November-December 2022 - 15

WINTER WEATHER OPERATIONS
Staying Ahead of
Freezing Conditions
When temperatures plummet, and precipitation
falls from the sky, freezing
conditions complicate daily operations
and require extra time and manpower
to ensure safe travel. In addition to
causing costly delays and cancellations,
extreme cold forces decision-makers to
de- and anti-ice aircraft and ameliorate
the impact of freezing conditions on
runways and taxiways. Unfortunately,
the de- and anti-icing processes can
have a significant impact on resources.
Not only are the fluids used costly, but
queuing planes for anti-icing further
delays operations.
While Mother Nature cannot be
controlled, weather radars can deliver
precise meteorological information for
a specific area, tracking and nowcasting
the location of severe storms. By
providing advanced warning of a
broad range of approaching weather
phenomena, including wind shear,
precipitation (type and amount),
thunderstorms, microbursts and more,
weather radar enables good situational
awareness and helps improve safety
and airport efficiency since planes
can be directed to avoid inclement
weather conditions.
While ceilometers have been an
essential part of basic weather instrumentation
at airports for many years
for the information they provide
about cloud height - especially safety-critical,
low-altitude clouds - as
well as vertical visibility and cloud
coverage, new ceilometers on the
market go beyond standard cloud
height reporting.
Novel lidar ceilometers with depolarization
capabilities enable the detection
of icing conditions, volcanic ash
and sand/dust layers aloft. This provides
a much deeper understanding of
what is happening in the atmosphere
immediately above the airport or in
the surrounding area.
Designed for unattended operations,
these ceilometers provide cloud
height measurements and, thanks to
the new depolarization technology.
Depolarization can clearly differentiate
between solid and liquid particles
to help detect essential phenomena
that can impact aviation safety and
efficiency. With these measurements,
decision-makers can notify aircraft
how they could be impacted and
enable airport operators to take necessary
action.
With severe icing conditions
serving as a significant weather hazard
for aviation, this technology has been
beneficial in addressing icing conditions
in colder climates.
Taking on
Impaired Visibility
Across the globe, low visibility cancels,
delays or disrupts flights every day.
From rain, fog, snow, sleet and other
particulate matter, obscurants can
negatively affect visibility, which is
especially crucial when the aircraft is
maneuvering on or close to the ground.
Good visibility optimizes airport
efficiency by maximizing inbound/
outbound aircraft capacity, while
impaired visibility forces airport
operations to slow down to ensure safe
departures and arrivals. Most automated
weather observing systems struggle
to identify these conditions, and
human observation is typically necessary
to validate the presence of icing.
Observers often compile their reports
by integrating sensor measurements
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022 \ AVIATIONPROS.COM / 15
http://www.AVIATIONPROS.COM
November-December 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November-December 2022
