Enhancements of an In Situ Atmospheric System for Real Time Weather Monitoring
Authors: Adams Mark L. , Shapland Audrey Rose , Gutierrez Matthew , Harrell Haley , Blume Jessica , Prather Craig 
Published: April 2016

Weather affects many aspects of our daily lives from our individual commutes to the global economy. Although much progress has been made in understanding atmospheric physics and weather forecasting, there is still a need for better in situ atmospheric data. Forecasts are based on high performance computer models which solve the differential equations that represent the dynamics of the atmosphere. In all of these models, initial conditions based on the current state of the atmosphere are ingested into the models. The initial conditions are based on data from many sources including remote sensing satellites, ground based weather stations, weather balloons and even aircraft. However, the amount of in situ atmospheric data is very limited and so often times the initial conditions for the models are not truly representative of the current atmosphere. This is especially true for severe storms such as super cell thunderstorms, tornadoes, and hurricanes. Severe weather impacts millions of people every year costing both human life and substantial resources. A better understanding of severe weather will have a significant impact on human safety and infrastructure protection.

Electronics miniaturization and advances in manufacturing such as 3D printing have allowed for the development of low-cost, light-weight probes capable of providing real-time in situ information about the atmosphere which can improve forecasts models and provide a better understanding to atmospheric scientists. The probes provide temperature, relative humidity, pressure, position and velocity data. MEMS sensors are used to monitor the ambient weather conditions and an on-board GPS provides position information. The sensors are combined with a microcontroller and radio to transmit data back to a receiver on the ground. Power is provided by zinc-air batteries and antennas for both the GPS and data radio are integrated into the package. In order to ensure correct operation of the electronics, 3D printing is used to generate a custom electronics/mechanical package that is both functional and robust while maintaining low weight and high drag coefficient. The desire is for the probes to stay airborne as long as possible without any active means of propulsion or buoyancy.

The probes are designed to be small, light-weight and low-cost. They can be deployed from aircraft, weather balloons or launched directly into a storm. Although most probes can be recovered, our design is focused on minimizing the environmental impacts of any probes that are not recovered. Over the past year, our team has designed and prototyped both the environmental probes and the base station for acquiring real-time data. Probe designs have been simulated through CFD to determine the optimal mechanical packaging. 3D printing has been used to generate custom mechanical packaging for the probe electronics. Electronic prototypes have been fabricated and tested. This paper will present our preliminary results and lessons learned through the design and fabrication process.