SHANNON, Ireland - Advanced airborne lidar sensors, high-altitude research aircraft, and coordinated transatlantic measurement campaigns are at the center of a new international effort to improve forecasting of Europe’s most severe winter storms.
The North Atlantic Waveguide, Dry Intrusion, and Downstream Impact Campaign (NAWDIC), launched 13 January 2026, is deploying state-of-the-art remote-sensing payloads aboard the German High Altitude and Long Range (HALO) research aircraft to collect high-resolution atmospheric data over the North Atlantic, a region with limited conventional weather observations. The campaign aims to strengthen numerical weather prediction models and refine climate simulations by capturing processes that are not well represented in current forecasting systems.
The German HALO research aircraft is operated by the German Aerospace Center (DLR). NAWDIC is led by Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and is supported by the DLR Institute of Atmospheric Physics, with participation from more than 30 additional institutions in Europe and North America.
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Cold front concerns
A primary scientific focus of NAWDIC is the study of "dry intrusions," descending masses of dry, cool air from the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. These air masses can intensify winter storms by contributing to strong winds, turbulence, and heavy precipitation. Many of these processes remain inadequately represented in current forecast models.
"As part of NAWDIC, we aim to investigate processes that are not yet fully understood, and that can cause severe winter weather events with significant impacts on society and the economy in Europe. To do this, we combine innovative measurement methods with the unique capabilities offered by the HALO research aircraft," said Andreas Schäfler of the DLR Institute of Atmospheric Physics, who coordinates the NAWDIC HALO flights.
The HALO aircraft carries advanced lidar remote-sensing systems that provide continuous vertical profiles of wind, ozone, and humidity between the aircraft and the surface. Flying at altitudes up to 14 kilometers - about 46,000 feet - HALO is equipped with the WALES water vapor lidar and the HEDWIG wind lidar, which is being deployed on HALO for the first time.
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"By deploying these DLR-developed laser remote-sensing instruments in remote regions with low observation density, we are not only demonstrating the benefits of lidar technology as a complement to the global observation system, but also its suitability for future satellite-based lidar instruments," said Andreas Fix of the Institute of Atmospheric Physics.
For the duration of the campaign, HALO is based at Shannon International Airport in Ireland. Its long range enables broad-area surveys over the North Atlantic to document water vapor transport and atmosphere-ocean interactions.
Ground assistance
Airborne observations are complemented by ground-based measurements from KITcube, a mobile atmospheric observation system operated by KIT and deployed in Brittany, France, since November 2025. The system includes a network of remote-sensing instruments capable of monitoring atmospheric processes from near the surface up to 10 kilometers altitude.
