DOCSLIB.ORG

Dropsonde for Weather PHOTO COURTESYPHOTO of NOAA, USA

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Dropsonde for Weather PHOTO COURTESYPHOTO of NOAA, USA 41621Y_Vaisala156 6.4.2001 10:06 Sivu 6 Marit Finne 2000 NWS Isaac Cline Meteorology Award Editor-in-Chief Vaisala News Vaisala Helsinki Finland Dropsonde for Weather PHOTO COURTESYPHOTO OF NOAA, USA. Vaisala’s RD93 GPS dropsonde is used in hurricane and weather research. 6 156/2001 41621Y_Vaisala156 6.4.2001 10:07 Sivu 7 r Reconnaissance James L. Franklin, a hurricane specialist with the U.S. National Weather Service’s (NWS) National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami, Florida, has won the 2000 NWS Isaac Cline Meteorology Award for his study of the hurri- cane eyewall based on data obtained with the Vaisala GPS dropwindsonde. he 2000 NWS Isaac debated National Hurricane Cline Meteorology Center’s (NHC) practices and Award is given an- the NHC received criticism T nually to individuals from some quarters for its use or teams that have made signi- of relatively high ratios. Mr. ficant contributions in support Franklin’s work should end the of U.S. National Weather debate. Service’s (NWS) strategic and Then a hurricane researcher operational plans, and recog- for NOAA’s Hurricane Re- nizes operational excellence search Division, Mr. Franklin within key facets of the core was part of the development NWS mission. Mr. Franklin’s team at the National Center for study was cited for resulting in Atmospheric Research (NCAR) “excellent improvements to the that first developed the RD93 accuracy of National Weather GPS dropwindsonde (Hock Service hurricane analyses, and Franklin, 1999). The drop- through innovative interpreta- sonde, now manufactured by tion and application of Global Vaisala under license from Positioning System (GPS) NCAR, is routinely deployed dropsonde data”. by reconnaissance aircraft in the hurricane eyewall, the most Meteorological debate intense and turbulent part of the hurricane circulation. The “Meteorologists have struggled dropsondes provide, for the for decades to accurately and first time, detailed, accurate objectively assess a hurricane’s profiles of the inner core of a maximum surface wind speeds, hurricane from flight level due to the lack of in-situ sur- down to the surface. face observations in the storm’s core. Even with aircraft recon- 500 dropsonde profiles naissance data, forecasters could in the eyewall only estimate the surface wind from observations typically ob- Mr. Franklin recently com- tained from a flight level of 700 pleted an analysis of more than Mb (10,000 ft),” Mr. Franklin 500 dropsonde profiles in the explains. eyewall and outer vortex re- In recent years forecasters gions obtained during the usually estimated the surface 1997–99 hurricane seasons, de- wind speed as 80–90 % of the termining the mean wind speed flight-level wind. Limited com- profile over the lowest 10,000 ft parisons of flight-level and in various portions of the hur- buoy data, however, suggested ricane circulation. His study a different range, 63–73 %. In (Franklin et al. 2000) produced view of the buoy studies, the the following results and opera- scientific community openly tional recommendations. NOAA’s P-3 ‘Orion’ Hurricane Research Aircraft are among the most advanced airborne environmental research platforms for the study of severe storms and global climate change. 156/2001 7 41621Y_Vaisala156 6.4.2001 10:07 Sivu 8 • Operational Hurricane Analysis. The average reduc- tion factor (R) between the surface and flight-level (700 Mb) wind in the hurricane eyewall is 0.89. This con- firms NHC’s operational practice of using higher fac- tors than implied from buoy intercomparisons. Mr. Franklin also determined re- duction factors for other typical flight levels. That is, for the 850 Mb level (com- monly flown in tropical James L. Franklin has won the 2000 NWS Isaac Cline Meteorology Award for his study storms), R = 0.80. For inves- of the hurricane eyewall based on data obtained with the Vaisala GPS dropwindsonde. tigative flights at 1,000 ft, R = 0.85. In the past, forecast- ers did not generally consid- er the altitude of the recon- Over 80 hurricane naissance aircraft in their es- eyewall penetrations timations. Mr. Franklin (43) relates: “I re- • Representativeness. Storm ceived my B.Sc. and M.Sc. de- to storm variability in the grees in Earth, Atmospheric, wind reduction factors was and Planetary Science from the documented, and a strong Massachusetts Institute of Tech- dependence upon the char- nology in Cambridge, Mas- acter of convective activity sachusetts. In 1982 I joined the and on cyclone strength was National Oceanic and found. A method was devel- Atmospheric Administration’s oped to evaluate eyewall (NOAA) Hurricane Research dropsonde profiles to ensure Division (HRD) as a research that the assigned wind meteorologist, where I studied speeds accurately represent- synoptic-scale influences on ed the 1-min sustained wind hurricane track. At HRD, I was standard. the principle investigator of an experiment designed to im- • Public Safety. The drop- prove hurricane forecasts by re- sonde data revealed that leasing Omega-based drop- winds at the top of a 30- windsondes in the hurricane story building average about environment, an experiment 20 kt (one Saffir-Simpson which led to NOAA’s purchase Hurricane Scale category) of a Gulfstream IV jet aircraft higher than at the surface. and the development of the Franklin’s average eyewall GPS dropwindsonde in the profile required reassessing mid-1990’s. “ the vulnerability of high-rise During his time at HRD, he This figure shows the mean eyewall profile buildings and elevated ter- made over 80 hurricane eyewall determined from the dropsonde data. rain. The study suggests penetrations in NOAA’s WP- people seeking shelter in 3D research aircraft, including high-rises should stay at the several into Hurricane Mitch, a lowest floors necessary to category five hurricane on the avoid the storm surge. Saffir-Simpson scale. He joined 8 156/2001 41621Y_Vaisala156 6.4.2001 10:07 Sivu 9 the National Hurricane Center as a hurricane specialist in 1999. In this position, he is one of a group of six NHC forecasters re- sponsible for all tropical and subtropical cyclone advisories, forecasts, and warnings for the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, and the eastern North Pacific Ocean. National Hurricane COURTESYPHOTO OF NOAA, USA. Center “The National Hurricane Center’s mission is to save lives and protect property by issuing watches, warnings, forecasts, and analyses of hazardous weather conditions in the trop- ics,” Mr. Franklin says. “To do this, NHC maintains a contin- uous watch on tropical cy- clones over these waters annu- Hurricane Floyd on September 13, 1999. ally from 15 May through November 30. The Center pre- pares and distributes hurricane Towards improved hurricane forecasts watches and warnings for the Hurricanes are products of the tropical ocean and atmosphere. Powered general public, and also pre- by heat from the sea, they are steered by the easterly trade winds and pares and distributes marine the temperate westerlies, as well as by their own ferocious energy. Around and military advisories for their core, winds grow to a great velocity, generating violent seas. Moving other users.” ashore, they sweep the ocean inward while spawning tornadoes and During the ‘off-season’, fore- producing torrential rains and floods. casters provide training for Satellite images of hurricanes show a unique and characteristic cloud U.S. emergency managers and formation, one that signals an intense tropical weather system. The power- representatives from many ful storms spawned in these tightly coiled systems produce heavy rains other countries that are affect- and maximum sustained winds of 33 m/s (74 mph / 64 knots) or higher. ed by tropical cyclones. NHC Each year an average of ten tropical storms (of which six become hurri- also conducts applied research canes), develop over the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, or Gulf of to evaluate and improve hurri- Mexico. Every three years, about five hurricanes strike the United States cane forecasting techniques, coastline. Two of the five will be major hurricanes (category 3 or greater, and is involved in public aware- on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. The scale from minimum to maxi- ness programs. I mum is 1 to 5). Designed for weather reconnaissance, hurricane and weather research, the Airborne Vertical Atmospheric Profiling System (AVAPS) incorporates a Vaisala RD93 GPS dropsonde. This advanced research system was devel- oped by the U.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in cooperation with the German Aerospace Research Establishment (DLR) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). NCAR has licensed the production of the new GPS dropsonde. References Franklin, J. L., M. L. Black and K. Valde, 2000: Eyewall wind profiles in hurricanes determined by GPS dropwindsondes. Preprints, 24th Conf. Hurr. Trop. Meteor., Ft. Lauderdale, Amer. Meteor. Soc., 446-447. Hock, T. F., and J. L. Franklin, 1999: The NCAR GPS dropwindsonde. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 80, 407-420. 156/2001 9.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Comparing Historical and Modern Methods of Sea Surface Temperature
    EGU Journal Logos (RGB) Open Access Open Access Open Access Advances in Annales Nonlinear Processes Geosciences Geophysicae in Geophysics Open Access Open Access Natural Hazards Natural Hazards and Earth System and Earth System Sciences Sciences Discussions Open Access Open Access Atmospheric Atmospheric Chemistry Chemistry and Physics and Physics Discussions Open Access Open Access Atmospheric Atmospheric Measurement Measurement Techniques Techniques Discussions Open Access Open Access Biogeosciences Biogeosciences Discussions Open Access Open Access Climate Climate of the Past of the Past Discussions Open Access Open Access Earth System Earth System Dynamics Dynamics Discussions Open Access Geoscientific Geoscientific Open Access Instrumentation Instrumentation Methods and Methods and Data Systems Data Systems Discussions Open Access Open Access Geoscientific Geoscientific Model Development Model Development Discussions Open Access Open Access Hydrology and Hydrology and Earth System Earth System Sciences Sciences Discussions Open Access Ocean Sci., 9, 683–694, 2013 Open Access www.ocean-sci.net/9/683/2013/ Ocean Science doi:10.5194/os-9-683-2013 Ocean Science Discussions © Author(s) 2013. CC Attribution 3.0 License. Open Access Open Access Solid Earth Solid Earth Discussions Comparing historical and modern methods of sea surface Open Access Open Access The Cryosphere The Cryosphere temperature measurement – Part 1: Review of methods, Discussions field comparisons and dataset adjustments J. B. R. Matthews School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada Correspondence to: J. B. R. Matthews ([email protected]) Received: 3 August 2012 – Published in Ocean Sci. Discuss.: 20 September 2012 Revised: 31 May 2013 – Accepted: 12 June 2013 – Published: 30 July 2013 Abstract. Sea surface temperature (SST) has been obtained 1 Introduction from a variety of different platforms, instruments and depths over the past 150 yr.
    [Show full text]
  • Evolution of NOAA's Observing System Integrated Analysis (NOSIA)
    Evolution of NOAA’s Observing System Integrated Analysis (NOSIA) Presented to the 13th Symposium on Societal Applications: Policy, Research and Practice (paper 9.1) Louis Cantrell Jr., and D. Helms, R. C. Reining, A. Pratt, B. Priest, and V. Ries 98th Annual Meeting American Meteorological Society Austin, Texas Overview 1 How NOSIA Informs Portfolio Decision Making 2 How NOSIA is Evolving Observing System Portfolio Management 3 System Engineering Measure of Effectiveness Each point on the Efficient Frontier represents an optimum Portfolio of Observing Programs within a Constrained Budget utcomes) O Measure of Effectiveness Measure Effectiveness of (MoE: Cost 4 Capability Improvement Prioritization NOAA Emerging Technologies for Observations Workshop Sponsored by the NOAA Observing Systems Council August 22-23, 2017 - NCWCP Identifying Capability Improvements for the Greatest NOAA -wide Benefit ▪ National Water Level Observation Network ▪ Tropical Atmosphere Ocean Buoy Ocean Profiles ▪ Commercial Fisheries Dependent Data Surveys ▪ ARGO ▪ Integrated Ocean Observing System Regionals ▪ Animal Borne Sensors ▪ National Observer Program (NOP) ▪ Drifting Buoy Network ▪ NEXRAD Precipitation Products ▪ Program-funded Habitat Surveys ▪ Coastal Weather Buoys Atmospheric Surface Observations ▪ Recreational Fish Surveys ▪ Historical Habitat Databases ▪ Chartered Vessels Research ▪ NWS Upper Air Soundings ▪ Coastal-Marine Automated Network ▪ GOES Imagery ▪ NERR_SWMP ▪ Automated Weather Observing System ▪ Global Ocean Observing System Carbon Network
    [Show full text]
  • NCEP Synergy Meeting Highlights: March 27, 2017
    NCEP Synergy Meeting Highlights: March 27, 2017 This meeting was led by Mark Klein (WPC) and attended by Steven Earle (NCO); Glenn White ​ (GCWMB); Israel Jirak (SPC); Mike Brennan (NHC) Scott Scallion (MDL); Brian Miretsky (ER); ​ ​ Jack Settelmaier (SR); Andy Edman (WR); John Eise (CR), and Curtis Alexander (ESRL). 1. NOTES FROM NCO (Steven Earle) ​ ​ RTMA/URMA - Implementation delayed until May 2 http://www.nws.noaa.gov/os/notification/scn17-17rtma_urma.htm ​ LMP/GLMP - Implementation scheduled for 3/29 http://www.nws.noaa.gov/os/notification/scn17-22lamp_glmpaaa.htm ​ ECMWF-MOS - Implementation tentatively scheduled for 3/30; Likely to delay at least a week. Internal NWS only NHC Guidance Suite (NHC only) - Scheduled implementation in mid-May http://www.nws.noaa.gov/os/notification/pns17-09chghurche77removal.htm ​ ESTOFS-Atlantic - Feedback due by COB today with implementation April 25 http://www.nws.noaa.gov/os/notification/scn17-34extratropical.htm ​ NWM - 30-day IT stability test scheduled to begin today. Implementation scheduled for early May. SCN to be released soon. GFS - 30-day IT stability test scheduled to begin in May; Implementation scheduled for mid-June. SCN will be released in early May. CMAQ - CONUS only upgrade. Evaluation and IT stability test expected to start at the end of April PETSS/ETSS - NCO began work on the upgrade; Evaluation and IT stability expected to start in early May 2. NOTES FROM EMC 2a. Global Climate and Weather Modeling Branch (GCWMB) (Glenn White): ​ The Office of the Director has approved the implementation of the GFS NEMS. The 30-day IT test is now scheduled for May and implementation is scheduled for mid-June.
    [Show full text]
  • ESSENTIALS of METEOROLOGY (7Th Ed.) GLOSSARY
    ESSENTIALS OF METEOROLOGY (7th ed.) GLOSSARY Chapter 1 Aerosols Tiny suspended solid particles (dust, smoke, etc.) or liquid droplets that enter the atmosphere from either natural or human (anthropogenic) sources, such as the burning of fossil fuels. Sulfur-containing fossil fuels, such as coal, produce sulfate aerosols. Air density The ratio of the mass of a substance to the volume occupied by it. Air density is usually expressed as g/cm3 or kg/m3. Also See Density. Air pressure The pressure exerted by the mass of air above a given point, usually expressed in millibars (mb), inches of (atmospheric mercury (Hg) or in hectopascals (hPa). pressure) Atmosphere The envelope of gases that surround a planet and are held to it by the planet's gravitational attraction. The earth's atmosphere is mainly nitrogen and oxygen. Carbon dioxide (CO2) A colorless, odorless gas whose concentration is about 0.039 percent (390 ppm) in a volume of air near sea level. It is a selective absorber of infrared radiation and, consequently, it is important in the earth's atmospheric greenhouse effect. Solid CO2 is called dry ice. Climate The accumulation of daily and seasonal weather events over a long period of time. Front The transition zone between two distinct air masses. Hurricane A tropical cyclone having winds in excess of 64 knots (74 mi/hr). Ionosphere An electrified region of the upper atmosphere where fairly large concentrations of ions and free electrons exist. Lapse rate The rate at which an atmospheric variable (usually temperature) decreases with height. (See Environmental lapse rate.) Mesosphere The atmospheric layer between the stratosphere and the thermosphere.
    [Show full text]
  • The Impact of Dropsonde and Extra Radiosonde Observations During NAWDEX in Autumn 2016
    FEBRUARY 2020 S C H I N D L E R E T A L . 809 The Impact of Dropsonde and Extra Radiosonde Observations during NAWDEX in Autumn 2016 MATTHIAS SCHINDLER Meteorologisches Institut, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat,€ Munich, Germany MARTIN WEISSMANN Hans-Ertel Centre for Weather Research, Deutscher Wetterdienst, Munich, Germany, and Institut fur€ Meteorologie und Geophysik, Universitat€ Wien, Vienna, Austria ANDREAS SCHÄFLER Institut fur€ Physik der Atmosphare,€ Deutsches Zentrum fur€ Luft- und Raumfahrt, Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany GABOR RADNOTI European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, Reading, United Kingdom (Manuscript received 2 May 2019, in final form 18 November 2019) ABSTRACT Dropsonde observations from three research aircraft in the North Atlantic region, as well as several hundred additionally launched radiosondes over Canada and Europe, were collected during the international North Atlantic Waveguide and Downstream Impact Experiment (NAWDEX) in autumn 2016. In addition, over 1000 dropsondes were deployed during NOAA’s Sensing Hazards with Operational Unmanned Technology (SHOUT) and Reconnaissance missions in the west Atlantic basin, supplementing the conven- tional observing network for several intensive observation periods. This unique dataset was assimilated within the framework of cycled data denial experiments for a 1-month period performed with the global model of the ECMWF. Results show a slightly reduced mean forecast error (1%–3%) over the northern Atlantic and Europe by assimilating these additional observations, with the most prominent error reductions being linked to Tropical Storm Karl, Cyclones Matthew and Nicole, and their subsequent interaction with the midlatitude waveguide. The evaluation of Forecast Sensitivity to Observation Impact (FSOI) indicates that the largest impact is due to dropsondes near tropical storms and cyclones, followed by dropsondes over the northern Atlantic and additional Canadian radiosondes.
    [Show full text]
  • Massively Deployable, Low-Cost Airborne Sensor Motes for Atmospheric Characterization
    Wireless Sensor Network, 2020, 12, 1-11 https://www.scirp.org/journal/wsn ISSN Online: 1945-3086 ISSN Print: 1945-3078 Massively Deployable, Low-Cost Airborne Sensor Motes for Atmospheric Characterization Michael Bolt, J. Craig Prather, Tyler Horton, Mark Adams Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA How to cite this paper: Bolt, M., Prather, Abstract J.C., Horton, T. and Adams, M. (2020) Massively Deployable, Low-Cost Airborne A low-cost airborne sensor mote has been designed for deployment en masse Sensor Motes for Atmospheric Characteri- to characterize atmospheric conditions. The designed environmental sensing zation. Wireless Sensor Network, 12, 1-11. mote, or eMote, was inspired by the natural shape of auto-rotating maple https://doi.org/10.4236/wsn.2020.121001 seeds to fall slowly and gather data along its descent. The eMotes measure Received: January 2, 2020 and transmit temperature, air pressure, relative humidity, and wind speed es- Accepted: January 28, 2020 timates alongside GPS coordinates and timestamps. Up to 2080 eMotes can Published: January 31, 2020 be deployed simultaneously with a 1 Hz sampling rate, but the system capac- Copyright © 2020 by author(s) and ity increases by 2600 eMotes for every second added between samples. All Scientific Research Publishing Inc. measured and reported data falls within accuracy requirements for reporting This work is licensed under the Creative with both the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the National Commons Attribution International Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This paper presents the License (CC BY 4.0). http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ design and validation of the eMote system alongside discussions on the imple- Open Access mentation of a large-scale, low-cost sensor network.
    [Show full text]
  • Investigating the Climate System Precipitationprecipitation “The Irrational Inquirer”
    Educational Product Educators Grades 5–8 Investigating the Climate System PrecipitationPrecipitation “The Irrational Inquirer” PROBLEM-BASED CLASSROOM MODULES Responding to National Education Standards in: English Language Arts ◆ Geography ◆ Mathematics Science ◆ Social Studies Investigating the Climate System PrecipitationPrecipitation “The Irrational Inquirer” Authored by: CONTENTS Mary Cerullo, Resources in Science Education, South Portland, Maine Grade Levels; Time Required; Objectives; Disciplines Encompassed; Key Terms; Key Concepts . 2 Prepared by: Stacey Rudolph, Senior Science Prerequisite Knowledge . 3 Education Specialist, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies Additional Prerequisite Knowledge and Facts . 5 (IGES), Arlington, Virginia Suggested Reading/Resources . 5 John Theon, Former Program Scientist for NASA TRMM Part 1: How are rainfall rates measured? . 6 Editorial Assistance, Dan Stillman, Truth Revealed after 200 Years of Secrecy! Science Communications Specialist, Pre-Activity; Activity One; Activity Two; Institute for Global Environmental Activity Three; Extensions. 8 Strategies (IGES), Arlington, Virginia Graphic Design by: Part 2: How is the intensity and distribution Susie Duckworth Graphic Design & of rainfall determined? . 9 Illustration, Falls Church, Virginia Airplane Pilot or Movie Critic? Funded by: Activity One; Activity Two. 9 NASA TRMM Grant #NAG5-9641 Part 3: How can you study rain? . 10 Give us your feedback: Foreseeing the Future of Satellites! To provide feedback on the modules Activity One; Activity Two . 10 online, go to: Activity Three; Extensions . 11 https://ehb2.gsfc.nasa.gov/edcats/ educational_product Unit Extensions . 11 and click on “Investigating the Climate System.” Appendix A: Bibliography/Resources . 12 Appendix B: Assessment Rubrics & Answer Keys. 13 NOTE: This module was developed as part of the series “Investigating the Climate Appendix C: National Education Standards.
    [Show full text]
  • Thor's Legions American Meteorological Society Historical Monograph Series the History of Meteorology: to 1800, by H
    Thor's Legions American Meteorological Society Historical Monograph Series The History of Meteorology: to 1800, by H. Howard Frisinger (1977/1983) The Thermal Theory of Cyclones: A History of Meteorological Thought in the Nineteenth Century, by Gisela Kutzbach (1979) The History of American Weather (four volumes), by David M. Ludlum Early American Hurricanes - 1492-1870 (1963) Early American Tornadoes - 1586-1870 (1970) Early American Winters I - 1604-1820 (1966) Early American Winters II - 1821-1870 (1967) The Atmosphere - A Challenge: The Science of Jule Gregory Charney, edited by Richard S. Lindzen, Edward N. Lorenz, and George W Platzman (1990) Thor's Legions: Weather Support to the u.s. Air Force and Army - 1937-1987, by John F. Fuller (1990) Thor's Legions Weather Support to the U.S. Air Force and Army 1937-1987 John F. Fuller American Meteorological Society 45 Beacon Street Boston, Massachusetts 02108-3693 The views expressed in this book are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense or the United States Government. © Copyright 1990 by the American Meteorological Society. Permission to use figures, tables, and briefexcerpts from this monograph in scientific and educational works is hereby granted provided the source is acknowledged. All rights reserved. No part ofthis publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, elec­ tronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permis­ sion ofthe publisher. ISBN 978-0-933876-88-0 ISBN 978-1-935704-14-0 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-935704-14-0 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1990 Library of Congress catalog card number 90-81187 Published by the American Meteorological Society, 45 Beacon Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02108-3693 Richard E.
    [Show full text]
  • Driftsondes Providing in Situ Long-Duration Dropsonde Observations Over Remote Regions
    DRIFTSONDES Providing In Situ Long-Duration Dropsonde Observations over Remote Regions BY STEPHEN A. COHN, TERRY HOCK, PHILIPPE COCQUEREZ, JUNHONG WANG, FLORENCE RABIER, DAVID PARSONS, PATRICK HARR, CHUN-CHIEH WU, PHILIPPE DROBINSKI, FATIMA KARBOU, STÉPHANIE VÉNEL, ANDRÉ VARGas, NadIA FOURRIÉ, NATHALIE SAINT-RAMOND, VINCENT GUIdaRD, ALEXIS DOERENBECHER, HUANG-HSIUNG HSU, PO-HSIUNG LIN, MING-DAH CHOU, JEAN-LUC REDELSPERGER, CHARLIE MARTIN, JacK FOX, NICK POTTS, KATHRYN YOUNG, AND HAL COLE A field-tested, balloon-borne dropsonde platform fills an important gap in in-situ research measurement capabilities by delivering high-resolution, MIST dropsondes to remote locations from heights unobtainable by research aircraft. igh-quality in situ measure- ments from radiosondes and H dropsondes are the gold stan- dard for vertical profiles of funda- mental atmospheric measurements such as wind, temperature (T), and relative humidity (RH). Satellite- borne remote sensors provide much- needed global, long-term coverage; however, they do not match the ability of sondes to capture sharp transitions and fine vertical struc- ture, and have significant perfor- mance limitations (e.g., the inability of infrared sounders to penetrate clouds, poor accuracy in the bound- ary layer). Sondes are also a trusted FIG. 1. The driftsonde system concept. means to calibrate and validate remote sensors. However, it is challenging to launch understanding the development of tropical cyclones radiosondes from remote locations such as the ocean to validating satellite retrievals in Antarctica. surface or the interior of Antarctica. Aircraft release The driftsonde is a unique balloonborne in- dropsondes above such locations but are limited by strument that releases dropsondes to provide the range and endurance of the aircraft.
    [Show full text]
  • Global Hawk Dropsonde Observations of the Arctic Atmosphere Obtained During the Winter Storms and Pacific Atmospheric Rivers (WISPAR) field Campaign
    Atmos. Meas. Tech., 7, 3917–3926, 2014 www.atmos-meas-tech.net/7/3917/2014/ doi:10.5194/amt-7-3917-2014 © Author(s) 2014. CC Attribution 3.0 License. Global Hawk dropsonde observations of the Arctic atmosphere obtained during the Winter Storms and Pacific Atmospheric Rivers (WISPAR) field campaign J. M. Intrieri1, G. de Boer1,2, M. D. Shupe1,2, J. R. Spackman1,3, J. Wang4,6, P. J. Neiman1, G. A. Wick1, T. F. Hock4, and R. E. Hood5 1NOAA, Earth System Research Laboratory, 325 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80305, USA 2Cooperative Institute for Research in the Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado at Boulder, Box 216 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309, USA 3Science and Technology Corporation, Boulder, CO 80305, USA 4National Center for Atmospheric Research, 1850 Table Mesa Dr., Boulder, CO 80305, USA 5NOAA, Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program, 1200 East West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA 6University at Albany, SUNY, Department of Atmospheric & Environmental Sciences, Albany, NY 12222, USA Correspondence to: J. M. Intrieri ([email protected]) Received: 20 February 2014 – Published in Atmos. Meas. Tech. Discuss.: 23 April 2014 Revised: 15 September 2014 – Accepted: 20 October 2014 – Published: 25 November 2014 Abstract. In February and March of 2011, the Global Hawk Comparison of dropsonde observations with atmospheric re- unmanned aircraft system (UAS) was deployed over the Pa- analyses reveal that, for this day, large-scale structures such cific Ocean and the Arctic during the Winter Storms and as the polar vortex and air masses are captured by the re- Pacific Atmospheric Rivers (WISPAR) field campaign. The analyses, while smaller-scale features, including low-level WISPAR science missions were designed to (1) improve our jets and inversion depths, are mischaracterized.
    [Show full text]
  • Singapore Changi Airport Dropsonde for Weather
    41621Y_Vaisala156 6.4.2001 10:05 Sivu 1 156/2001156/2001 Extensive AWOS System: Singapore Changi Airport 2000 NWS Isaac Cline Meteorology Award: Dropsonde for Weather Reconnaissance Short-Term Weather Predictions in Urban Zones: Urban Forecast Issues and Challenges The 81st AMS Annual Meeting: Precipitation Extremes and Climate Variability 41621Y_Vaisala156 6.4.2001 10:05 Sivu 2 Contents President’s Column 3 Vaisala’s high-quality customer Upper Air Obsevations support aims to offer complete solutions for customers’ AUTOSONDE Service and Maintenance measurement needs. Vaisala Contract for Germany 4 and DWD (the German Dropsonde for Weather Reconnaissance in the USA 6 Meteorological Institute) have signed an AUTOSONDE Service Ballistic Meteo System for the Dutch Army 10 and Maintenance Contract. The service benefits are short GPS Radiosonde Trial at Camborne, UK 12 turnaround times, high data Challenge of Space at CNES 14 availability and extensive service options. Surface Weather Observations World Natural Heritage Site in Japan 16 The First MAWS Shipped to France for CNES 18 Finland’s oldest and most Aviation Weather experienced helicopter operator Copterline Oy started scheduled The Extesive AWOS System to route traffic between Helsinki Singapore Changi Airport 18 and Tallinn in May 2000. Accurate weather data for safe The New Athens International Airport 23 journeys and landings is Fast Helicopter Transportation Linking Two Capitals 24 provided by a Vaisala Aviation Weather Reporter AW11 system, European Gliding Champs 26 serving at both ends of the route. Winter Maintenance on Roads Sound Basis for Road Condition Monitoring in Italy 28 Fog Monitoring Along the River Seine 30 The French Air and Space Academy has awarded its year Additional Features 2000 “Grand Prix” to the SAFIR system development teams of Urban Forecast Issues and Challenges 30 Vaisala and ONERA (the The 81st AMS Annual Meeting: French National Aerospace Precipitation Extremes and Climate Variability 38 Research Agency).
    [Show full text]
  • 5-6 Meteorology Notes
    What is meteorology? A. METEOROLOGY: an atmospheric science that studies the day to day changes in the atmosphere 1. ATMOSPHERE: the envelope of gas that surrounds the surface of Earth; the air 2. WEATHER: the day to day changes in the atmosphere caused by shifts in temperature, air pressure, and humidity B. Meteorologists are scientists that study atmospheric sciences that include the following: 1. CLIMATOLOGY: the study of climate 2. ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY: the study of chemicals in the air 3. ATMOSPHERIC PHYSICS: the study of how air behaves 4. HYRDOMETEOROLOGY: the study of how oceans interact with weather What is the atmosphere? A. The earth’s atmosphere is made of air. 1. Air is a mixture of matter that includes the following: a. 78% nitrogen gas b. 21% oxygen gas c. 0.04% carbon dioxide d. 0.96% other components like water vapor, dust, smoke, salt, methane, etc. 2. The atmosphere goes from the Earth’s surface to 700km up. 3. The atmosphere is divided into 4 main layers as one ascends. What is the atmosphere? a. TROPOSPHERE: contains most air, where most weather occurs, starts at sea level b. STRATOSPHERE: contains the ozone layer that holds back some UV radiation c. MESOSPHERE: slows and burns up meteoroids d. THERMOSPHERE: absorbs some energy from the sun What is the atmosphere? B. The concentration of air in the atmosphere increases the closer one gets to sea level. 1. The planet’s gravity pulls the atmosphere against the surface. 2. Air above pushes down on air below, causing a higher concentration in the troposphere.
    [Show full text]