South foehn studies since the ALPEX experiment

Summary

After the ALPEX Special Observing Period in 1982, further field measurement campaigns have been carried out to study the south foehn in the Eastern Alps. In addition, foehn situations were investigated statistically on the basis of a 4-years-record of upper-air and synoptic data combined with data from a special regional network. In this paper, distribution of air masses around the Alps, flow patterns and the typical evolution of a foehn situation are illustrated by the case 8 November 1982. Several possible definitions of “shallow foehn” are given, yielding a share of approximately 10% of shallow foehn observations. Mainly statistical data are used to falsify the wide-spread version of the “thermodynamical foehn theory” attributing the warmth of the foehn to release of latent heat and postulating foehn air rising from the ground of the Po Valley. Instead of this, the foehn air originates from 2000–2500 m asl over the Po Valley, while the air near ground remains blocked. The potential temperature difference between southern and northern valleys during foehn is to be explained by the stable stratification in the south, not by the effects of precipitation. These findings are in agreement with Hann's original theory.