An experimental investigation of radiosonds.

• Main Author: Corbeille, Reginald Claude.
• Other Authors: Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
• Language: en_US
• Published: Monterey, California: U.S. Naval Postgraduate School 2013
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10945/28200

Radiosonde information is extensively used in the analysis and forecast of meteorological phenomena and the accuracy of both analyses and forecasts is dependent primarily upon the accuracy of the meteorological parameters determined from radiosonde flights. To evaluate the accuracy obtainable, 50 radiosonde flights were launched from the U. S. Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California. Thirty-five flights carried aloft the AN/AMT-4B model transmitter alongside the prototype AN/AMT-11DX transmitter and 15 flights carried the AN/AMT-11C model along with the AN/AMT-4B. All data obtained were reduced by the Geophysics Division, Pacific Missile Range, Point Mugu, California, on a CDC-3100 computer and graphically by the experimenter on the WBAN-31 series adiabatic charts. Values of temperature, relative humidity, and pressure as determined by each instrument were compared at each 3-minute interval of each flight and values of temperature, pressure altitude, relative humidity and dewpoint were compared at standard pressure levels. The results obtained afforded a realistic evaluation of the various sensing elements under field conditions and indicate an urgent requirement for the development of a more accurate water vapor sensing device and replacement of the radiosonde baroswitching circuit by a hypsometer for precise determination of pressure values.