Abstract
Dropsondes are small meteorological devices similar to radiosondes, which are launched from aircraft or long duration balloons. These instruments are typically deployed over oceans to target special meteorological conditions or satellite overpass areas. Dropsondes provide high-resolution profiles of pressure, temperature, relative humidity, and winds from the aircraft altitude down to the ocean surface. The technology behind these measurements includes the aircraft infrastructure to launch the sondes and to receive the data by telemetry.
Observations by dropsondes provide reference measurements for retrievals from satellites and support the validation and calibration of temperature, humidity, surface winds, and wind profiles. Dropsondes also measure the integrated water vapor column, which indirectly supports the validation of cloud parameters. Dropsondes may also be used in the calibration and validation of airborne remote sensors, which may act as transfer standards and which can provide more data than would be possible from dropsondes. In addition, dropsondes are heavily used in characterizing the atmospheric state and spatial variability, in particular in severe weather events, which may also challenge space-borne sensors.