Study of Wind pattern at the incursion site of Pangong Tso near Merak Village

Belur Ravindra; Deepangkar Sarkar; Shantikumar Singh Ningombam; Stanzin Tundup; Namgyal Dorje; Angchuk Dorje; Prabhu Kesavan; Dipankar Banerjee

doi:10.1007/s10686-024-09972-6

arXiv · 2503.16150

Study of Wind pattern at the incursion site of Pangong Tso near Merak Village

Belur Ravindra·Deepangkar Sarkar·Shantikumar Singh Ningombam·Stanzin Tundup·Namgyal Dorje·Angchuk Dorje·Prabhu Kesavan·Dipankar Banerjee

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Abstract

This study analyzes twelve years of wind speed and direction data collected at the proposed National Large Solar Telescope (NLST) site near Pangong Tso, Merak village, Leh-Ladakh. A weather station from Campbell Scientific Instruments, installed in 2008, has been continuously monitoring meteorological parameters, including wind speed and direction. The data reveals a consistent pattern of predominantly northwest winds, particularly during morning hours, with speeds generally below 5 m/s. While seasonal variations influence wind speed and direction, the overall trend remains stable. To assess the site's suitability for astronomical observations, we compared high-altitude wind speeds at various renowned astronomical sites using reanalysis data from 2008 to 2020. Strong correlations were observed between surface and high-altitude wind speeds at 10~m, 50~m, and 500~m. Statistical analysis of 200-mbar pressure level wind speeds identified La Palma as the most favorable site with a wind speed of 18.76~m/s. La Silla, on the other hand, exhibited the highest wind speed at 34.76~m/s. Merak's estimated wind speed of 30.99~m/s, coupled with its favorable wind direction and low surface wind speeds, suggests its potential as a promising site for astronomical observations.

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Belur Ravindra, Deepangkar Sarkar, Shantikumar Singh Ningombam, Stanzin Tundup, Namgyal Dorje, Angchuk Dorje, Prabhu Kesavan, Dipankar Banerjee. 2025-03-20. Study of Wind pattern at the incursion site of Pangong Tso near Merak Village. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10686-024-09972-6

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