II: A RADIOSONDE LAUNCH
I N T H I S S E C T I O N O F ‘ W E AT H E RW I S E ’ YO U W I L L L E A R N H O W W E M E A S U R E
W E AT H E R U S I N G A R A D I O S O N D E A N D A W E AT H E R BA L L O O N.
T H I S S E C T I O N I S A C C O M PA N I E D B Y ‘A R A D I O S O N D E L A U N C H ’ M O V I E .
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What is a Radiosonde ?
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Have you ever wondered how scientists measure weather far above
Earth’s surface or in dangerous storms or tornadoes? One way this
is accomplished is using a radiosonde attached to a weather balloon.
A ‘radiosonde’ is a small device
equipped with multiple sensors
that measure atmospheric
conditions. A radiosonde includes
a GPS (Global Positioning
System) sensor that measures the
location of the radiosonde, a
thermometer that measures
temperature, a barometer that
measures atmospheric pressure,
and two hygrometers that
measure humidity or the
moisture of the atmosphere. A
radiosonde is also equipped with
a radiotransmitter that sends
weather data to a receiver on the
ground and then to a computer.
Associate scientist Kate
Young at the National
Center for Atmospheric
Research (NCAR) gets ready
to launch a radiosonde
attached to a weather
balloon.
A Weather Balloon
Have you ever seen a giant
balloon high in the sky? It could
have been a weather balloon!
Weather balloons are made out of a
material called neoprene, which is a
type of rubber. When fully inflated,
weather balloons can expand up to
10 feet in diameter. Weather balloons are typically inflated with hydrogen or helium. These gases are
very light and allow the balloon to
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travel
quickly
through
the atmosphere.
Mobile Sounding System
Radiosondes are often launched
using a ‘Mobile Sounding
System’. Such a system allows
taking measurements in various
locations and during field
campaigns that study weather
phenomena such as storms and
tornados.
A mobile sounding system
consists of a helium tank and a
regulator which controls the flow
of helium to the weather balloon. ready for launch.
It takes almost a full minute to
inflate a weather balloon with
helium!
After the balloon is inflated, the
balloon is tied off so none of the
helium can escape. Then a
radiosonde is attached to the
balloon, and the instrument is
Radiosonde Launch!
Radiosondes are launched away from trees and
airplanes. As the weather balloon carrying the
radiosonde rises through the atmosphere it gets
larger and larger! This is caused by the decrease
in atmospheric pressure at higher altitudes. The
weather balloon can rise up to 100,000 feet in
altitude (about 20 miles) and can expand to 30
feet in diameter.
Eventually the
weather balloon
pops and the
radiosonde falls
down to the
ground. Most
radiosondes are
never found
because they are launched in unpopulated areas.
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Where are radiosondes launched?
Are you wondering how many weather balloons
are launched in a day? What about in one year?
Why do you think scientists launch many
radiosondes?
National Weather Service Radiosonde Network
Approximately one thousand radiosondes are
launched every day all over the globe. In the
United States, routine radiosonde launches are
performed by the National Weather Service:
radiosondes are launched at 92 locations, twice a
day.
Figure from http://www.ua.nws.noaa.gov/nws_upper.htm
ground. This in turn helps us make better
weather forecasts.
The information from the radiosondes gives us a
good picture of what the weather is like above
In addition to routine launches performed by the National Weather Service, radiosondes are launched
during short-period observational campaigns, which are often called ‘field projects’. The goal of field
projects is to study specific weather phenomena such as storms and tornadoes.
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Where do the data go ?
and wind speed. Scientists look at sounding files
to learn about the atmosphere.
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You are probably wondering what happens to all
those measurements collected by radiosondes.
How do we look at them?
The data collected by radiosondes are stored in a
computer in radiosonde ‘sounding files’. These
files contain measurements of air temperature,
pressure, humidity, and even the wind direction
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Women of Atmospheric Science
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Susan Buhr
Have you ever wondered how one becomes an
atmospheric scientist? Are scientists boring? Do
you think you could be a scientist? To help you
answer these questions, below are short
biographies of four women in Boulder, CO, who
studied atmosphere-related sciences. How do
you like their careers?
Position: Director, CIRES Education and Outreach
"
Program, University of Colorado
Education: B. S. and Ph. D. in
Chemistry
Why did I chose a career in
science?
Kate Young
“I always liked being outside in the
garden, riding my horse, and
camping, but I didn't think about
being a scientist until I was in college! Then, I had a
great chemistry teacher who loved his subject and
challenged me. I liked that science has ways to verify
what we think we know, or to find out that we are
wrong, and that I could travel and be outside. In my
job now, I get to find out about lots of different kinds
of exciting new science and work with a lot of people
too. I get to help people do things that they didn't
know how to do before.”
Position: Associate Scientist,
!
National Center for
!
Atmospheric Research
Education: B. S. in Earth
"
"
Science
Why did I chose a career in science?
“I always loved science, and I loved watching the
Discovery Channel growing up. In junior high I had a
wonderful biology teacher & it was then I knew that
when I grew up that I wanted to do something
involving science.”
What are your other interests?
Being with my family, remodeling my house, traveling
to different places, art and literature, gardening and
being outside.
What are your other interests?
Aerobics, reading, golf.
PERKS OF BEING A SCIENTIST:
3. You get to use fancy computers.
1. You get to travel to cool places all over the
world for conferences and meetings.
4. Your work hours are flexible and you can do a
lot of work from home.
2. You have friends and collaborators that come
from and even sometimes live in very unique areas
of the world.
5. Often, you are your own boss and you decide
what you work on.
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Susan Avery
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True or False ? z
Based on what you have read here about women in
science, do you think the following statements are
true or false? Be honest! It’s not a quiz!
Position: Interim Provost, Executive Vice Chancellor
!
for Academic Affairs, and Professor, !
!
University of Colorado
Education: B.S., M.S. in Physics,
Ph. D. in Atmospheric
"
Science
Scientists have fun at work.
________
Scientists know chemistry, physics,
or math.
________
Scientists like outdoor sports.
________
Scientists travel a lot.
________
Scientists wear make-up.
________
Scientists wear lab coats to work and
big glasses.
________
Why did I chose a career in science?
“I always loved music and figuring
out how sounds were made from
different instruments and the voice. My dad showed
me how to use instruments to measure sound and I
built my own stereo receiver. Physics, math, and
electronics were my favorite topics during high school
and I had great teachers that inspired me to use that
interest in observing the atmosphere. Keep looking for
the teacher or adult that stimulates your passion !”
Scientists learn new things all the time. ________
Scientists are geeks.
What are your other interests?
________
Jadwiga (Yaga) Richter
Music, hiking, traveling.
‘A Radiosonde Launch’ is a part of
‘WeatherWise’ - a learning kit designed to teach
basics of weather, weather instrumentation, and
atmospheric science related careers to Girl Scouts.
Position: Scientist, National Center
!
for Atmospheric Research
Education: B. S. in Mathematics
Ph. D. Atmospheric
"
Science
For more information visit:
http://cires.colorado.edu/education/k12/weatherwise/
or contact
Jadwiga (Yaga) Richter at [email protected]
Why did I chose a career in science?
I always loved puzzles and figuring things out. Math
was my favorite subject in school. I got interested in
studying the atmosphere in college after doing a
research project on turbulence encountered by
airplanes. I love studying weather and climate as it is
always changing and hence never gets boring!
WeatherWise was created as part of the Education
and Research Visiting Fellowship at the
Cooperative Institute for Research in
Environmental Sciences at the University of
Colorado at Boulder by Jadwiga (Yaga) Richter.
What are your other interests?
Yoga, reading, sailing.
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