UAS as a Support for Atmospheric Aerosols Research: Case Study

Chiliński, Michał T.; Markowicz, Krzysztof M.; Kubicki, Marek

doi:10.1007/s00024-018-1767-3

Cited by 41 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…± 0.2 µg BC m −3 at a response time of 1 Hz. The effects of meteorological conditions (sensitivity to temperature and humidity changes) on the instrument's readings and artefacts were characterised on different types of airborne platforms (e.g., Ferrero et al, 2014;Ran et al, 2016;Chiliński et al, 2018) and will be further validated with the observations.…”

Section: Aethalometer For Detecting the Bc Mass Concentrationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Vertical Variability of Black Carbon Observed in the Atmospheric Boundary Layer during DACCIWA

Altstädter¹,

Deetz²,

Vogel³

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Abstract. The vertical variability of the black carbon (BC) mass concentration in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) is analysed during the West-African Monsoon (WAM) season. BC was measured with a micro aethalometer (model AE51, AethLabs) integrated in the payload bay of the unmanned research aircraft ALADINA (Application of Light-weight Aircraft for Detecting IN situ Aerosol) as part of the field experiment of the DACCIWA (Dynamics-Aerosol-Chemistry-Cloud Interactions in West Africa) project. In total, 53 measurement flights were performed at the local airfield of Save, Benin, in the period of 2–16 July 2016. The mean results show a high variability of BC (1.79 to 2.42 ± 0.31 μg/m3) influenced by the stratification of the ABL during the WAM. The model COSMO-ART (Consortium for Small-scale Modelling–Aerosols and Reactive Trace gases) was applied for the field campaign period and used in order to investigate possible sources of the measured BC. The model output was compared with the BC data on two selected measurement days (14 and 15 July 2016). The modeled vertical profiles of BC show that the observed BC was already altered, as the size was mainly dominated by the accumulation mode. Further, the calculated vertical transects of wind speed and BC showed that the measured BC layer was transported from the south with maritime inflow, but was mixed vertically after to the onset of the nocturnal low-level jet (NLLJ) at the measurement site. The validations and the ground observations of gas concentrations NOx and CO confirm that primary emission could be excluded during the case study, in contrast to initially expected. The case underlines the important role of BC transport processes in the WAM area.

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Section: Aethalometer For Detecting the Bc Mass Concentrationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Vertical Variability of Black Carbon Observed in the Atmospheric Boundary Layer during DACCIWA

Altstädter¹,

Deetz²,

Vogel³

et al. 2019

Preprint

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“…in the Arctic. Profiles of absorption coefficient as well as BC concentration measured from UAS were obtained in different regions by numerous researchers [24][25][26][27]. Such measurements are usually limited to the lower troposphere, and therefore an estimation of the AAOD in whole atmospheric column is uncertain when the significant part of aerosol is present above the limit of the instrument ascent.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of Columnar, Surface, and UAS Profiles of Absorbing Aerosol Optical Depth and Single-Scattering Albedo in South-East Poland

et al. 2019

Self Cite

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The impact of absorbing aerosols on climate is complex, with their potential positive or negative forcing, depending on many factors, including their height distribution and reflective properties of the underlying background. Measurement data is very limited, due to insufficient remote sensing methods dedicated to the retrieval of their vertical distribution. Columnar values of absorbing aerosol optical depth (AAOD) and single scattering albedo (SSA) are retrieved by the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET). However, the number of available results is low due to sky condition and aerosol optical depth (AOD) limitation. Presented research describes results of field campaigns in Strzyżów (South-East Poland, Eastern Europe) dedicated to the comparison of the absorption coefficient and SSA measurements performed with on-ground in-situ devices (aethalomter, nephelometer), small unmanned aerial system (UAS) carrying micro-aethalometer, as well as with lidar/ceilometer. An important aspect is the comparison of measurement results with those delivered by AERONET. Correlation of absorption to scattering coefficients measured on ground (0.79) and correlation of extinction on ground to AOD measured by AERONET (0.77) was visibly higher than correlation between AOD and AAOD retrieved by AERONET (0.56). Columnar SSA was weakly correlated with ground SSA (higher values of columnar SSA), which were mainly explained by hygroscopic effects, increasing scattering coefficient in ambient (wet conditions), and partly high uncertainty of SSA retrieval. AAOD derived with the use of profiles from UAS up to PBL height, was estimated to contribute in average to 37% of the total AAOD. A method of AAOD estimation, in the whole troposphere, with use of measured vertical profiles of absorption coefficient and extinction coefficient profiles from lidars was proposed. AAOD measured with this method has poor correlation with AERONET data, however for some measurements, within PBL, AAOD was higher than reported by AERONET, suggesting potential underestimation in photometric measurement under particular conditions. Correlation of absorption coefficient in profile to on ground measurements decrease with altitude. Measurements of SSA from drones agree well with ground measurements and are lower than results from AERONET, which suggests a larger contribution of absorbing aerosols. As an alternative for AAOD estimation in case of lack of AERONET AAOD data simple models are proposed, which base on AOD scaling with SSA measured with different methods. Proposed solution increase potential of absorption coefficient measurements in vertical profiles and columns of the atmosphere. Presented solutions make measurements of absorption coefficients in vertical profiles more affordable and allow rough estimation of columnar values for the whole atmosphere.

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“…Atmospheric wind velocity measurements are critical to air quality [1], weather forecasting [2], and climate studies [3]. Unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) are an emerging technology for atmospheric wind velocity measurements near the surface of Earth [4] where it is difficult and expensive to operate conventional atmospheric sensors reliably.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coordinated Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) and Ground-Based Weather Measurements to Predict Lagrangian Coherent Structures (LCSs)

Nolan

Pinto

González-Rocha

et al. 2018

Sensors

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Concentrations of airborne chemical and biological agents from a hazardous release are not spread uniformly. Instead, there are regions of higher concentration, in part due to local atmospheric flow conditions which can attract agents. We equipped a ground station and two rotary-wing unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) with ultrasonic anemometers. Flights reported here were conducted 10 to 15 m above ground level (AGL) at the Leach Airfield in the San Luis Valley, Colorado as part of the Lower Atmospheric Process Studies at Elevation—a Remotely-Piloted Aircraft Team Experiment (LAPSE-RATE) campaign in 2018. The ultrasonic anemometers were used to collect simultaneous measurements of wind speed, wind direction, and temperature in a fixed triangle pattern; each sensor was located at one apex of a triangle with ∼100 to 200 m on each side, depending on the experiment. A WRF-LES model was used to determine the wind field across the sampling domain. Data from the ground-based sensors and the two UASs were used to detect attracting regions (also known as Lagrangian Coherent Structures, or LCSs), which have the potential to transport high concentrations of agents. This unique framework for detection of high concentration regions is based on estimates of the horizontal wind gradient tensor. To our knowledge, our work represents the first direct measurement of an LCS indicator in the atmosphere using a team of sensors. Our ultimate goal is to use environmental data from swarms of sensors to drive transport models of hazardous agents that can lead to real-time proper decisions regarding rapid emergency responses. The integration of real-time data from unmanned assets, advanced mathematical techniques for transport analysis, and predictive models can help assist in emergency response decisions in the future.

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UAS as a Support for Atmospheric Aerosols Research: Case Study

Cited by 41 publications

References 47 publications

The Vertical Variability of Black Carbon Observed in the Atmospheric Boundary Layer during DACCIWA

The Vertical Variability of Black Carbon Observed in the Atmospheric Boundary Layer during DACCIWA

Comparison of Columnar, Surface, and UAS Profiles of Absorbing Aerosol Optical Depth and Single-Scattering Albedo in South-East Poland

Coordinated Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) and Ground-Based Weather Measurements to Predict Lagrangian Coherent Structures (LCSs)

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