TURBULENCE PREDICTION: REPORT ON MODEL GEOMETRY

Abstract

The H2020 SOLARNET project includes a study to investigate the possibility to set-up systems for the forecast of the optical turbulence (OT) in the day-time regimes at the two sites of Roque de los Muchachos Observatory (ORM, La Palma) and Teide Observatory (TO, Tenerife), with a particular attention to the site that will be selected for the European Solar Telescope (EST). More precisely the study aims to upgrade to day-time conditions the method to forecast the OT (C N2 profiles and integrated astroclimatic parameters) that was developed by the INAF partner for night-time ground-based astronomy. The technique implies the use of a mesoscale model (Meso-Nh) [RF1, RF2, RF3, RF4]. Seeing measurements at the ORM and TO are presented in [RF5, RF6]. This document presents the global atmospheric model configuration. This includes the set-up of the orography and the sequence of initialisation. Besides, we analysed also measurements taken by the Stockholm University (SU) partner at the SST with the WF-WFS method in the past years in perspective of using such measurements as a reference to calibrate and/or validate forecasts. In [RF6] measurements taken with a SHABAR by the Istituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC) partner during past years have been analysed with the same philosophy and goal. The analysis of WF-WFS measurements has to be seen as an integration of the [RF6]. We remind that measurements are relevant in this process as they represent the reference with respect to which we can provide an analysis of the forecasts.