What is it about?
Weather balloons are released around the world daily, but underused, as they tend only to be used to obtain data for weather forecasting. This work describes how weather balloons can be enhanced to provide more measurements, such as the electric charge on clouds, the effects of space weather and volcanic ash.
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Photo by NOAA on Unsplash
Why is it important?
Weather balloons are an inexpensive way - compared with aircraft - to make atmospheric measurements. The infrastructure to launch and track them exists, so it makes sense to enhance the technology to provide more scientifically useful quantities.
Perspectives
Weather balloons provide an iconic image for atmospheric science, and can provide a general purpose measurement platform for routine use or for use in emergencies. They have been used to track radioactive clouds and volcanic ash, or they can be used to find turbulence before an aircraft flies through it.
Professor Giles Harrison
University of Reading
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Measuring electrical properties of the lower troposphere using enhanced meteorological radiosondes, Geoscientific Instrumentation Methods and Data Systems, January 2022, Copernicus GmbH,
DOI: 10.5194/gi-11-37-2022.
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