LI-COR’s TriSonica® Mini Wind and Weather Sensor was leveraged by the University of Kentucky to study the effects of a solar eclipse on the atmospheric surface layer.
A solar eclipse offers a rare chance to study how atmospheric turbulence responds to a sudden reduction in solar radiation.
In a flight campaign at Russellville Regional Airport in Kentucky on August 21, 2017, the University of Kentucky employed various measurement systems to study the eclipse. This includes two fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and a quadrotor UAV, supplemented by ground-based sensors.
The quadrotor UAV was equipped with a TriSonica Mini Wind and Weather Sensor, which was mounted on a 3DR SOLO quadcopter. A tower ensured that wind measurements were not influenced by rotor wash (Figure 1).
This setup facilitated profiling of the boundary layer by executing repeated vertical flights between 10 and 100 meters. The study’s findings highlighted the emergence of a nocturnal layer with vertical wind shear shortly after totality. Figure 2 illustrates profiles of potential temperature and wind speed observed throughout the eclipse.
Figure 2. Profiles of the boundary layer by flying repeated vertical flight paths from the beginning to the end of the solar eclipse. The top row shows changes in temperature across the vertical profile. The lower group shows how horizontal wind speed changed across the vertical profile.
