The Mountain Wave Project (MWP) – a project of the scientific and meteorological panel of OSTIV, was conceived during a 1998 OSTIV seminar in Serres/France by René Heise and Klaus Ohlmann. The project has grown in scope since its inception and has attracted an impressive team of enthusiastic scientists/pilots as active participants. Its ambitious goal is the global classification and analysis of mountain waves and their associated rotor bands.

The team’s first major expedition to Martin de los Andes in Argentina was led by a world-class group of pilots and atmospheric scientists who explored the extensive and complex wave system in the Andes mountains. Aside from the purely scientific payoff, this expedition culminated in the first world soaring records set by Klaus Ohlmann, who exploited the Andes waves to reset the bar for distance and speed in a sailplane.

The MWP team is planning an ambitious program of exploration and atmospheric research over the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau. According to MWP Director, René Heise, “After two expeditions to the Andes the MWP Team is now in the process of planning a research mission to the Tibetan Plateau and the Himalayas. Objectives are going to be once more measurement of turbulence parameters in and above the highest valleys and mountains, vertical momentum transfer and the diurnal anabatic flow in the complex terrain. Investigation of ozone and carbon dioxide levels is also being considered.”

Other objectives of the Himalyan expedition include: the mechanism of thermal and dynamic uplift over the Tibetan Plateau; the effect of global changes on the plateau; verification of Windprofiler-/RASS-data;  verification of mesoscale models; and contributions to glacier monitoring (airshots).

The MWP maintains an excellent website, which includes not only detailed information about past and present projects, but links to press releases, articles about the project, technical reports, and bios of the participants.

The following video about the MWP expedition to Tibet was broadcast on German TV.

Joachim Kuettner, Atmospheric Researcher

“…curiosity and joy of adventure.
If you can preserve these two wonderful afflictions through your life, you will never be able to stop exploring the atmosphere.” 1909 – 2011