Drone-Based Vertical Atmospheric Temperature Profiling in Urban Environments
The accurate and detailed measurement of the vertical temperature, humidity, pressure, and wind profiles of the atmosphere is pivotal for high-resolution numerical weather prediction, the determination of atmospheric stability, as well as investigation of small-scale phenomena such as urban heat isl...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-10-01
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| Series: | Drones |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/7/11/645 |
| _version_ | 1797459614471553024 |
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| author | Jokūbas Laukys Bernardas Maršalka Ignas Daugėla Gintautas Stankūnavičius |
| author_facet | Jokūbas Laukys Bernardas Maršalka Ignas Daugėla Gintautas Stankūnavičius |
| author_sort | Jokūbas Laukys |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The accurate and detailed measurement of the vertical temperature, humidity, pressure, and wind profiles of the atmosphere is pivotal for high-resolution numerical weather prediction, the determination of atmospheric stability, as well as investigation of small-scale phenomena such as urban heat islands. Traditional approaches, such as weather balloons, have been indispensable but are constrained by cost, environmental impact, and data sparsity. In this article, we investigate uncrewed aerial systems (UASs) as an innovative platform for in situ atmospheric probing. By comparing data from a drone-mounted semiconductor temperature sensor (TMP117) with traditional radiosonde measurements, we spotlight the UAS-collected atmospheric data’s accuracy and such system suitability for atmospheric surface layer measurement. Our research encountered challenges linked with the inherent delays in achieving ambient temperature readings. However, by applying specific data processing techniques, including smoothing methodologies like the Savitzky–Golay filter, iterative smoothing, time shift, and Newton’s law of cooling, we have improved the data accuracy and consistency. In this article, 28 flights were examined and certain patterns between different methodologies and sensors were observed. Temperature differentials were assessed over a range of 100 m. The article highlights a notable accuracy achievement of 0.16 ± 0.014 °C with 95% confidence when applying Newton’s law of cooling in comparison to a radiosonde RS41’s data. Our findings demonstrate the potential of UASs in capturing accurate high-resolution vertical temperature profiles. This work posits that UASs, with further refinements, could revolutionize atmospheric data collection. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:53:55Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-83a8b728f49941658fe7cc440b1a29c6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2504-446X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T16:53:55Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Drones |
| spelling | doaj.art-83a8b728f49941658fe7cc440b1a29c62023-11-24T14:38:03ZengMDPI AGDrones2504-446X2023-10-0171164510.3390/drones7110645Drone-Based Vertical Atmospheric Temperature Profiling in Urban EnvironmentsJokūbas Laukys0Bernardas Maršalka1Ignas Daugėla2Gintautas Stankūnavičius3Aerospace Data Center, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, LT-08217 Vilnius, LithuaniaAerospace Data Center, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, LT-08217 Vilnius, LithuaniaAerospace Data Center, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, LT-08217 Vilnius, LithuaniaInstitute of Geosciences, Vilnius University, LT-01513 Vilnius, LithuaniaThe accurate and detailed measurement of the vertical temperature, humidity, pressure, and wind profiles of the atmosphere is pivotal for high-resolution numerical weather prediction, the determination of atmospheric stability, as well as investigation of small-scale phenomena such as urban heat islands. Traditional approaches, such as weather balloons, have been indispensable but are constrained by cost, environmental impact, and data sparsity. In this article, we investigate uncrewed aerial systems (UASs) as an innovative platform for in situ atmospheric probing. By comparing data from a drone-mounted semiconductor temperature sensor (TMP117) with traditional radiosonde measurements, we spotlight the UAS-collected atmospheric data’s accuracy and such system suitability for atmospheric surface layer measurement. Our research encountered challenges linked with the inherent delays in achieving ambient temperature readings. However, by applying specific data processing techniques, including smoothing methodologies like the Savitzky–Golay filter, iterative smoothing, time shift, and Newton’s law of cooling, we have improved the data accuracy and consistency. In this article, 28 flights were examined and certain patterns between different methodologies and sensors were observed. Temperature differentials were assessed over a range of 100 m. The article highlights a notable accuracy achievement of 0.16 ± 0.014 °C with 95% confidence when applying Newton’s law of cooling in comparison to a radiosonde RS41’s data. Our findings demonstrate the potential of UASs in capturing accurate high-resolution vertical temperature profiles. This work posits that UASs, with further refinements, could revolutionize atmospheric data collection.https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/7/11/645temperature vertical profileUAStemperature inertiaurban boundary layerradiosonde sounding |
| spellingShingle | Jokūbas Laukys Bernardas Maršalka Ignas Daugėla Gintautas Stankūnavičius Drone-Based Vertical Atmospheric Temperature Profiling in Urban Environments Drones temperature vertical profile UAS temperature inertia urban boundary layer radiosonde sounding |
| title | Drone-Based Vertical Atmospheric Temperature Profiling in Urban Environments |
| title_full | Drone-Based Vertical Atmospheric Temperature Profiling in Urban Environments |
| title_fullStr | Drone-Based Vertical Atmospheric Temperature Profiling in Urban Environments |
| title_full_unstemmed | Drone-Based Vertical Atmospheric Temperature Profiling in Urban Environments |
| title_short | Drone-Based Vertical Atmospheric Temperature Profiling in Urban Environments |
| title_sort | drone based vertical atmospheric temperature profiling in urban environments |
| topic | temperature vertical profile UAS temperature inertia urban boundary layer radiosonde sounding |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/7/11/645 |
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