Open AccessMeasurement of boundary layer ozone concentrations on‐board a Skywalker unmanned aerial vehicle
Author(s) -
Illingworth Sam,
Allen Grant,
Percival Carl,
Hollingsworth Peter,
Gallagher Martin,
Ricketts Hugo,
Hayes Harry,
Ładosz Paweł,
Crawley David,
Roberts Gareth
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
atmospheric science letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.951
H-Index - 45
ISSN - 1530-261X
DOI - 10.1002/asl2.496
Subject(s) - ozone , environmental science , atmospheric sciences , on board , boundary layer , in situ , remote sensing , spatial variability , planetary boundary layer , meteorology , aerospace engineering , geology , geography , statistics , mathematics , engineering
This study demonstrates novel measurements of in situ ozone ( O 3 ) concentrations and thermodynamics sampled on‐board an instrumented Skywalker Unmanned Aerial Vehicle ( UAV ). Small spatial and temporal gradients were observed over a localized region, which nearby ground‐based in situ measurements lack the ability to resolve. It was found that the UAV ‐measured O 3 concentrations provided a useful additional indicator of O 3 variability at the sub‐urban scale. The ability to sample subtle variability over a localized area highlights the important and novel capabilities of UAVs to rapidly characterize local area micrometeorology and chemistry .