Driftsondes: Providing In Situ Long-Duration Dropsonde Observations over Remote Regions

• Published in: Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society
• Main Authors: Stephen A., Cohn, Terry, Hock, Philippe, Cocquerez, Junhong, Wang, Florence, Rabier, David, Parsons, Patrick, Harr, Chun-Chieh, Wu, Philippe, Drobinski, Fatima, Karbou, Stéphanie, Vénel, André, Vargas, Nadia, Fourrié, Nathalie, Saint-Ramond, Vincent, Guidard, Alexis, Doerenbecher, Huang-Hsiung, Hsu, Po-Hsiung, Lin, Ming-Dah, Chou, Jean-Luc, Redelsperger, Charlie, Martin, Jack, Fox, Nick, Potts, Kathryn, Young, Hal, Cole
• Other Authors: National Center for Atmospheric Research Boulder (NCAR), Centre National d'Études Spatiales Toulouse (CNES), Centre national de recherches météorologiques (CNRM), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales Toulouse (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales Toulouse (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), University of Oklahoma (OU), Naval Postgraduate School, National Taiwan University Taiwan (NTU), École polytechnique (X), Research Center for Environmental Changes Taipei, Academia Sinica, National Central University Chungli, Laboratoire de physique des océans (LPO), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER)-Université de Brest (UBO)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2013
• Subjects: [SDU.STU.OC]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Oceanography; [SDU.OCEAN]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Ocean; Atmosphere; Antarctic; Antarc*
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-01153825; https://hal.science/hal-01153825/document; https://hal.science/hal-01153825/file/%5B15200477%20-%20Bulletin%20of%20the%20American%20Meteorological%20Society%5D%20Driftsondes%20Providing%20In%20Situ%20Long-Duration%20Dropsonde%20Observations%20over%20Remote%20Regions.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-12-00075.1

International audience Constellations of driftsonde systems— gondolas floating in the stratosphere and able to release dropsondes upon command— have so far been used in three major field experiments from 2006 through 2010. With them, high-quality, high-resolution, in situ atmospheric profiles were made over extended periods in regions that are otherwise very difficult to observe. The measurements have unique value for verifying and evaluating numerical weather prediction models and global data assimilation systems; they can be a valuable resource to validate data from remote sensing instruments, especially on satellites, but also airborne or ground-based remote sensors. These applications for models and remote sensors result in a powerful combination for improving data assimilation systems. Driftsondes also can support process studies in otherwise difficult locations—for example, to study factors that control the development or decay of a tropical disturbance, or to investigate the lower boundary layer over the interior Antarctic continent. The driftsonde system is now a mature and robust observing system that can be combined with flight-level data to conduct multidisciplinary research at heights well above that reached by current research aircraft. In this article we describe the development and capabilities of the driftsonde system, the exemplary science resulting from its use to date, and some future applications.