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Development and Deployment of Air-Launched Drifters from Small UAS
Sara Swenson1, Brian Argrow2, Eric Frew3
1Ann and H.J Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA. sara.swenson@colorado.edu.
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)
|May 12, 2019
Summary
Air-launched drifters (ALDs) offer a new way to measure conditions inside supercell thunderstorms, aiding tornado prediction. Initial tests show promise for these probes deployed from drones, improving upon ground-based measurements.
Area of Science:
- Atmospheric Science
- Meteorology
- Tornado Research
Background:
- Supercell thunderstorms are responsible for dangerous tornadoes.
- High-fidelity simulations have advanced understanding but lack in situ validation data.
- Accessing the rear-flank downdraft (RFD) within supercells is challenging due to strong winds.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and test air-launched drifters (ALDs) for in situ measurements within supercells.
- To assess the feasibility of using ALDs deployed from unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to probe the RFD.
- To validate supercell simulations with novel atmospheric measurements.
Main Methods:
- Deployment of pseudo-Lagrangian drifters (PLDs), including ground-released and air-launched (ALD) types.
- Utilizing unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to release ALDs into supercell environments.
- Conducting characterization tests of ALD sensor performance during flight weeks.
Main Results:
- ALD systems demonstrate reasonable performance against industry standards in initial tests.
- Successful deployment of ALDs from UAS to access RFD inflows at higher altitudes.
- Data collected during a 2018 supercell intercept provided valuable insights.
Conclusions:
- ALDs deployed from UAS are a viable tool for obtaining crucial in situ measurements within supercells.
- This technology can help bridge the gap in validating supercell simulations.
- Future improvements will focus on enhancing sensor aspiration for better data quality.
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