Drones offer alternative to balloons for weather research
Summary
Weather research often relies on balloons to collect data, but drones provide a new option. A US company, Meteomatics, developed Meteobase, a system that uses drones launched from a ground station to gather weather information at different heights and send it to scientists.Key Facts
- Weather occurs mainly in the boundary layer, the part of the atmosphere close to the ground.
- Traditional weather balloons are used daily to collect weather data but rely on helium and wind direction.
- Meteomatics created Meteobase, a weather-resistant ground base that automatically launches and recovers a drone.
- The drone flies a set route to gather data at various heights and returns to recharge and upload data.
- Meteobase can perform multiple flights per day to track changing conditions like fog or weather fronts.
- Using drones may reduce the cost and effort compared to launching weather balloons.
- Weather balloons have been used since the 1930s and are sometimes confused with UFOs.
- The new drones may also attract attention because of their lights, similar to those balloon sightings.
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