Abstract
Abstract Balloons are one of the key observing platforms for the atmosphere. Radiosounding is the most commonly used technique and provides over a thousand vertical profiles worldwide every day. These data represent an essential cornerstone of data assimilation for numerical weather prediction systems. Although less common (but equally interesting for the in situ investigation of the atmosphere), drifting boundary layer pressurized balloons (BLPBs) offer rare observational skills. These balloons collect meteorological and/or chemical measurements at isopycnal height as they drift in a quasi-Lagrangian way. The BLPB system presented in this paper was developed by the French Space Agency [Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES)] and has been used in field experiments focusing on precipitation in Africa [African Monsoon Multiscale Analysis (AMMA)] and the Mediterranean [Hydrological Cycle in the Mediterranean Experiment (HyMeX)] as well as on air pollution in India [Indian Ocean Experiment (INDOEX)] and the Mediterranean [Transport a Longue Distance et Qualite de l’Air dans le bassin Méditerraneen (TRAQA) and Chemistry–Aerosol Mediterranean Experiment (ChArMeX)]. One important advantage of BLPBs is their capability to explore the lowest layers of the atmosphere above the oceans, areas that remain difficult to access. BLPB had a leading role in a complex adaptive observation system for the forecast of severe precipitation events. These balloons collected data in the marine environment of convective systems, which were assimilated in real time to improve the knowledge of the state of the atmosphere in the numerical prediction models of Météo-France.
Highlights
HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not
The scope is to highlight the scientific interest of these planetary boundary layer (PBL) balloons including typical or novel scientific missions and to show examples of field campaigns that have taken place in the last 20 years
Despite the fact that we focus on campaigns that, balloonwise, employed the strict use of CNES PBL balloons, other similar experiments carried out by other balloon agencies cannot be overlooked
Summary
Monitoring the low-level flow above Indian Ocean to study pollutant drift offshore India (Ethé et al 2002). Monitoring of the low-level flow above Indian Ocean to study convection variability in relation with MJO (Duvel et al 2009). Despite the fact that we focus on campaigns that, balloonwise, employed the strict use of CNES PBL balloons, other similar experiments carried out by other balloon agencies cannot be overlooked. Various scientific missions and data usages are presented to illustrate the capabilities of the CNES low-level constant-volume balloons. At this stage, the in-flight behavior of the balloons will be discussed. The latter is used to reach higher altitudes (from 2,000 to 3,300 m) and
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