scholarly journals Distributed wind measurements with multiple quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicles in the atmospheric boundary layer

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 3795-3814
Author(s):  
Tamino Wetz ◽  
Norman Wildmann ◽  
Frank Beyrich
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Wind Speed ◽  
Atmospheric Boundary Layer ◽  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Horizontal Wind ◽  
Vertical Profiles ◽  
Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Wind Measurements ◽  
Quadrotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Abstract. In this study, a fleet of quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is presented as a system to measure the spatial distribution of atmospheric boundary layer flow. The big advantage of this approach is that multiple and flexible measurement points in space can be sampled synchronously. The algorithm to obtain horizontal wind speed and direction is designed for hovering flight phases and is based on the principle of aerodynamic drag and the related quadrotor dynamics. During the FESST@MOL campaign at the boundary layer field site (Grenzschichtmessfeld, GM) Falkenberg of the Lindenberg Meteorological Observatory – Richard Assmann Observatory (MOL-RAO), 76 calibration and validation flights were performed. The 99 m tower equipped with cup and sonic anemometers at the site is used as the reference for the calibration of the wind measurements. The validation with an independent dataset against the tower anemometers reveals that an average accuracy of σrms<0.3 m s−1 for the wind speed and σrms,ψ<8∘ for the wind direction was achieved. Furthermore, we compare the spatial distribution of wind measurements with the fleet of quadrotors to the tower vertical profiles and Doppler wind lidar scans. We show that the observed shear in the vertical profiles matches well with the tower and the fluctuations on short timescales agree between the systems. Flow structures that appear in the time series of a line-of-sight measurement and a two-dimensional vertical scan of the lidar can be observed with the fleet of quadrotors and are even sampled with a higher resolution than the deployed lidar can provide.

Distributed wind measurements with multiple quadrotor UAVs in the atmospheric boundary layer

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamino Wetz ◽  
Norman Wildmann ◽  
Frank Beyrich
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Wind Speed ◽  
Atmospheric Boundary Layer ◽  
Horizontal Wind ◽  
Vertical Profiles ◽  
Sonic Anemometers ◽  
Meteorological Observatory ◽  
Wind Measurements ◽  
Quadrotor Uavs

&lt;p&gt;A swarm of quadrotor UAVs is presented as a system to measure the spatial distribution of atmospheric boundary layer flow. The big advantage of this approach is, that multiple and flexible measurement points in space can be sampled synchronously. The algorithm to obtain horizontal wind speed and direction is designed for hovering flight phases and is based on the principle of aerodynamic drag and the related quadrotor dynamics using only on-board sensors.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;During the FESST@MOL campaign at the Boundary Layer Field Site (Grenzschichtmessfeld, GM) Falkenberg of the Lindenberg Meteorological Observatory - Richard-A&amp;#223;mann-Observatory (MOL-RAO), 76 calibration and validation flights were performed. The 99 m tower equipped with cup and sonic anemometers at the site is used as the reference for the calibration of the wind measurements. The validation with an independent dataset against the tower anemometers reveals that an average accuracy of &amp;#963;&lt;sub&gt;rms &lt;/sub&gt;&lt; 0.3 m s&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt; for the wind speed and &amp;#963;&lt;sub&gt;rms&lt;/sub&gt;,&lt;sub&gt;&amp;#936;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt;sub&gt;&lt;/sub&gt;&lt; 8&amp;#176; for the wind direction was achieved.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Furthermore, we compare the spatial distribution of wind measurements with the swarm to the tower vertical profiles and Doppler wind lidar scans. We show that the observed shear in the vertical profiles matches well with the tower and the fluctuations on short time scales agree between the systems. Flow structures that appear in the time series of a line-of-sight measurement and a two-dimensional vertical scan of the lidar can be observed with the swarm and are even sampled with a higher resolution than the deployed lidar can provide.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In addition to the intercomparison of the mean wind velocity measurements, turbulence data of the UAV-swarm measurements are analyzed and a comparison to sonic anemometer measurements is provided.&lt;/p&gt;

scholarly journals APPLICATION OF UNMANNED AIRCRAFT FOR STUDYING OF THE ATMOSPHERIC BOUNDARY LAYER

2020 ◽  
pp. 20-39
Author(s):  
I.A. Repina ◽  
M.I. Varentsov ◽  
D.G. Chechin ◽  
A.Yu. Artamonov ◽  
N.E. Bodunkov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Atmospheric Boundary Layer ◽  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Unmanned Aircraft ◽  
Measuring Systems ◽  
Atmospheric Physics ◽  
Obukhov Institute ◽  
Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Measurement Campaigns

The article is devoted to various aspects of the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) for the study of the atmospheric boundary layer. The characteristics of the atmospheric boundary layer, measured using the UAV, are considered. The types of devices and measuring systems used are presented. The characteristics of measuring systems installed on a fixed-wing aircraft and copter UAVs developed in the A.M. Obukhov Institute of Atmospheric Physics RAS (IAP RAS) are presented. A brief overview of a number of the IAP RAS measurement campaigns is given. The prospects of using UAV in meteorology and atmospheric physics are considered

An analytical model for dispersion of pollutants from a continuous source in the atmospheric boundary layer

2009 ◽  
Vol 466 (2114) ◽  
pp. 383-406 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pramod Kumar ◽  
Maithili Sharan
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Wind Speed ◽  
Atmospheric Boundary Layer ◽  
Analytical Model ◽  
Eddy Diffusivity ◽  
Horizontal Wind ◽  
Advection Diffusion Equation ◽  
Special Cases ◽  
Vertical Height ◽  
Continuous Source

For the dispersion of a pollutant released from a continuous source in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL), a generalized analytical model describing the crosswind-integrated concentrations is presented. An analytical scheme is described to solve the resulting two-dimensional steady-state advection–diffusion equation for horizontal wind speed as a generalized function of vertical height above the ground and eddy diffusivity as a function of both downwind distance from the source and vertical height. Special cases of this model are deduced and an extensive analysis is carried out to compare the model with the known analytical models by taking the particular forms of wind speed and vertical eddy diffusivity. The proposed model is evaluated with the observations obtained from Copenhagen diffusion experiments in unstable conditions and Hanford and Prairie Grass experiments in stable conditions. In evaluation of the model, a recently proposed formulation for the wind speed in the entire ABL is used. It is concluded that the present model is performing well with the observations and can be used to predict the short-range dispersion from a continuous release. Further, it is shown that the accurate parameterizations of wind speed and eddy diffusivity provide a significant improvement in the agreement between computed and observed concentrations.

scholarly journals Dust aerosol radiative effect and influence on urban atmospheric boundary layer

2007 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 15565-15580 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Zhang ◽  
M. Chen ◽  
L. Li
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Wind Speed ◽  
Atmospheric Boundary Layer ◽  
Dust Aerosol ◽  
Horizontal Wind ◽  
Transfer Model ◽  
Radiative Effect ◽  
Horizontal Wind Speed ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Aerosol Radiative

Abstract. An 1.5-level-closure and 3-D non-stationary atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) model and a radiation transfer model with the output of Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) Model and lidar AML-1 are employed to simulate the dust aerosol radiative effect and its influence on ABL in Beijing for the period of 23–26 January 2002 when a dust storm occurred. The simulation shows that daytime dust aerosol radiative effect heats up the ABL at the mean rate of about 0.68 K/h. The horizontal wind speed from ground to 900 m layer is also overall increased, and the value changes about 0.01 m/s at 14:00 LT near the ground. At night, the dust aerosol radiative effect cools the ABL at the mean rate of −0.21 K/h and the wind speed lowers down at about −0.19 m/s at 02:00 LT near the ground.

scholarly journals Distributed wind measurements with multiple quadrotor UAVs in the atmospheric boundary layer

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamino Wetz ◽  
Norman Wildmann ◽  
Frank Beyrich
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Atmospheric Boundary Layer ◽  
Aerodynamic Drag ◽  
Horizontal Wind ◽  
Horizontal Wind Speed ◽  
Sonic Anemometers ◽  
Meteorological Observatory ◽  
Wind Measurements ◽  
Quadrotor Uavs ◽  
Layer Flow

Abstract. In this study, a swarm of quadrotor UAVs is presented as a system to measure the spatial distribution of atmospheric boundary layer flow. The big advantage of this approach is, that multiple and flexible measurement points in space can be sampled synchronously. The algorithm to obtain horizontal wind speed and direction is designed for hovering flight phases and is based on the principle of aerodynamic drag and the related quadrotor dynamics. During the FESST@MOL campaign at the Boundary Layer Field Site (Grenzschichtmessfeld, GM) Falkenberg of the Lindenberg Meteorological Observatory - Richard-Aßmann-Observatory (MOL-RAO), 76 calibration and validation flights were performed. The 99 m tower equipped with cup and sonic anemometers at the site is used as the reference for the calibration of the wind measurements. The validation with an independent dataset against the tower anemometers reveals that an average accuracy, regarding the root mean square deviation, of σrms

scholarly journals Using Ship-Deployed High-Endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for the Study of Ocean Surface and Atmospheric Boundary Layer Processes

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott M. Brown ◽  
Christopher J. Zappa ◽  
Nathan J. M. Laxague ◽  
Tejendra Dhakal ◽  
Ryan A. Harris ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Atmospheric Boundary Layer ◽  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ◽  
Ocean Surface ◽  
Radiation Budget ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Aerial Vehicles ◽  
New Instruments

&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are proving to be an important modern sensing platform that supplement the sensing capabilities from platforms such as satellites, aircraft, research vessels, moorings, and gliders. UAVs, like satellites and aircraft can provide a synoptic view of a relatively large area. However, the coarse resolution provided by satellites and the operational limitations of manned aircraft has motivated the development of unmanned systems. UAVs offer unparalleled flexibility of tasking; for example, low altitude flight and slow airspeed allow for the characterization of a wide variety of geophysical phenomena at the ocean surface and in the marine atmospheric boundary layer. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;Here, we present the development of cutting-edge payload instrumentation for UAVs that provides a new capability for ship-deployed operations to capture a unique, high resolution spatial and temporal variability of the changing air-sea interaction processes than was previously possible. The modular design of the base payload means that new instruments can be incorporated into new research proposals that may include new instruments for expanded use of the payloads as a long-term research facility. Additionally, we implement a novel capability for vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) from research vessels. This VTOL capability is safer and requires less logistical support than previous ship-deployed systems. Furthermore, these VTOL UAV systems have 15-hour endurance with 15-lb payloads, fully autonomous take-off, flight, and landing from ships, and high-bandwidth data telemetry (100 Mbits/s over 50+ nm range) for real-time mission control and provide for our &amp;#8220;eyes over the horizon.&amp;#8221; The payloads developed include thermal infrared, visible broadband and hyperspectral, and near-infrared hyperspectral high-resolution imaging. Additional capabilities include quantification of the longwave and shortwave hemispheric radiation budget (up- and down-welling) as well as direct air-sea turbulent fluxes. Finally, a UAV-deployed dropsonde-microbuoy was developed in order to profile the temperature, pressure and humidity of the atmosphere and the temperature and salinity of the near-surface ocean.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt; These technological advancements provide the next generation of instrumentation capability for UAVs. We present on the results of 3 case studies in the South Pacific near Fiji, including measurements characterizing meso-scale ocean SST fronts, trichodesmium blooms, and floating pumice rafts from a recent undersea volcanic eruption near Tonga. When deployed from research vessels, these UAVs will provide a transformational science prism unequaled using 1-D data snapshots from ships or moorings alone.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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