Meteorologic parameters analysis above Dome C made with ECMWF data

In this paper we present the characterization of all the principal meteorological parameters (wind speed and direction, pressure, absolute and potential temperature) extended up to 25 km from the ground and over two years (2003 and 2004) above the Antarctic site of Dome C. The data set is composed by ’analyses’ provided by the General Circulation Model (GCM) of the European Center for Medium Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and they are part of the catalog MARS. A monthly and seasonal (summer and winter time) statistical analysis of the results is presented. The Richardson number is calculated for each month of the year over 25 km to study the stability/instability of the atmosphere. This permits us to trace a map indicating where and when the optical turbulence has the highest probability to be triggered on the whole troposphere, tropopause and stratosphere. We finally try to predict the best expected isoplanatic angle and wavefront coherence time (θ0,max and a τ0,max) employing the Richardson number maps, the wind speed profiles and simple analytical models of C N vertical profiles. Subject headings: atmospheric effects — turbulence — site testing