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| Titel |
Application of the Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) 'MASC' in Atmospheric Boundary Layer Research |
| VerfasserIn |
Norman Wildmann, Jens Bange |
| Konferenz |
EGU General Assembly 2014
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| Medientyp |
Artikel
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| Sprache |
Englisch
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| Digitales Dokument |
PDF |
| Erschienen |
In: GRA - Volume 16 (2014) |
| Datensatznummer |
250092029
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| Publikation (Nr.) |
 EGU/EGU2014-6354.pdf |
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| Zusammenfassung |
| The remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) MASC (Multipurpose Airborne Sensor Carrier)
was developed at the University of Tübingen in cooperation with the University of
Stuttgart, University of Applied Sciences Ostwestfalen-Lippe and ’ROKE-Modelle’.
Its purpose is the investigation of thermodynamic processes in the atmospheric
boundary layer (ABL), including observations of temperature, humidity and wind
profiles, as well as the measurement of turbulent heat, moisture and momentum
fluxes. The aircraft is electrically powered, has a maximum wingspan of 3.40m
and a total weight of 5-8kg, depending on battery- and payload. The standard
meteorological payload consists of temperature sensors, a humidity sensor, a flow
probe, an inertial measurement unit and a GNSS. In normal operation, the aircraft
is automatically controlled by the ROCS (Research Onboard Computer System)
autopilot to be able to fly predefined paths at constant altitude and airspeed. Since
2010 the system has been tested and improved intensively. In September 2012 first
comparative tests could successfully be performed at the Lindenberg observatory of
Germany’s National Meteorological Service (DWD). In 2013, several campaigns were
done with the system, including fundamental boundary layer research, wind energy
meteorology and assistive measurements to aerosol investigations. The results of a series of
morning transition experiments in summer 2013 will be presented to demonstrate the
capabilities of the measurement system. On several convective days between May and
September, vertical soundings were done to record the evolution of the ABL in the early
morning, from about one hour after sunrise, until noon. In between the soundings,
flight legs of up to 1km length were performed to measure turbulent statistics
and fluxes at a constant altitude. With the help of surface flux measurements of
a sonic anemometer, methods of similarity theory could be applied to the RPA
flux measurements to compare them to literature. The results show prospects and
limitations of boundary layer research with a single RPA at the present state of the art. |
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