Inter-domain cooperation for mesoscale atmospheric laboratories: The Mesoscale Alpine Programme as a rich study case.

Abstract

The development and conduct of the Mesoscale Alpine Programme (MAP) is summarized – a 10-year research initiative shared by meteorological services, research laboratories and university institutes from 14 countries. The overall investment is estimated to have exceeded 35 million Euros. Inventories are given of scientific results as published in some 220 peer-reviewed publications and over 40 completed PhD theses spanning a full decade. The close linkage between field measurements and various types of simulation experiments is emphasized by considering the role of natural laboratories (observing the atmosphere) and numerical laboratories (undertaking simulation experiments). Various forms of cooperation between laboratories and different domains such as nations, institutions and generations are used as the structuring elements of the survey. A comparison with surveys from other large field programmes helps to put the overall achievements of MAP into perspective.