Five hours of flight time today, heading northwest over Kongsfjorden with the primary objective of investigating the spatial variability of precipitation in Kongsfjorden. Off the coast of Spitsbergen, there was a distinct convergence line with significant precipitation, which was also predicted very well by the model. This line was very stationary; two flyovers yielded very similar measurement data.

We reached the sea ice edge, which we were also able to observe from the plane due to the presence of only low-level clouds.

What made yesterday’s flight special was the close coordination with the AWIPEV station in Ny-Ålesund. This allowed us to observe the same clouds both from above (from the aircraft) and from below (from the ground station). These dual measurements are crucial for testing and validating our assumptions about the attenuation of radar signals.

By coordinating dropsondes from Polar 5 and radiosondes from Ny-Ålesund, we were also able to observe katabatic winds in Kongsfjorden, as significant differences in the data were evident here. Katabatic winds are cold winds that flow down from higher elevations and often occur in polar regions. Due to the complex weather conditions, today was entirely devoted to planning for tomorrow. Then it’s all about: LEADS, LEADS, LEADS! We’re excited to see if we can carry out our plan tomorrow.