Abstract
A thermal wake occurs when a high altitude balloon (HAB) influences and changes the surrounding ambient atmospheric temperature of the air through which it passes. This effect warms the air below the balloon to greater than the ambient temperatures during daytime flights, and cooler than ambient temperatures during nighttime flights. The total solar eclipse of August 21st, 2017, provided us with an opportunity to study these balloon induced temperature transitions from daytime, to eclipsed induced night conditions over the scale of a single flight. To measure these transitions, St. Catherine University and the University of Minnesota, Morris, flew over 40 temperature sensors suspended beneath weather balloons ascending within the path of totality. Stratospheric temperature data collected during the eclipse show evidence of both daytime and nighttime wake temperature profiles.
Highlights
The total solar eclipse of August 21st, 2017, (Figure 1) provided researchers with an opportunity to investigate atmospheric based changes on the earth and above while the moon shadowed the earth
The opportunity to utilize our experience measuring stratospheric temperatures was an exciting proposition for us, and this paper presents data showing how the thermal wake of ascending high altitude balloon (HAB) changed as the Moon shadowed the Earth
The data show an increasing thermal wake effect as the balloon ascends in altitude into the nighttime stratosphere; the wake effect is not present in the 9km data but increases as the balloon ascends to 30.5 km, showing an approximately 3 °C lower temperature in the center region of the boom arm, 0 cm to ±40 cm, and warming as one moves outward horizontally along the boom arm
Summary
The total solar eclipse of August 21st, 2017, (Figure 1) provided researchers with an opportunity to investigate atmospheric based changes on the earth and above while the moon shadowed the earth. Building upon St. Catherine University’s experience [1,2,3,4,5] investigating the thermal wake effect of ascending HABs, and inspired by the possibility to observe stratospheric thermal changes during totality, St. Catherine University prepared to study thermal transitions in the stratosphere during the solar eclipse event. The opportunity to utilize our experience measuring stratospheric temperatures was an exciting proposition for us, and this paper presents data showing how the thermal wake of ascending HABs changed as the Moon shadowed the Earth.
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