Intercomparison of Small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS) Measurements for Atmospheric Science during the LAPSE-RATE...

Area of Science:

• Atmospheric Science
• Environmental Monitoring
• Remote Sensing Technology

Background:

• Small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) are increasingly utilized in atmospheric research.
• Accurate measurements are critical for advancing scientific understanding and achieving research goals.
• Standardized best practices for sUAS atmospheric measurements are still developing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the accuracy and reliability of sUAS for atmospheric measurements.
• To assess the impact of different sUAS platforms and sensor configurations on data quality.
• To identify best practices for improving sUAS-based atmospheric data collection.

Main Methods:

• Conducted an intercomparison study during the Lower Atmospheric Process Studies at Elevation-a Remotely piloted Aircraft Team Experiment (LAPSE-RATE) field campaign.
• Evaluated 38 sUAS with 23 unique sensor/platform configurations against a meteorological tower.
• Assessed precision, bias, and time response for measurements of temperature, humidity, pressure, wind speed, and direction.

Main Results:

• Most sUAS measurements showed good agreement with reference data, especially for temperature and wind speed.
• Mean differences for temperature and wind speed were 1.6 ± 2.6°C and 0.22 ± 0.59 m/s, respectively.
• Accurate thermodynamic measurements (temperature, humidity) were achieved with aspirated and shielded sensors; accurate wind measurements utilized sonic anemometers on multirotor platforms.

Conclusions:

• sUAS are a viable tool for atmospheric research, but performance varies with configuration.
• Proper sensor design (aspiration, shielding) and platform choice (multirotor for wind) are crucial for accuracy.
• Further research and standardization are needed to optimize sUAS for scientific atmospheric measurements.