MiRadOr Project: Field campaign concludes
After a full year of MWR and LiDAR measurements, the field campaign at the atmospheric research station in Cabauw, the Netherlands has come to a close.
The Microwave Radiometer for the detection and assessment of Offshore wind resources (MiRadOr) project marked a major milestone today, as the final MicroWave Radiometer (MWR) and Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) observations were recorded at the KNMI atmospheric research station in Cabauw, the Netherlands.
This marks the end of nearly 11 continuous months of observations since the campaign began on November 3rd, 2025. The nearly full year of MWR and LiDAR profiles, together with the site’s world-class suite of meteorological instruments, such as the CESAR meteorological mast tower, gives a wide range of meteorological conditions for researchers to assess, over all four seasons.
MiRadOr seeks to understand and evaluation how MWR observations can be used to better assess and understand offshore wind resources. MWR-derived profiles of temperature and humidity can be used to better understand atmospheric stability, a key parameter identified by the wind industry and crucial to understanding wind patterns in the atmospheric boundary layer.
The end of the field campaign follows on from the earlier Intense Observing Period (IOP), which took place at Cabauw in February and March 2026. During the IOP, on-site researchers from Heidelberg University supplemented the MWR profiles with nearly 90 weather balloon launches. The Radiosondes attached to the balloons provide another, highly-trusted source of data to compare the MWR profiles with, which is particularly important at altitudes above 200 m, the height of the CESAR tower.
The second half of the project now turns towards data analysis and interpretation. The goals are now to assess and validate the MWR data, compare the observations with model output, and use the information gathered in the analysis to build up a stronger understanding of boundary layer stability.
Armed with the new broad and interesting MiRadOr dataset set, researchers will write new research articles on the campaign results, stability phenomena (such as low-level jets) experienced during the IOP, and an overall assessment of models and MWRs and their potential and current usage in wind energy applications, amongst many other interesting topics.
Special thanks to the entire MiRadOr partnership for reaching this milestone, including Heidelberg University, RPG Radiometer Physics GmbH, Fraunhofer-IWES, The Carbon Trust, KNMI, and CNR-IMAA; as well as our wind energy partners: EnBW, RWE, TotalEnergies and Vattenfall.
