A012-0011
Observations of Arctic Atmospheric Boundary Layer with Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for MOSAiC
Monday, 7 December 2020
Poster
Gina Jozef1,2, Gijs de Boer2,3, John J Cassano1,2, Dale Lawrence4, Brian M. Argrow4, Jonathan Hamilton4, Radiance Calmer2, Steven Borenstein4, Abhiram Doddi4, Julia Schmale5 and Andreas Preusser6, (1)University of Colorado at Boulder, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Boulder, CO, United States, (2)University of Colorado at Boulder, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, Boulder, CO, United States, (3)NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory, Physical Science Division, Boulder, CO, United States, (4)University of Colorado at Boulder, Aerospace Engineering Sciences, Boulder, CO, United States, (5)Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering ENAC, Lausanne, Switzerland, (6)University of Trier, Environmental Meteorology, Trier, Germany
Abstract:
Transfer of energy between the Earth's surface and the overlying atmosphere, particularly at high latitudes, remains an area of substantial uncertainty in our understanding of the global climate system. To reduce this uncertainty, unmanned aircraft-based observations of the lower atmosphere were made during legs 3 and 4 (March through August 2020) of the MOSAiC (Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate) Expedition. In conjunction with other MOSAiC datasets, these measurements will provide unprecedented perspectives on lower atmospheric state and its influence on the surface energy budget.
Data were gathered throughout MOSAiC with two different small unmanned aerial systems. The University of Colorado DataHawk2 is a small fixed-wing aircraft with a 40-min endurance time, equipped with fine wire sensors providing high frequency information on temperature and wind speed, multiple sensors for measuring pressure, temperature, and humidity (PTH), and up- and downward looking thermopile sensors to provide infrared temperatures of the sky and surface. Measurements of airspeed, attitude, altitude, and ground speed provide high-frequency 3D wind estimates. A Tarot X6 Hexacopter is used for albedo measurements, and is also equipped with two PTH sensors and a multi-spectral camera for creating imagery of the ice surface.
The DataHawk2 was used to measure atmospheric conditions throughout the lower atmosphere, their evolution with time, and how they are affected by surface features such as leads. The copter was used to capture surface albedo change associated with the evolving ice surface throughout the melt season.
In this presentation, we will provide an overview of the MOSAiC UAS flights, including an initial analysis of data gathered with the DataHawk2.
