Lagrangian Atmospheric Multisonde Dispersion Analysis - South (LAMDA-S)
+ + + Latest news from the field campaign 2026 in Ushuaia + + +
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March 31:
That’s a wrap on the measurement campaign! We have already conducted a preliminary analysis of the data, and the results are looking very promising. This is just the beginning: the work carried out during AR-LAMDA-S will be presented in talks and published in papers, so there is still a lot more to come. We all enjoyed the campaign immensely, and we can't wait to share the results with you. Thank you for following!
March 29:
Our forecasters, Denise and Alejandro, provided the team with a report on all the significant meteorological events observed during AR-LAMDA-S, including atmospheric rivers. Their smiles show how happy we all are! The measurements look very promising, and we observed some very interesting phenomena.
March 28:
As forecasted, another, more intense atmospheric river hit Ushuaia today! It was a long day of measurements, and we made the most of it. In total, we conducted 22 weather soundings, using both “small” and “big” balloons. Florencia Z launched the last MPI-DS sounding of the campaign during the evening, marking the end of the MPI-DS measurements. The last SMN measurements will be done tomorrow. We are ending the experiments on a high note!
March 25:
After a couple of hard days' work, the team went out for an early dinner. However, science is never far from our conversations: we see clouds, turbulence and other atmospheric phenomena wherever we look!
March 23:
An atmospheric river hit Ushuaia! We measured as much as we could so that we could get the most information out of the AR. The clouds were very interesting, and we learned many new things. We look forward to analyzing the data! Also, there is a good chance of another, stronger atmospheric rivers in the next few days.
March 22:
After a long day of measurements, we were rewarded with a nice sunset and wonderful views
March 20:
Florencia and Eberhard gave two public talks at CADIC, after which Paola joined a panel discussion. Florencia’s talk, presented in Spanish, covered the objectives of the LAMDA-S campaign and explained why Ushuaia is an ideal location for conducting measurements. Eberhard’s talk covered the current state of cloud research and its importance for weather and climate research.
March 18:
Sometimes we have good weather, and sometimes we don’t. Today, for example, there were very strong winds, which made launching the weather balloon more difficult than usual. In the photo, you can see Gonzalo launching a weather balloon being distorted by the wind. It's not an optical illusion! For comparison, on 16 March we had a beautiful, sunny day.
We want to study atmospheric phenomena in all conditions, so we welcome this variability in the weather!
On Friday, March 20, Florencia F and Eberhard will give two public talks at CADIC (the Austral Center for Scientific Research). Along with Paola, they will also spend the day with local authorities from CADIC and from the Province of Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and South Atlantic Islands.
March 14:
We caught an atmospheric river-related event today!!
As predicted by our forecasting team, Alejandro and Denise, an atmospheric river entered Argentinian Patagonia today, with its tail reaching Ushuaia. One possible reason for the increased occurrence of ARs at sub-polar latitudes is climate change.
We wanted to measure as much as possible in order to characterise this event. In total, we had 5 different balloon launches, it was a long, but fun day!
March 13:
It's the first day of full launches!
Both the SMN and the MPI-DS performed measurements today. Simultaneous measurements help us to gain a comprehensive understanding of the atmosphere: the SMN balloons provide atmospheric profiles of up to 30 km, while the MPI-DS balloons give us information on small-scale transport up to 3 km in height and 100 km in horizontal distance. This also means that the balloons are very different from each other: the soundings require 3 cubic metres (3,000 litres) of helium, whereas the small balloons used for transport studies require about 30 litres.
We look forward to analysing the data!
March 11:
The LAMDA-S team is finally complete! We met up with Lino and Gonzalo, who work at the VAG station field site. Today was the first day that the whole team could access the station, which is located inside Ushuaia Airport.
We took the first measurements to study the buoyancy of the MPI-DS balloons so that they can follow the local flow. The gel that we made at home worked pretty well! These balloons should stabilise at a target altitude, enabling us to study transport phenomena.
The test was successful, and it was a great first day at the site.
March 10:
High chances of catching an atmospheric river (AR)!! Our star forecast team, Alejandro and Denise, gave us a briefing on when to expect the (possible) AR. Its tail should reach Ushuaia on Sunday 15th. Fingers crossed!
March 09, 6 PM:
Being able to improvise is a key part of being a scientist 😉! After the loss of an anti-leakage gel due to airline regulations, we decided to make our own gel, just after our arrival. Florencia Z and Eberhard spent some time on getting the right “recipe”. We will test the MPI-DS gel in the upcoming days.
March 09, 3 PM:
The LAMDA-S team has landed in Ushuaia. Tomorrow, we will get the necessary permits to work at the VAG station at the airport. In the meantime, we will start preparing everything: from living arrangements (such as grocery shopping) to pre-campaign preparations.
March, 06: Buenos Aires
This week, the LAMDA-S team met at the SMN to discuss strategies for the upcoming field campaign. All team members gave talks at the two-day joint MPI-SMN-FLiP-IFINA seminar. As well as hearing talks from the three institutions, tours were given of the SMN's and FLiP-IFINA's facilities. The discussions were very fruitful, strengthening the collaborations between scientists and institutions.
March, 01: Arrival in Buenos Aires
February, 28: Flight of the Göttingen team from Frankfurt, Germany to Buenos Aires, Argentina
February, 26: With the arrival of the German side of the LAMDA-S team in Buenos Aires, a joint seminar series will be held at the National Weather Service of Argentina on 4 and 5 March. Contributions will come from the MPI-DS, the SMN, and the FLiP-INFINA-FCEyN group at the University of Buenos Aires. Topics covered will include the objectives and context of LAMDA-S, atmospheric turbulence and atmospheric rivers, current field experiments of the MPI-DS, as well as ongoing experimental, numerical, and observational research activities carried out by the FLiP group. The full schedule can be found here.
February, 25: Only three more days until the departure to Ushuaia. The team from Göttingen is getting ready and finalizing the preparations.