Balloons and Quadcopters: Intercomparison of Two Low-Cost Wind Profiling Methods
Experimental field campaigns are an essential part of atmospheric research, as well as of university education in the field of atmospheric physics and meteorology. Experimental field observations are needed to improve the understanding of the surface-atmosphere interaction and atmospheric boundary l...
Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
---|---|
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
MDPI AG
2021-03-01
|
Series: | Atmosphere |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/12/3/380 |
id |
doaj-0cef80f353fb47f099b6ac068a9cb298 |
---|---|
record_format |
Article |
spelling |
doaj-0cef80f353fb47f099b6ac068a9cb2982021-03-15T00:02:37ZengMDPI AGAtmosphere2073-44332021-03-011238038010.3390/atmos12030380Balloons and Quadcopters: Intercomparison of Two Low-Cost Wind Profiling MethodsMikhail Varentsov0Victor Stepanenko1Irina Repina2Arseniy Artamonov3Vasiliy Bogomolov4Natalia Kuksova5Ekaterina Marchuk6Artem Pashkin7Alexander Varentsov8Research Computing Center, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1/4 Leninskie Gory, 119234 Moscow, RussiaResearch Computing Center, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1/4 Leninskie Gory, 119234 Moscow, RussiaResearch Computing Center, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1/4 Leninskie Gory, 119234 Moscow, RussiaA.M. Obukhov Institute of Atmospheric Physics Russian Academy of Sciences, 3 Pyzhyovskiy Pereulok, 119017 Moscow, RussiaMoscow Center for Fundamental and Applied Mathematics, GSP-1, Leninskie Gory, 119991 Moscow, RussiaFaculty of Geography, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1 Leninskie Gory, 119991 Moscow, RussiaA.M. Obukhov Institute of Atmospheric Physics Russian Academy of Sciences, 3 Pyzhyovskiy Pereulok, 119017 Moscow, RussiaA.M. Obukhov Institute of Atmospheric Physics Russian Academy of Sciences, 3 Pyzhyovskiy Pereulok, 119017 Moscow, RussiaResearch Computing Center, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1/4 Leninskie Gory, 119234 Moscow, RussiaExperimental field campaigns are an essential part of atmospheric research, as well as of university education in the field of atmospheric physics and meteorology. Experimental field observations are needed to improve the understanding of the surface-atmosphere interaction and atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) physics and develop corresponding model parameterizations. Information on the ABL wind profiles is essential for the interpretation of other observations. However, wind profile measurements above the surface layer remain challenging and expensive, especially for the field campaigns performed in remote places and harsh conditions. In this study, we consider the experience of using two low-cost methods for the wind profiling, which may be easily applied in the field studies with modest demands on logistical opportunities, available infrastructure, and budget. The first one is a classical and well-known method of pilot balloon sounding, i.e., when balloon is treated as a Lagrangian particle and tracked by theodolite observations of angular coordinates. Second one is based on a vertical sounding with a popular and relatively cheap mass-market quadcopter DJI Phantom 4 Pro and utilizes its built-in opportunity to restore the wind vector from quadcopter tilt angles. Both methods demonstrated reasonable agreement and applicability even in harsh weather conditions and complex terrain. Advantages and shortcomings of these methods, as well as practical recommendations for their use are discussed. For the drone-based wind estimation, the importance of calibration by comparison to high-quality wind observations is shown.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/12/3/380wind speedwind profilingatmospheric boundary layerUAVquadcopterdrone |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Mikhail Varentsov Victor Stepanenko Irina Repina Arseniy Artamonov Vasiliy Bogomolov Natalia Kuksova Ekaterina Marchuk Artem Pashkin Alexander Varentsov |
spellingShingle |
Mikhail Varentsov Victor Stepanenko Irina Repina Arseniy Artamonov Vasiliy Bogomolov Natalia Kuksova Ekaterina Marchuk Artem Pashkin Alexander Varentsov Balloons and Quadcopters: Intercomparison of Two Low-Cost Wind Profiling Methods Atmosphere wind speed wind profiling atmospheric boundary layer UAV quadcopter drone |
author_facet |
Mikhail Varentsov Victor Stepanenko Irina Repina Arseniy Artamonov Vasiliy Bogomolov Natalia Kuksova Ekaterina Marchuk Artem Pashkin Alexander Varentsov |
author_sort |
Mikhail Varentsov |
title |
Balloons and Quadcopters: Intercomparison of Two Low-Cost Wind Profiling Methods |
title_short |
Balloons and Quadcopters: Intercomparison of Two Low-Cost Wind Profiling Methods |
title_full |
Balloons and Quadcopters: Intercomparison of Two Low-Cost Wind Profiling Methods |
title_fullStr |
Balloons and Quadcopters: Intercomparison of Two Low-Cost Wind Profiling Methods |
title_full_unstemmed |
Balloons and Quadcopters: Intercomparison of Two Low-Cost Wind Profiling Methods |
title_sort |
balloons and quadcopters: intercomparison of two low-cost wind profiling methods |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
Atmosphere |
issn |
2073-4433 |
publishDate |
2021-03-01 |
description |
Experimental field campaigns are an essential part of atmospheric research, as well as of university education in the field of atmospheric physics and meteorology. Experimental field observations are needed to improve the understanding of the surface-atmosphere interaction and atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) physics and develop corresponding model parameterizations. Information on the ABL wind profiles is essential for the interpretation of other observations. However, wind profile measurements above the surface layer remain challenging and expensive, especially for the field campaigns performed in remote places and harsh conditions. In this study, we consider the experience of using two low-cost methods for the wind profiling, which may be easily applied in the field studies with modest demands on logistical opportunities, available infrastructure, and budget. The first one is a classical and well-known method of pilot balloon sounding, i.e., when balloon is treated as a Lagrangian particle and tracked by theodolite observations of angular coordinates. Second one is based on a vertical sounding with a popular and relatively cheap mass-market quadcopter DJI Phantom 4 Pro and utilizes its built-in opportunity to restore the wind vector from quadcopter tilt angles. Both methods demonstrated reasonable agreement and applicability even in harsh weather conditions and complex terrain. Advantages and shortcomings of these methods, as well as practical recommendations for their use are discussed. For the drone-based wind estimation, the importance of calibration by comparison to high-quality wind observations is shown. |
topic |
wind speed wind profiling atmospheric boundary layer UAV quadcopter drone |
url |
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/12/3/380 |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT mikhailvarentsov balloonsandquadcoptersintercomparisonoftwolowcostwindprofilingmethods AT victorstepanenko balloonsandquadcoptersintercomparisonoftwolowcostwindprofilingmethods AT irinarepina balloonsandquadcoptersintercomparisonoftwolowcostwindprofilingmethods AT arseniyartamonov balloonsandquadcoptersintercomparisonoftwolowcostwindprofilingmethods AT vasiliybogomolov balloonsandquadcoptersintercomparisonoftwolowcostwindprofilingmethods AT nataliakuksova balloonsandquadcoptersintercomparisonoftwolowcostwindprofilingmethods AT ekaterinamarchuk balloonsandquadcoptersintercomparisonoftwolowcostwindprofilingmethods AT artempashkin balloonsandquadcoptersintercomparisonoftwolowcostwindprofilingmethods AT alexandervarentsov balloonsandquadcoptersintercomparisonoftwolowcostwindprofilingmethods |
_version_ |
1724221147696857088 |