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Abstract

Operations in Antarctica are very much at the mercy of the weather.
From early explorations using skis and dogs sleds, through to modern
large scale operations involving shipping, tractor trains, helicopters
and large fixed wing aircraft, operating from modern facilities, all
have been sidelined when the Antarctic atmosphere has become hostile.
Since the earliest days of exploration, weather in Antarctica has
been a critical issue in operations, and a focus of observational research.
However, in comparison to mid and low latitude regions of
the globe our knowledge of high southern latitude meteorology remains
relatively poor. The dearth of conventional surface and upper
air observations has limited observational studies and numerical modelling
over the Antarctic region has not seen the same level of focus as
modelling work over the more highly populated areas of the globe. Increasingly,
operations are becoming more costly with the introduction
of sophisticated scientific instrumentation and the use of larger aircraft,
so timely and accurate forecasts are becoming more important.
In order to decrease the time spent at sea by scientific and operational
staff on crossing the Southern Ocean, the Australian Government has
been studying the viability of operating an inter-continental air link
between Australia and the Australian bases in East Antarctica. Such
an operation is critically dependent on accurate medium to short term
weather forecasts, both for on route weather, and most importantly
for terminal area weather in Antarctica. Traditionally, only global
numerical model output has been available to assist the forecaster in
preparing the aviation forecasts. However, the temporal and spatial
resolution of these models have been relatively poor, given only limited support to forecasting operations.
The focus of this thesis was an analysis of the feasibility of employing
a limited area grid point numerical model to operational weather
forecasting in East Antarctica and the surrounding Southern Ocean,
and using the model to investigate the dynamics associated with critical
weather events experienced at Australian stations in East Antarctica.

Item Type:	Thesis - PhD
Authors/Creators:	Adams, N
Keywords:	Weather forecasting
Copyright Holders:	The Author
Copyright Information:	Copyright 2004 the Author - The University is continuing to endeavour to trace the copyright owner(s) and in the meantime this item has been reproduced here in good faith. We would be pleased to hear from the copyright owner(s).
Additional Information:	Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Tasmania, 2004. Includes bibliographical references
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