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The capabilities of a quadcopter in the hover mode for low-altitude sensing of atmospheric turbulence with high spatial resolution in urban areas characterized by complex orography are investigated. The studies were carried out in different seasons (winter, spring, summer, and fall), and the quadcopter hovered in the immediate vicinity of ultrasonic weather stations. The DJI Phantom 4 Pro quadcopter and AMK-03 ultrasonic weather stations installed in different places of the studied territory were used in the experiment. The smoothing procedure was used to study the behavior of the longitudinal and lateral spectra of turbulence in the inertial and energy production ranges. The longitudinal and lateral turbulence scales were estimated by the least-square fit method with the von Karman model as a regression curve. It is shown that the turbulence spectra obtained with DJI Phantom 4 Pro and AMK-03 generally coincide, with minor differences observed in the high-frequency region of the spectrum. In the inertial range, the behavior of the turbulence spectra shows that they obey the Kolmogorov–Obukhov “5/3” law. In the energy production range, the longitudinal and lateral turbulence scales and their ratio measured by DJI Phantom 4 Pro and AMK-03 agree to a good accuracy. Discrepancies in the data obtained with the quadcopter and the ultrasonic weather stations at the territory with complex orography are explained by the partial correlation of the wind velocity series at different measurement points and the influence of the inhomogeneous surface.

With regard to reconstructing the gamma background dose rate, existing models are either empirical with limited applicability or have many unknown input parameters, which complicates their application in practice. Due to this, there is a need to search for a new approach and build a convenient, easily applicable and universal model. The paper proposes a mathematical model for reconstructing the temporal evolution of the ambient equivalent γ-radiation dose rate during rain episodes, depending on the density of radon flux from the soil surface, as well as the duration and intensity of rain. The efficiency of the model is confirmed by the high coefficient of determination (R2 = 0.81–0.99) between the measured and reconstructed ambient equivalent dose rate during periods of rain, the simulation of which was performed using Wolfram Mathematica. An algorithm was developed for restoring the dynamics of the ambient equivalent γ-radiation dose rate during rainfall. Based on the results obtained, assumptions were made where the washout of radionuclides originates. The influence of the radionuclides ratio on the increase in the total γ-radiation dose rate was investigated.

The features of the atmospheric γ-background reaction to liquid atmospheric precipitation in the form of bursts is investigated, and various forms of them are analyzed. A method is described for interpreting forms of the measured γ-background response with the determination of the beginning and ending time of precipitation, the distinctive features of changes in the intensity of precipitation and the number of single (separate) events that form one burst. It is revealed that a change in the intensity of precipitation in one event leads to a change in the γ-radiation dose rate increase speed (time derivative). A method of estimating the average value of the intensity and amount of precipitation for one event, reconstructing the intensity spectrum from experimental data on the dynamics of the measured dose rate of γ-radiation, is developed. The method takes into account the radioactive decay of radon daughter products in the atmosphere and on the soil surface during precipitation, as well as the purification of the atmosphere from radionuclides. Recommendations are given for using the developed method to correct for changes (daily variations) in radon flux density from the ground surface, which lead to variations in radon in the atmosphere. Experimental verification of the method shows good agreement between the values of the intensity of liquid atmospheric precipitation, calculated and measured with the help of shuttle and optical rain precipitation gauges.

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