FREE Project: Insect-Derived Wind Profiles and Model Output for UK Flood Forecasting

Radial velocity measurements from insects, detected by Doppler radar, were converted into vertical wind profiles across England and Wales. This NERC-funded project from 2007-2010 produced ensemble weather forecasts and model outputs assimilating these novel insect-derived wind observations. The data aims to improve high-resolution storm prediction and probabilistic flood forecasting by capturing atmospheric motions before precipitation develops.

Use Cases

• Testing data assimilation techniques for numerical weather prediction using insect-derived radial wind observations.
• Improving ensemble flood forecasts by combining wind profile data with raingauge and river flow measurements.
• Analyzing vertical wind structure (VAD profiles) for studying storm initiation and convergence in England and Wales.
• Validating high-resolution weather model outputs against interpolated radiosonde and wind profile observations.

Strengths

• Data originates from a specific, peer-reviewed NERC research programme (FREE Round 1, NE/E002137/1).
• Includes both raw observational profiles (radiosonde, insect-derived winds) and processed model output from assimilation experiments.
• Profiles have been processed and interpolated to instrument locations, suggesting a level of quality control.

Limitations

• Critical metadata is missing: specific column names, dataset size, row counts, and precise file formats are unknown.
• The temporal coverage is limited to the project duration (January 2007 - April 2010), and the last platform update is a future date (2026), which may indicate stale or automated metadata.
• Geographic coverage is confined to England and Wales, limiting applicability to other regions.

Provenance

Source

NERC Flood Risk for Extreme Events (FREE) Research Programme, Project led by Prof AJ Illingworth, University of Reading.

Collection Method

Wind profiles derived from Doppler radar returns from insects, converted via VAD (Velocity Azimuth Display) technique; model outputs from data assimilation experiments.

Time Range

January 2007 - April 2010

Freshness

2026-07-08 13:33:05.774372

Geography

England and Wales