Observations of the atmosphere and surface state over Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica, using unmanned aerial systems

In September 2012 five Aerosonde unmanned aircraft were used to make measurements of the atmospheric state over the Terra Nova Bay polynya, Antarctica, to explore the details of air–sea ice–ocean coupling. A total of 14 flights were completed in September 2012. Ten of the flight missions consisted o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Earth System Science Data
Main Authors: J. J. Cassano, M. W. Seefeldt, S. Palo, S. L. Knuth, A. C. Bradley, P. D. Herrman, P. A. Kernebone, N. J. Logan
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Copernicus Publications 2016
Subjects:
Environmental sciences
GE1-350
Geology
QE1-996.5
Antarctic
McMurdo Station
Ross Ice Shelf
Ross Sea
Terra Nova Bay
Antarc*
Antarctica
Ice Shelf
Sea ice
United States Antarctic Program
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-8-115-2016
https://doaj.org/article/fe9b9d19af9a48deb5841e453d3fe26c
Description
Summary:In September 2012 five Aerosonde unmanned aircraft were used to make measurements of the atmospheric state over the Terra Nova Bay polynya, Antarctica, to explore the details of air–sea ice–ocean coupling. A total of 14 flights were completed in September 2012. Ten of the flight missions consisted of two unmanned aerial systems (UAS) sampling the atmosphere over Terra Nova Bay on 5 different days, with one UAS focusing on the downwind evolution of the air mass and a second UAS flying transects roughly perpendicular to the low-level winds. The data from these coordinated UAS flights provide a comprehensive three-dimensional data set of the atmospheric state (air temperature, humidity, pressure, and wind) and surface skin temperature over Terra Nova Bay. The remaining UAS flights during the September 2012 field campaign included two local flights near McMurdo Station for flight testing, a single UAS flight to Terra Nova Bay, and a single UAS flight over the Ross Ice Shelf and Ross Sea polynya. A data set containing the atmospheric and surface data as well as operational aircraft data have been submitted to the United States Antarctic Program Data Coordination Center (USAP-DCC, http://www.usap-data.org/ ) for free access ( http://gcmd.nasa.gov/getdif.htm?NSF-ANT10-43657 , doi:10.15784/600125 ).

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