Abstract
Small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) are rapidly transforming atmospheric research. With the advancement of the development and application of these systems, improving knowledge of best practices for accurate measurement is critical for achieving scientific goals. We present results from an intercomparison of atmospheric measurement data from the Lower Atmospheric Process Studies at Elevation—a Remotely piloted Aircraft Team Experiment (LAPSE-RATE) field campaign. We evaluate a total of 38 individual sUAS with 23 unique sensor and platform configurations using a meteorological tower for reference measurements. We assess precision, bias, and time response of sUAS measurements of temperature, humidity, pressure, wind speed, and wind direction. Most sUAS measurements show broad agreement with the reference, particularly temperature and wind speed, with mean value differences of 1.6 C and 0.22 m/s for all sUAS, respectively. sUAS platform and sensor configurations were found to contribute significantly to measurement accuracy. Sensor configurations, which included proper aspiration and radiation shielding of sensors, were found to provide the most accurate thermodynamic measurements (temperature and relative humidity), whereas sonic anemometers on multirotor platforms provided the most accurate wind measurements (horizontal speed and direction). We contribute both a characterization and assessment of sUAS for measuring atmospheric parameters, and identify important challenges and opportunities for improving scientific measurements with sUAS.
Highlights
Small unmanned aircraft systems are transforming the paradigm of atmospheric research.Their importance for meteorological studies has been highlighted in several recent reports [1,2], and their ability to contribute high quality measurements across spatial and temporal domains is unequivocal [3]
The majority of the intercomparison analyses presented here are from each Small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) intercomparison flight using the Mobile UAS Research Collaboratory (MURC) data as a consistent reference
Humidity is presented as relative humidity, RH, as this is the common sensor output quantity for RH
Summary
Small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) are transforming the paradigm of atmospheric research.Their importance for meteorological studies has been highlighted in several recent reports [1,2], and their ability to contribute high quality measurements across spatial and temporal domains is unequivocal [3]. A main benefit of sUAS is their ability to operate in airspaces or situations that are too difficult or hazardous for manned aircraft [7] such as in and around thunderstorms [8], active volcanoes [9], or chemical plumes Since they are more maneuverable than other types of platforms, they are able to sample portions of the atmosphere that have previously been either limited in observation or inaccessible through traditional monitoring methods such as meteorological towers, weather balloons, or satellites. They permit the capture of atmospheric variables and data at finer spatial and temporal scales compared to other measurement technologies, and often at lower cost, allowing enhanced investigations of boundary layer processes. SUAS are providing critical information on the vertical and horizontal structure and variability of the atmosphere, which in turn is spurring new areas of engineering and science related to the development, deployment, and application of these systems for atmospheric studies
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