U s e r M a n u a l W e a t h e r s t a t i o n s These user instructions were drawn up by the Tirol Avalanche Warning Service. Please send all enquiries and comments to: lawine@tirol.gv.at.
Table of Content 1. Weather stations... 3 1.1. The map window:... 3 1.2. List of weather stations:... 4 1.4. The graph window:... 5 1.5. Searching and filtering weather stations:... 7 2. List of figures... 8 3. Imprint Partners... 8 December 2016 Seite 2 von 8
1. Weather stations In this database you will find all available weather stations from currently participating avalanche warning services. This data portal is among the SnoProfiler tool Profiles and the information service Incidents part of the LAWIS (Lawinen-Informations-System) project. They all share a common layout and thus are similar to handle. There are four main fields of information on the LAWIS interface for weather stations: search/filter bar map window overview list graph window. Below you will find a few lines on each of these fields. 1.1. The map window: Picture 1: LAWIS - Map The map window serves as an overview of the locations of each weather station. Within this interactive map window you can shift and zoom the map scale using your mouse. You can also select any weather station by mouse-click, resulting in this particular station being marked in red and its parameters shown in the right window (see figure above). December 2016 Seite 3 von 8
1.2. List of weather stations: Picture 2: LAWIS - list of weather stations This is a list of all available weather stations for each region. By clicking on the icons above the list you can sort this list by name, country, region, sub region and altitude. Navigating the mouse over the symbols should result in a short pop-up description of each symbol. By default, the list is sorted alphabetically. When selecting a particular weather station from the list it will be marked red in the map window and its available parameters are plotted in the right window. You can navigate through the list by using either your mouse or the up/down keys on your keyboard. December 2016 Seite 4 von 8
1.4. The graph window: Picture 3: Lawis graph window This window shows all parameters that are available for any particular weather station. The tabs above the parameter graphs allow the selection of different observation periods ranging from 1 day to the entire winter. The tab on the far left provides detailed information about the location of each weather station. You can navigate between the different timeframe by using either your mouse or the left/right keys on your keyboard. New: at the bottom of the graph you can find a legend, which shows the label of the parameters shown in the graph. Example: Kleiner Beil, 1880 m Picture 4: LAWIS - legend Since not all weather stations are equipped with the same instruments, some stations show more data than others. The Tyrolean avalanche warning service, for instance, maintains two types of weather stations: one that is measuring snowfall accumulation and one that is recording wind speed/direction. Both types typically include sensors that measure atmospheric temperature and dew point temperature. Some weather stations also record surface temperature and solar radiation. December 2016 Seite 5 von 8
For a short description of each parameter, see below: HS [cm]: total snowfall accumulation N [mm]: precipitation within the last 24h TL [ C]: atmospheric temperature (= air temperature) Td [ C]: dew point = the temperature to which one has to cool a parcel of air until it is saturated. Rule of thumb: a great distance between air temperature and dew point indicates dry atmospheric conditions; if they are close together or even overlap, we look on moist atmospheric conditions and the probability of rain increases. Some weather stations also record the surface temperature [ C] of the snowpack Ro [W/m²]: global radiation = incoming solar radiation at the earth s surface. Some weather stations also measure the reflected short-wave radiation Ru [W/m²]. p [hpa]: barometric pressure (air pressure) ff [km/h]: average wind speed during the last 10 minutes; max ff.boe [km/h] maximum velocity of the strongest wind gust dd [ ]: wind direction during the last 10 minutes (0 /360 stands for northerlies, 180 southerlies, etc.) PLEASE NOTE: colleagues from other participating warning services may use different colour schemes. If you have any enquiries or questions in this regard, please refer to the respective authorities. If you have any questions regarding the weather stations of the Tyrolean avalanche warning service, please send us an e-mail to lawine@tirol.gv.at. December 2016 Seite 6 von 8
1.5. Searching and filtering weather stations: Picture 5: LAWIS - seaarch weather stations Above the map window you will find a section where you can filter weather stations by name, participating region, sub region and altitude range. Each selection will be applied on-the-fly without the necessity of confirming your choice. You can also search for any particular weather station by simply typing its name, location or elevation in the search bar on the left. As a result, only your filtered selection of weather stations is shown in both the map window and the list below. December 2016 Seite 7 von 8
2. List of figures Picture 1: LAWIS - Map... 3 Picture 2: LAWIS - list of weather stations... 4 Picture 3: Lawis graph window... 5 Picture 4: LAWIS - legend... 5 Picture 5: LAWIS - seaarch weather stations... 7 3. Imprint Partners LAWIS - Lawinenwarndienst Informationssystem Erstellt in Zusammenarbeit der Lawinenwarndienste Tirol, Steiermark, Salzburg, Oberösterreich und Vorarlberg, sowie der Universität Wien, Institut für Geographie und Regionalforschung. December 2016 Seite 8 von 8