LiDAR observations during METCRAX-II

The second Meteor Crater Experiment (METCRAX-II) was conducted in October 2013 to study downslope-windstorm-type flows that occur on the upwind inner sidewall of the basin of Arizona's Meteor Crater during synoptically quiescent nights under clear sky conditions. The formation of these flows, which lead to warm-air intrusions into the upwind part of the crater basin, is associated with a nocturnal mesoscale drainage flow that develops on the slightly inclined plane surrounding the crater. Three scanning Doppler wind LiDARs were operated during METCRAX-II. Two scanned continuously in a coplanar configuration to measure a vertical cross section through the intruding flows, while a third LiDAR was deployed upwind of the crater basin to measure the characteristics of the evolving drainage flow impinging on the crater topography. We will show initial results of the wind fields retrieved from the three LiDARs, showing (1) the temporal evolution of the drainage flow outside of the crater topography (2) flow splitting of the approach flow around the crater and (3) the development and evolution of the downslope-wind-storm-type intrusions into the crater basin.