Drone-Based Atmospheric Soundings Up to an Altitude of 10 km-Technical Approach towards Operations

Abstract

Currently, the main in situ upper air database for numerical weather prediction relies on radiosonde and aircraft-based information. Typically, radiosondes are launched at specific sites daily, up to four times per day, and data are distributed worldwide via the GTS net. Aircraft observations are limited to frequent flight routes, and vertical profiles are provided in the vicinity of large cities. However, there are large areas with few radiosonde launches, in particular above the oceans and in the polar areas. In this article, the development and technical details of the unmanned aerial system LUCA (Lightweight Unmanned high Ceiling Aerial system) are described. LUCA has the potential to complement radiosonde and aircraft-based observations up to 10 km in altitude. The system ascends and descends (by electrical power) in spiral trajectories and returns to the launching site. This article discusses the requirements for obtaining high data availability under mid-European and Antarctic conditions, with highly automated take-offs and landings under high surface winds, the capacity to deal with icing, and the ability to operate under high wind speeds. The article presents technical solutions for the design and construction of the system and demonstrates its potential.

Drone-based meteorological observations up to the tropopause – a concept study

“…Data availability. The data are published at PANGAEA and available at https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.961200 (Bärfuss et al, 2023a) and https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.961223 (Bärfuss et al, 2023b). Similar datasets obtained with LUCA up to an altitude of 4.5 km are available at https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.937555 (Bärfuss et al, 2021a) and https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.937556 (Bärfuss et al, 2021b).…”

An Appraisal of the Progress in Utilizing Radiosondes and Satellites for Monitoring Upper Air Temperature Profiles

“…However, they are expensive to maintain, weather-dependent (i.e., not operating under severe storms), and limited to lower-and mid-level altitudes, unable to reach the upper atmosphere like balloons or sounding rockets [64]. Concurrently, drones are more cost-effective for localized measurements and can fly at lower altitudes than balloons, providing detailed data closer to the Earth's surface [65]. Some drawbacks associated with drones include that they can only go up to 10 km altitude, are weather-dependent, and have limited flight endurance, which can restrict the duration of data collection [65].…”

“…Concurrently, drones are more cost-effective for localized measurements and can fly at lower altitudes than balloons, providing detailed data closer to the Earth's surface [65]. Some drawbacks associated with drones include that they can only go up to 10 km altitude, are weather-dependent, and have limited flight endurance, which can restrict the duration of data collection [65]. Sounding rockets can reach much higher altitudes with larger sophisticated payloads than balloons or aircraft, providing data from the upper atmosphere and even into space [62].…”

“…The uncertainty of the pressure was 0.6 hPa, temperature was 1 k, and humidity yielded 5%. [65] Aircraft AVAPS Dropsonde RD41 and NRD41 Tropical East Pacific and Caribbean…”

Flight Experiments and Numerical Simulations for Investigating Multicopter Flow Field and Structure Deformation

“…They can be operated in the "open" category for flight altitudes below 120 m, and in the "specific" drone category with particular flight permissions for research purposes [3]. Compared to fixed-wing aircraft, which in this size class require certain infrastructure like a runway [14], catapult for takeoff, or net for landing [15,16] and a safety pilot with many years of experience of flying these systems, multirotor platforms are easier to handle for trained staff. Vertical take-off and landing systems combine the advantages, but also the disadvantages, of both platform types.…”