LAFO site and Measurement data
The Land-Atmosphere Feedback Observatory (LAFO) test site is located south of Stuttgart, near to the Stuttgart airport, at approximately between 48° 42' North Latitude and 9° 11' East Longitude. The LAFO experimental site is relatively flat; its elevation varies between 398 and 412 meters. The annual temperature varies between 0℃ in winter and 18℃ in summer months, and annual rainfall is 680 mm. The study site is composed of 26 agricultural fields ("Schlage" in German) covering the surface area of 84 ha, is managed by the University of Hohenheim to use as a study site for different agricultural experiments. LAFO deploys several sensor systems and remote sensing equipment for obtaining data from below ground to the atmosphere up to 10km vertical extent. The first sensor installation was initiated in 2017, and the data are available since June 2018. The sensor data include the measurements from two eddy covariance stations ("EC-N" and "EC-S") and 22 soil moisture network stations ("HFH_"). The remote sensing station, which is equipped with IPM Cloud Radar, Water Vapor Differential Absorption Lidar (WVDIAL), Temperature Rotational Raman Lidar (TRRL), Micro Rain Radar, and a Distrometer for collecting weather data from atmospheric dynamics. In addition to sensor data, filed campaigns are conducted to measure soil moisture, soil bulk densities, soil water retention data, and geophysical measurements (EM38).
Doppler lidars
Micro Rain Radar
WV DIAL
Cloud Radar
Disdrometer
Moisture network
EC Stations
Canopy Sensors
Remote Sensing
Doppler Lidar
At LAFO, two scanning Doppler lidars (DLs) are operated in operational mode. Both are Halo Photonics Stream Line XR.One DL pointing constantly vertical to sample the vertical wind. The other DL performs the 6-beam VAD scan pattern to retrieve vertical profiles of horizontal wind speed, wind direction and turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) etc. In addition to the Doppler wind, the backscatter signal and the SNR is recorded as well. Please view the vertical wind profiles on our real-time quicklook page The data will be accessible via a download portal soon. Till then, data available on request. Data Download
Doppler Cloud Radar
We are operating a scanning Doppler Cloud Radar of Metek company. The standard measurement mode is pointing vertically collecting radar reflectivity, Doppler velocity, peak width rms, skewness, linear de-polarization, cross channel correlation peak width weighted and differential phase. Please view the radar products on our real-time quicklook page The data will be accessible via a download portal soon. Till then, data available on request. Data Download
Distrometer
A Parsivel Distrometer of Ott HydroMet is operated at the LAFO remote sensing site. The data will be accessible via a download portal soon. Till then, data available on request. Data Download
Micro Rain Radar
A micro rain radar of Metek company is operated at the LAFO remote sensing site. The data will be accessible via a download portal soon. Till then, data available on request. Data Download
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