Meteorological study of Aklim site in Morocco

Aziza Bounhir; Zouhair Benkhaldoun; Marc Sarazin

doi:10.1117/12.800657

12 July 2008 Meteorological study of Aklim site in Morocco

Aziza Bounhir, Zouhair Benkhaldoun, Marc Sarazin

Proceedings Volume 7016, Observatory Operations: Strategies, Processes, and Systems II; 701621 (2008) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.800657
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2008, Marseille, France

Abstract

Candidate sites of the future European Extremely Large Telescopes (E-ELT) need to be assessed and analytically compared in their observing characteristics. In the site selection process, meteorological, photometric and seeing qualities have to be studied and measured carefully. Aklim site in Morocco is one among four candidates in the ELT project. In this paper, we present meteorological studies of the Aklim site over eleven years. The meteorological parameters include wind speed and direction, relative humidity, air temperature, cloud cover and water vapour content. Most of these data are taken from the National Center for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis. The meteorological analysis covers the vertical profile as well as surface layer meteorology. Furthermore, in extensive literature, it has been demonstrated that the global circulation of atmospheric wind at 200 mb can be used as a criterion to establish the suitability for the development of adaptive optics techniques. By using the NOAA NCEP/NCAR reanalysis database, we analyse the monthly average wind velocity at 200 mb for eleven years period and compare with famous observatories.

Citation Download Citation

Aziza Bounhir, Zouhair Benkhaldoun, and Marc Sarazin "Meteorological study of Aklim site in Morocco", Proc. SPIE 7016, Observatory Operations: Strategies, Processes, and Systems II, 701621 (12 July 2008); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.800657

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available