Field Programme (field + programme)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


A geophysical investigation of subsurface structures and Quaternary geology at San Marcos Pueblo, New Mexico

ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROSPECTION, Issue 4 2008
Emily A. Hinz
Abstract San Marcos Pueblo site (LA 98), located in the Galisteo Basin south of Santa Fe, New Mexico, encompasses the remains of 43 identified room blocks, a Spanish mission and 20 middens. As part of ongoing field investigations at San Marcos, students and faculty from the Summer of Applied Geophysical Experience (SAGE) field programme are using multiple geophysical techniques to non-invasively investigate the site. Modelling of the underlying Quaternary stream terrace geology and the detection of subsurface Pueblo-era features were accomplished through the integrated interpretation of data from seismic refraction and reflection, electromagnetic, magnetic and ground-penetrating radar methods. Although to date only a targeted spatially small extent of the site has been explored using these methods, the SAGE field programme has been able detect a variety of anthropogenic structures and debris. The SAGE field programme validated the presence of excavations in the natural stream terrace sequence over areas believed to contain kivas, mapped the geometry of walls over a closed room block, and detected an area of magnetized debris associated with smelting operations. Collectively, the data from the SAGE field programme demonstrate the value of using multiple, complementary, geophysical methods for archaeological prospection. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Issues in targeted observing

THE QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY, Issue 613 2005
(Invited paper for the Q. J. R. Meteorol.
Abstract This paper summarizes successes and limitations of targeted observing field programmes starting from the Fronts and Atlantic Storm-Track Experiment in 1997 through recent programmes targeting winter storms and tropical cyclones. These field programmes have produced average reductions in short-range forecast errors of about 10 per cent over regional verification areas, and maximum forecast error reductions as large as 50 per cent in certain cases. The majority of targeting cases investigated so far involve sets of dropsondes and other observation data that provide partial coverage of target areas. The primary scientific challenges for targeting include the refinement of objective methods that can identify optimal times and locations for targeted observations, as well as identify the specific types of satellite and in situ measurements that are required for the improvement of numerical weather forecasts. The most advanced targeting procedures, at present, include: the ensemble transform Kalman Filter, Hessian singular vectors, and observation-space targeting using the adjoint of a variational data assimilation procedure. Targeted observing remains an active research topic in numerical weather prediction, with plans for continued refinement of objective targeting procedures, and field tests of new satellite and in situ observing systems. Copyright © 2005 Royal Meteorological Society [source]