Abstract
In atmospheric science, measurements above the surface have long been obtained by carrying instrument packages, radiosondes, aloft using balloons. Whilst occasionally used for research, most radiosondes – around one thousand are released daily – only generate data for routine weather forecasting. If meteorological radiosondes are modified to carry additional sensors, of either mass-produced commercial heritage or designed for a specific scientific application, a wide range of new measurements becomes possible. Development of add-on devices for standard radiosondes, whilst retaining the core meteorological use, is described here. Combining diverse sensors on a single radiosonde helps interpretation of findings, and yields economy of equipment, consumables and effort. A self-configuring system has been developed to allow different sensors to be easily combined, enhancing existing weather balloons and providing an emergency monitoring capability for airborne hazards. This research programme was originally pursued to investigate electrical properties of extensive layer clouds, and has expanded to include a wide range of balloon-carried sensors for solar radiation, cloud, turbulence, volcanic ash, radioactivity and space weather. For the layer cloud charge application, multiple soundings in both hemispheres have established that charging of extensive layer clouds is widespread, and likely to be a global phenomenon. This paper summarises the Christiaan Huygens medal lecture given at the 2021 European Geoscience Union meeting.
Highlights
Introduction and scientific motivationThis paper is based on material presented in my Christiaan Huygens medal lecture at the 2021 meeting of the European Geosciences Union
This paper describes the principles of the measurement technology (Sect. 2) and the application to extensive layer clouds (Sect. 3), and reviews the applications beyond atmospheric electricity, to radioactivity, space weather, turbulence, dust electrification and optical cloud detection
Additional measurements can readily be obtained at low cost if standard radiosondes are suitably modified, ensuring that the core meteorological data are unaffected
Summary
This paper is based on material presented in my Christiaan Huygens medal lecture at the 2021 meeting of the European Geosciences Union. A degree of good fortune: opportunities for exploring the natural word”. This title was inspired by Christiaan Huygens’ own words reflecting on scientific progress in 1687:. This paper describes some attempts to confront this and other challenges in exploring electrical properties of the lower atmosphere, with a particular focus on measuring the electric charge associated with extensive layer clouds. Progress in making related instruments and measurements is described here, with co-workers at the University of Reading. This programme has applied modern electronic methods to one of the oldest experimental topics in atmospheric science. To provide context and motivation with which to close this introductory section, early historical developments in atmospheric electricity and electrostatics are briefly described, followed by outlining the scientific questions around the possible relationship between space weather, ionisation and clouds
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