Accession Number:

ADA561959

Title:

Using Real-Time Weather Data from an Unmanned Aircraft System to Support the Advanced Research Version of the Weather Research and Forecast Model

Descriptive Note:

Final rept. Jul 2010-Nov 2011

Corporate Author:

ARMY RESEARCH LAB WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE NM COMPUTATIONAL AND INFORMATION SCIENCES DIRECTORATE/BATTLEFIELD ENVIRONMENT DIV

Personal Author(s):

• Passner, Jeffrey E.
• Kirby, Stephen
• Jameson, Terry

Report Date:

2012-04-01

Pagination or Media Count:

70.0

Abstract:

A large information gap exists in available weather data used to initialize mesoscale weather models. Currently, a variety of weather data are used as input for model initialization however, these data are lacking in remote and dangerous areas in particular and give forecasters a very incomplete overview of the global environment especially in the vertical. For military operations, these data sources may even be more sporadic or inconsistent in time and space due to dangers involved, thus it becomes even more imperative to find alternate sources of model input. One possible solution to this problem is placing meteorological instruments on-board unmanned aircraft systems which would provide observations at a variety of altitudes and time of day when observations are not routinely available. These data can then be input into the Advanced Research version of the Weather Research and Forecasting mode WRF-ARW. This study explains how this is accomplished and some preliminary results from the flight days.

Descriptors:

• *ATMOSPHERE MODELS
• DRONES
• METEOROLOGICAL DATA
• MILITARY OPERATIONS
• WEATHER FORECASTING

Subject Categories:

• Meteorology

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE