usually observed when making measurements in the turbulent atmospheric boundary layer. The Falcon, at an earlier stage of development, also shows reasonable agreement although the amount of available data was much more limited.