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What is a radiosonde used for?
The radiosonde is a small, expendable instrument package that is suspended below a six foot wide balloon filled with hydrogen or helium. As the radiosonde rises at about 1,000 feet/minute (300 meters/minute), sensors on the radiosonde measure profiles of pressure, temperature, and relative humidity.
What is a weather sonde?
A radiosonde whose position is tracked as it ascends to give wind speed and direction information is called a rawinsonde (“radar wind -sonde”). Radiosondes are an essential source of meteorological data, and hundreds are launched all over the world daily.
How much does a radiosonde cost?
Each individual radiosonde costs about $200. The cost of establishing a radiosonde ground station makes it difficult to increase the spatial extent of the radiosonde network, which is particularly deficient in vast regions of the Southern Hemisphere.
Where can I find weather balloon data?
These data are obtained from radiosondes, which are instrument packages tethered to balloons that are launched from the ground, ascend through the troposphere into the stratosphere, and transmit back to a receiving station on the ground.
Where are radiosondes released?
Radiosondes are routinely launched twice a day from about 92 stations across the US by the National Weather Service. Of the 92, stations, 69 are located in the conterminous United States, 13 in Alaska, 9 in the Pacific, and 1 in Puerto Rico. NWS also supports the operation of 10 other stations in the Caribbean.
What does a radiosonde look like?
The radiosonde is a small, expendable instrument package (weighs 250 to 500 grams) that is suspended below a large balloon inflated with hydrogen or helium gas. Wind speed and direction aloft are also obtained by tracking the position of the radiosonde in flight using GPS or a radio direction finding antenna.
Can a weather balloon lift a person?
Regulations say flights can carry up to 12 lbs total payload weight, not including the weight of the balloon. However, the weight needs to be divided into separate payload packages that can’t be more than 6 pounds each.