The What System: a new digitized radiosonde and double theodolite balloon tracking system for atmospheric boundary layer investigations
From American Chemical Society 2nd joint conference on sensing of environmental pollutants; Washington, District of Columbia, USA (10 Dec 1973). A semiautomatic system for obtaining measurements of wind and temperature through the lower several kilometers of the atmosphere with improved resolution and accuracy was developed. Two manually operated theodolites were equipped with highresolution, pulse-type shaft encoders directly coupled to the elevation and azimuth axes of each instrument. Associated digital electronic and incremental tape equipment automatically records the four sighting angles in computer compatible form at preset intervals, as often as once each second. Balloons tracked for winds also carry transistorized radiosonde transmitters whose continuous temperature signals are recorded on the incremental tape along with the tracking data. A computer program subsequently averages several successive sets of sighting angles to smooth operator tracking errors, and calculates average winds, heights, and temperatures (hence the acronym), typically over periods of 10 to 20 seconds or through atmospheric layers 25 to 50 m thick. The system is fully portable and can be operated with storage batteries in the field. (auth)
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Lab., Ill. (USA)
- NSA Number:
- NSA-29-007423
- OSTI ID:
- 4390922
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-731205-1
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: American Chemical Society 2nd joint conference on sensing of environmental pollutants, Washington, District of Columbia, USA, 10 Dec 1973; Other Information: Orig. Receipt Date: 30-JUN-74
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Inexpensive multichannel digital data acquisition system for a meteorological radiosonde
ARM Radiosondes for National Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project Validation Field Campaign Report