A research team from the Chinese Academy of Science’s Institute of Atmospheric Physics, joined by researchers from the Institute of Desert Meteorology, China Meteorological Administration, Urumqi, has begun carrying out a field campaign in central Taklimakan Desert, in the Xinjiang province in northwest China. The in-situ observation program, which began on Sept 24, will continue for a year.
The campaign, supported by the Key Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, aims to study the atmospheric boundary layer and land-air interaction over the fluctuated sandy surface in the central region of the Taklimakan Desert, and consequently provide knowledge on the atmospheric processes in the arid region, by employing both the in-situ observations and the model simulations.
As can be seen from the illustrations and video released by the project, the researchers are in for a trying time, battling the inhospitable environment of the area.