Merge pull request #535 from lkluft/track-animations

orcestra_book/_config.yml

@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ sphinx:
     front: _ext/
     lam_videos: _ext/
     reports: _ext/
+    track_animations: _ext/
   config:
     bibtex_default_style: myapastyle
     bibtex_reference_style: author_year_round

orcestra_book/_ext/track_animations.py

@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+import requests
+from docutils import nodes
+from sphinx.util.docutils import SphinxDirective
+
+
+SWIFT_CONTAINER = "https://swift.dkrz.de/v1/dkrz_948e7d4bbfbb445fbff5315fc433e36a/ORCESTRA/static/flight_animations"
+
+
+def url_exists(url):
+    response = requests.head(url)
+
+    try:
+        response.raise_for_status()
+    except requests.HTTPError:
+        return False
+    else:
+        return True
+
+
+class TrackAnimation(SphinxDirective):
+    option_spec = {
+        "flight_id": str,
+        "width": int,
+        "justify": str,
+    }
+
+    def run(self):
+        flight_id = self.options["flight_id"]
+        src = f"{SWIFT_CONTAINER}/{flight_id}.mp4"
+
+        if not url_exists(src):
+            warning_node = self.state.document.reporter.warning(
+                f"Could not reach track animation at: {src}",
+                line=self.lineno,
+            )
+            return [warning_node]
+
+        width = self.options.get("width", 576)
+        justify = self.options.get("justify", "center")
+
+        source = f"<source src={SWIFT_CONTAINER}/{flight_id}.mp4>"
+        err = "Your browser does not support the video tag."
+        video = f"<video width='{width}' controls>{source} type='mp4'/>{err}</video>"
+        centered_video = (
+            f"<div style='display: flex; justify-content: {justify};'>{video}</div>"
+        )
+
+        raw_node = nodes.raw(
+            rawsource="",
+            text=centered_video,
+            format="html",
+        )
+
+        return [raw_node]
+
+
+def setup(app):
+    app.add_directive("track-animation", TrackAnimation)
+
+    return {
+        "version": "0.1",
+        "parallel_read_safe": True,
+        "parallel_write_safe": True,
+    }

orcestra_book/reports/HALO-20240811a.md

@@ -84,6 +84,10 @@ Flew what we hope will be a standard pattern, with an ITCZ cross section at alti
 
 ## Impressions
 
+```{track-animation}
+:flight_id: HALO-20240811a
+```
+
 - Moist layers and clouds within the ITCZ, seemed to be quite varied and mostly confined to below 6 km, where there was a persistent moist layer, capped by a persistent dry slot.  This was evident well north of the ITCZ where it was associated with a stratiform cloud layer. (BS)
 
 - Witin the ITCZ there seemed to be medium-sized clusters consisting of multi-cellular convective elements mostly below the 6km capping layer.  At the edges convection was deeper.  Despite a pronouced RH maximum at about 12 km, trace amounts of condensate, well above this layer could be found, and were often quite visible to the lidar, even if it seemed like the stratiform cloud top was closer to the 12km humidity peak.  The disperse thin-ice clouds extended above the aircraft at its highest flight level in several places.  Within the ITCZ the boundary layer was low, or even absent, i.e., low cloud bases.  Some soundings seemed to show a near surface jet, or acceleration of the winds, most pronounced in the southerly component of the wind.  Winds through the depth of the troposphere were light and variable. (BS)

orcestra_book/reports/HALO-20240813a.md

@@ -72,6 +72,10 @@ orphan: true
 
 ## Conditions
 
+```{track-animation}
+:flight_id: HALO-20240813a
+```
+
 Describe the meteorology
 
 ## Execution

orcestra_book/reports/HALO-20240816a.md

@@ -75,6 +75,10 @@ orphan: true
 
 ## Conditions
 
+```{track-animation}
+:flight_id: HALO-20240816a
+```
+
 Drizzle and very fine sprays of showers in the morning on SAL. 
 
 The flight was in the far west of our domain, with the EC overpass near 33W.  The central ITCZ to our east was dominated by very cold cloud tops forming a large blob in the center of the moist region at around 25 W, which broke into a more edge intensivied region defined by our center and southern circles.  The northern line (in the center of the moist region) seemed to develop to the west out of the blob.  We could identify strong convective features through the troposphere along this line through the northern half of this middle circle.  To the south there was a clearing/gap, so that the southern edge of the northern feature has a very strong boundary and shelf-like appearance.  Cold-pool features were associated with the line, and with the gap/hole.  The southern line seemed less convectively active (despite nice OLR features).  As a whole the edge intensification out of the blob gave the system a lobster-claw like appearance.  Further to the west there were two large cellular features extending out of the northern line (that we crossed in the middle), which seemed to be moving SSE closing the gap ... perhaps eventually feeding the lobster.

orcestra_book/reports/HALO-20240818a.md

@@ -72,6 +72,10 @@ orphan: true
 
 ## Conditions
 
+```{track-animation}
+:flight_id: HALO-20240818a
+```
+
 Fair weather cumulus clouds in the morning on Sal.
 
 The flight was in the west of the domain, with the EC overpass near 29W. Along the route to the EC track one could clearly see that we were flying along the edge of the ITCZ, with convective systems to the left (South) and shallow clouds to the right (North) of the aircraft. The ITCZ was characterised by low clouds in the North and South (mostly topped by thin cirrus) and a large system of deep convective clouds in the center — likely the strongest encountered so far during the campaign. The system extended to about 14km which could be easily seen when flying the center circle where HALO grazed the cloud top at FL450 (13700m) most of the time. Please note that the circles where flown from North to South, different from previous flights. The Northern circle covered cumulus, stratocumulus, and some cloudless patches. During the center circle we could identify only little structure. The view was dominated by the optically thick anvil cirrus, sometimes revealing some convective structures underneath. To the South of the convective feature we encountered low clouds again, mostly topped by optically thin cirrus which was hardly visible when looking straight down but clearly visible at an oblique viewing angle towards the horizon. After returning back to the North we had planned to circle around a convective tower which ideally should be identified along the flight. Since the featureless cirrus deck did not reveal any convective features underneath, we were guided to a convective cell at the edge of the large system, identified from geostationary satellite. Circling around it twice we could visually identify the system from the North while from the South it was hidden below the cirrus deck. 

orcestra_book/reports/HALO-20240821a.md

@@ -72,6 +72,10 @@ orphan: true
 
 ## Conditions
 
+```{track-animation}
+:flight_id: HALO-20240821a
+```
+
 Very clean air conditions over Sal with island-induced shallow clouds at departure. 
 
 The flight was located on the 26.7W longitude. The ITCZ was narrow with a well defined northern band of deep convection and rain at around 9N. The northern edge in terms of deep convective clouds was in 'c_north', on its southern half, whereas there was a band of stratocumulus with an edge at its northern boundary. In terms of precipitable water, there was a second edge with a sharp gradient (from 65 to 30 mm) sampled by 'c_extra', whereas precipitable water only dropped to 50 mm in 'c_mid'. Yet there was no deep convective clouds in 'c_extra' but clear sky, and few isolated shallow cumuli. There was a secondary NE-SW oriented band of deep convection striking through the northern half of 'c_south'. Meteor was under this band while HALO sampled this band while flying around 'c_south' in its NW quadrant.  

orcestra_book/reports/HALO-20240825a.md

@@ -74,6 +74,10 @@ Flight path superimposed on the natural color image from NOAA's Geostationary Op
 
 ## Conditions
 
+```{track-animation}
+:flight_id: HALO-20240825a
+```
+
 Convection within the ITCZ was generally less deep than in previous days. Deep convective systems were confined to the southern edge of the ITCZ, while the northern edge of the ITCZ was characterized by a region of shallow convection in the morning and shallow and congestus convection later in the day. Regions of weak surface winds were observed near and south of the northern edge. While the column water vapor field was quite broad in the eastern part of the domain, it split into two longitudinal bands near our track. The ITCZ was confined to the southern column water vapor band, which was also considerably wider. In the region between the bands, the region of comparatively lower column water vapor was characterized by very low clouds. With the approach of a new African Easterly Wave in the eastern part of the tropical Atlantic, deeper convection formed near the African coast later in the day. During the easternmost part of our flight, we saw some precursors of the deeper convection east of Sal in the distance, but they remained out of reach.
 
 ## Execution

orcestra_book/reports/HALO-20240827a.md

@@ -72,6 +72,10 @@ orphan: true
 
 ## Conditions
 
+```{track-animation}
+:flight_id: HALO-20240827a
+```
+
 A hazy take-off.  Surfed down the slope of an African Easterly Wave to cross the ITCZ in the middel of a moist patch and to meet EarthCARE just east of 22.5W.  The first deep cloud at the top of the ITCZ, a real white dragon, was a good one.  This was the first day that really reminded me of the NARVAL experience with deep convection floating up all over the place in what one might characterize as the central ITCZ, going up at different levels, detraining at different levels, something giving rise to Nicolas' characterization of a convective playground.  This was made more visible by the lack of a well developed stratiform layer from the convection as we passed through the center on our way south. On the way north the convection filled and we could see less of the playground but we did see towering cells, the deepest yet, rising well above the flight level.  Development of new convection seemed more favored on the north than on the south.  As we followed the EarthCARE track out to the north the pilots extended it by a few seconds to surf a developing convective cloud.
 
 We had hoped to coordinate with the Meteor and the KingAir in clouds along a line at 13N south of Praia.  This did not have clouds with much of a radar signature, except on the west end of our shuttle near 24.5W, which we called out for sampling by the King Air.  After coordination with the ATR-42 we returned to SAL and were fascinated by the stratocumulus layers that seemed to live in a stair-step fashion, overflowing it seemed, that formed to the East of the southern Cape Verde islands and Boa Vista.  The EarthCARE coordinated measurements went very well, with not much of a radar signature at the exact time of overpass, but with deep convective clouds to the south and developing convection to the north.  At the end of our time on track, about 15 min after the overpass we went over an isolated and developing cumulus tower, from which the flight nickname is derived., 

orcestra_book/reports/HALO-20240829a.md

@@ -75,6 +75,10 @@ Flight path superimposed on the natural color image from NOAA's Geostationary Op
 
 ## Conditions
 
+```{track-animation}
+:flight_id: HALO-20240829a
+```
+
 Strong Mesoscale Convective System (MCS) visible in Satellite Image right to the East of the flight track in the morning of the flight. The system was not forecasted in the vicinity of our flight track the day(s) before and moved into our flight path during the day. Strong turbulence was experienced on our way to the south, crossing the eastern edge of the system.
 
 Increased cloudiness was observed throughout the flight compared to what was expected from the forecast. Most of the flight we were inside clouds indicating that the cloud top was at least 15 km. In the southernmost part of the flight we had cloud-free conditions, but the southern circle and the EarthCARE overpass was already again in cloudy conditions. The MCS further developed at the location of the middle circle. The circle was started in the south in clockwise direction to avoid passing through the system. Turbulence was experienced in the east and north-east of the system. The circle could be continued to its western part until convection on flight level was to strong. To avoid strong convection inside the system, we followed the circle again to the north. The northern track was again in clouds. But a descend to FL350 for the ATR circle brought us below the cirrus cloud. The northern part of the flight was characterized by Saharan dust and some scattered low clouds.

orcestra_book/reports/HALO-20240831a.md

@@ -75,6 +75,10 @@ Flight path superimposed on the natural color image from NOAA's Geostationary Op
 
 ## Conditions
 
+```{track-animation}
+:flight_id: HALO-20240831a
+```
+
 Week and narrow ITCZ was observed with extended cirrus layer in the north of the ITCZ
 
 In the northern part of the flight track a Saharan dust layers was detected above marine aerosols, but the dust layer showed less optical thickness than during major Saharan dust events. During the first part of the flight cirrus clouds were at flight level or just above. The southern part of the flight and the southern circle were almost cloud free with thin aerosol layers up to about 5 km altitude. The measurements indicated that those aerosol layers consisted most probably of a mixture of different aerosol types. Some convection was found in the middle layer. Cirrus clouds were present at flight altitude or just below. During the northern circle, cirrus clouds were still present. Below, still dust above marine aerosol could be observed.

orcestra_book/reports/HALO-20240903a.md

@@ -72,6 +72,10 @@ orphan: true
 
 ## Conditions
 
+```{track-animation}
+:flight_id: HALO-20240903a
+```
+
 The ITCZ was forecast to be very broad, which was reflected in the flight plan, and which verified in the flight data.  Acorss the entire transect we did not see values of integrated water vapor below 47 kg/m^2. Mostly the widening was evident on the northern edge, which moistened in this region relative to past days, with the southern edge also seeming to shift northward slightly over the forecast period. Convection concentrated in the center circle of the wide moist band, and most of the measurements in this region were slightly above a large expanse of very deep cirrus clouds.   This stratiform layer extended over a depth of approximately 8 km in the radar data, from flight level at about 14 km, down to the melting level at 4 km.  In the north there were scattered deeper developing clusters, but not to the extent initially anticipated.  Around the southern circle there was a mix of clouds, most notable were heas of wind aligned convective bands with tops estimated around 4 km extending to the SE along the SE side of the circle. Between the center and southern circle there were layers of very thin cirrus with virga, and throughout the ITCZ stratiform clouds, convection, and cirrus could be found at all conceivable levels.  
 
 On the way to the EarthCARE track a large area of convection was developing south of the Cape Verde Islands, and this was visible through the window to the south along our SW transect. At the time one could observe a mountain of convective towers, but a cirrus shield was not evident. Later this appeared to be the system we sampled in the coordinated flights SE of Priaia before returning to SAL. Along the western end of the transect and the northern part of the EC track the lidar showed a very rich structure ot the aerosol with many (up to twelve) layers distinguishable and confined wave signatures  between thin layers. 

orcestra_book/reports/HALO-20240906a.md

@@ -89,6 +89,10 @@ This flight was a replacement for the flight originally scheduled for September
 
 ## Conditions
 
+```{track-animation}
+:flight_id: HALO-20240906a
+```
+
 Well defined, mostly zonally oriented ITCZ with an African Easterly Wave associated disturbance west of Sal (suppressed convection and column water vapor field shifted to the north, crossed by our flight path). In the morning, a relatively narrow band of deep convection was mainly located near the northern moist margin. The region of deep convection expanded during the day. While we did not expect significant deep convection from the forecast, especially along the southern edge of the ITCZ, we experienced the formation of about 14 to 15 km deep convection there. Low wind speeds within the moist margins in the western part of the domain combined with the presence of a large area of active but often isolated deep convection.
 
 ## Execution

orcestra_book/reports/HALO-20240907a.md

@@ -75,6 +75,10 @@ Flight path superimposed on the natural color image from NOAA's Geostationary Op
 
 ## Conditions
 
+```{track-animation}
+:flight_id: HALO-20240907a
+```
+
 Vertically pointing cumulus at takeoff, thin coverage of cirrus.   The ITCZ seemed to be characterized by an easterly wave or northward undulation near Barbados, and another near 45 W, so that it had a slight nortward tilt as it moved westward.  From the region of the EarthCARE overpass to the west there were very low winds, and convection seemed to be concentrated in the band between the outer two circles.  Convection extended to the west from the band, and there were large cirrus outflows, presumably fed by lines or squalls to the east of the overpass line whose cirrus blew into the north-easter part of the central circle and the south-eastern part of the northern circle. 
 
 In the southern circle we had hoped to do a cloud loop at the top of the circle, but the area was remarkably clear, in what seemed like a big cold-pool basin.  There were some clouds that looked a bi tmore developed toward the center of the circle so we flew towards these.  They were forming at the intersection of different convective lines, and we looped around them to the south, sort of ringing the center of the circle before returning to its perimeter while maintaining the developing convection out our left window. 

orcestra_book/reports/HALO-20240909a.md

@@ -86,6 +86,10 @@ Flight path superimposed on the natural color image from NOAA's Geostationary Op
 
 ## Conditions
 
+```{track-animation}
+:flight_id: HALO-20240909a
+```
+
 The ITCZ was forecast to be very broad, which was reflected in the flight plan, and which verified in the flight data.  Acorss the entire transect we did not see values of integrated water vapor below 47 kg/m^2. Mostly the widening was evident on the northern edge, which moistened in this region relative to past days, with the southern edge also seeming to shift northward slightly over the forecast period. Convection concentrated in the center circle of the wide moist band, and most of the measurements in this region were slightly above a large expanse of very deep cirrus clouds.   This stratiform layer extended over a depth of approximately 8 km in the radar data, from flight level at about 14 km, down to the melting level at 4 km.  In the north there were scattered deeper developing clusters, but not to the extent initially anticipated.  Around the southern circle there was a mix of clouds, most notable were heas of wind aligned convective bands with tops estimated around 4 km extending to the SE along the SE side of the circle. Between the center and southern circle there were layers of very thin cirrus with virga, and throughout the ITCZ stratiform clouds, convection, and cirrus could be found at all conceivable levels.  
 
 Location of the ITCZ far north with isolated convective systems in between. The strong convective system we followed already over the last days was located just to the east of the flight track. Forecasts of the development of the system were very uncertain the last days. The situation on the flight track was characterized by cloudy conditions in the northern part of the flight and by clearer conditions with shallow cloud structures in the northern part of the flight. Convective systems between Barbados and the EarthCARE track and just east of the EarthCARE track partly influenced the conditions on our track.