MADONA

The multi-nation, high-resolution field study of Meteorology And Diffusion Over Non-uniform Areas (MADONA) was conducted by scientists from the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and The Netherlands at Porton Down, Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK during September and October 1992.

The host of the field study was the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment, CBDE (now part of Defence Evaluation and Research Agency) at Porton Down. MADONA was designed and conducted for high resolution meteorological data collection and diffusion experiments using smoke, sulphurhexaflouride (SF6), and propylene gas during unstable, neutral, and stable atmospheric conditions in an effort to obtain terrain-influenced meteorological fields, dispersion, and concentration fluctuation measurements using specialized sensors and tracer generators. Thirty-one days of meteorological data were collected during the period 7 September through 7 October and 27 diffusion experiments were conducted from 14 to 23 September 1992. Puffs and plumes of smoke and SF6 were released simultaneously for most of the experiments to gauge the resultant diffusion and concentration behavior. Some 44 meteorological and aerosol sensors and four source generators were used during each day of the field study. This array of sensors include 14 towers of wind cups and vanes, 10 sonic anemometer/thermometers, one boundary layer sonde, two LIDAR, one ion sensor, the CBDE Weather Station, and several one of a kind sensors. Simulations of airflow and diffusion over the MADONA topography (a 9 km by 7.5 km area) were made with a variety of models. Wind fields and wind-related parameters were simulated with several high resolution (micro alpha scale) wind flow models. A tally of the various data gathering activities indicates that the execution of MADONA was highly successful. Preliminary use of the data sets is showing the high quality and depth of the MADONA data base.

This well-documented data base is suitable for the evaluation and validation of short range/near field wind and diffusion models/codes. The data base was originally placed on CD-ROM media in a structured way by CBDE, Porton Down. The data base is now available from the Risø National Laboratory, Denmark.

EQUIPMENT EMPLOYED DURING THE MADONA EXPERIMENT

Table 1. Type of equipment and sensors used during the MADONA Field Study. Refer to Figure 1 to locate field sites.

NR	TYPE OF SENSOR	HEIGHT	LOCATION
METEOROLOGICAL SENSORS:
15	Wind Speed/Direction sets	10 m	M1-7, M10-15
1	Weather Station system:	2-10 m	Met Field
	WS, WD, T, P, HUM, RAD, PREC	10 m	Met Field
1	Upper Air system	to 500 mb	Larkhill
1	Boundary Layer Sonde,	to 500 mb	BLS
	with two level temp & wind	2 & 10 m	BLS
1	Doppler Sodar,	to 300 m	SODAR
1	WS / WD 2-level tower	10 & 30 m	M8 / M9
2	Sonic Anemometer / Thermometer	7 m	M16 / M17
2	Sonic Anemometer profile system	2,4,6,8 m	M21 / M25
1	Sonic Anemometer / Thermometer	2 m	Met Field
1	Temperature Profile system	0.5, 2, 4, 6, 8 m	M25
1	Fiber Optics Quartz Thermometer Profile system	2,4,6,8 m	M21

DIFFUSION SENSORS AND EQUIPMENT:
1	Smoke Plume generator	1 m	Numerous sites
1	Smoke Puff 'generator'	2.3-3 m	Numerous sites
1	SF6 Source with plume / puff	1 & 3 m	Numerous sites
1	Propylene Gas source	0.5-2 m	Met Field
1	LIDAR	1 m	Bowl sites
1	Visio-ceilometer	1 m	Bowl sites
1	LIDAR, RASCAL system	2 m	Bowl sites
1	SF6 Flame Photometer system	1 m	Mobile in the Bowl
5	UVIC sensors	2 m	Met Field
1	Video Imaging system	1.5 m	Numerous sites
1	Aerial camera system (aircraft)	var.	Airborne

SURVEY DEVICE:
2	GPS site survey system	Hand-held	All sites

Figure 1 Shows the location of the different sensors from table 1.

shows the location of the different sensors from table 1.

EQUIPMENT CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE PARTICIPANTS

Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment

Fifteen Casella cup-and-vane anemometers with logger units and masts.
Personal computers, printers and monitors.
Ultra Violet Ion Collectors with calibrator and loggers.
Bi-vane turbulence probe.
Sonic anemometer
Silicon tetrachloride and ammonium hydroxide for smoke generation.
Propylene and SF6 tracer gases.
Detonators and plastic explosive for puff devices

Meteorological Office

Doppler SODAR wind measuring instrument and logging Personal Computer.
Boundary layer sondes with logger.
0.5m - 8m wind profile anemometers.
0.5m - 4m temperature profile.
Chart recorders.
Solarimeter.

University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology

RASCAL scanning Neodymium YAG lidar with a 30Hz firing rate and a data acquisition and analysis system.

Risø National Research Laboratory, Denmark

Scanning Neodymiun YAG Mini-lidar system with a spatial resolution of 0.6m. Philips storage oscilloscope and Personal Computer for control and analysis.
Continuous smoke generator.
Global Positioning System.
Two sonic anemometers, masts and recording equipment.
Personal computer running wind flow model.

National Defence Research Establishment (FOA4), UmeD, Sweden