Hervo, M.; Romanens, G.; Martucci, G.; Weusthoff, T.; Haefele, A. Evaluation of an Automatic Meteorological Drone Based on a 6-Month Measurement Campaign. Atmosphere2023, 14, 1382.
Hervo, M.; Romanens, G.; Martucci, G.; Weusthoff, T.; Haefele, A. Evaluation of an Automatic Meteorological Drone Based on a 6-Month Measurement Campaign. Atmosphere 2023, 14, 1382.
Hervo, M.; Romanens, G.; Martucci, G.; Weusthoff, T.; Haefele, A. Evaluation of an Automatic Meteorological Drone Based on a 6-Month Measurement Campaign. Atmosphere2023, 14, 1382.
Hervo, M.; Romanens, G.; Martucci, G.; Weusthoff, T.; Haefele, A. Evaluation of an Automatic Meteorological Drone Based on a 6-Month Measurement Campaign. Atmosphere 2023, 14, 1382.
Abstract
From December 2021 to May 2022, MeteoSwiss and Meteomatics conducted a proof of concept to demonstrate the capability of Meteodrones to provide data of sufficient quality and reliability on a routine operational basis. Over 6 months, Meteodrones MM-670 were operated automati-cally 8 times per night at Payerne, Switzerland. 864 meteorological profiles were measured and compared to co-located standard measurements including radiosoundings and remote-sensing instruments. To our knowledge, it is the first time that Meteodrone’s atmospheric profiles are evaluated in such an extensive campaign. The paper highlights two case studies that showcase the performance and challenges of measur-ing temperature, humidity, and wind with a Meteodrone. It also focuses on the overall quality of the drone measurements. Throughout the campaign, the availability of Meteodrone measure-ments was 75.7%, with 82.2% of the flights reaching the nominal altitude of 2000m above sea level. To assess the quality of the Meteodrone measurements, the radiosondes were used as a refer-ence, comparing them to the WMO (World Meteorological Organization) requirements [1]. The temperature measurements by the Meteodrone met the "breakthrough" target, while the humid-ity and wind profiles met the "threshold" target for high-resolution numerical weather predic-tion. The temperature measurement quality was comparable to that of a microwave radiometer, and the humidity quality was similar to that obtained from a Raman Lidar. However, the wind measurements by a Doppler Lidar were more accurate than the estimation provided by the Me-teodrone. During this campaign, the data quality could be improved and at the end of the campaign, Me-teodrone quality reached the “goal” target for temperature and the “breakthrough” target for humidity. This campaign marks a significant step towards the operational use of automatic drones for me-teorological applications.
Environmental and Earth Sciences, Atmospheric Science and Meteorology
Copyright:
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