UAS and DTS: Using Drones and Fiber Optics to Measure High Resolution Temperature of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer

Abstract:

The atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) is the lowest part of the atmosphere that directly interacts with the planet’s surface. The development of the ABL plays a vital role, as it affects the transport of atmospheric constituents such as air pollutants, water vapor, and greenhouse gases. Measurements of the processes in the ABL have been difficult due to the limitations in the spatial and temporal resolutions of the equipment as well as the height of the traditional flux tower. Recent advances in the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and distributed temperature sensing (DTS) technologies have provided us with new tools to study the complex processes in ABL. We conducted a series of pioneering experiments in Eastern Oregon using a platform that combines UAV and DTS to collect data during morning and evening transitions in the ABL. The major components of this platform consists of a quad-copter, a DTS computer unit, and a set of customized fiber optic cables. A total of 75 flights were completed to investigate: (1) the capability of a duplexed fiber optic cable to reduce noise in the high spatial and temporal temperature measurements taken during the morning transition; (2) the possibility of using fiber optic cable as “wet bulb” thermometer to calculate relative humidity in the ABL at high spatial and temporal resolution. The preliminary results showed that using a fiber optic cable in a duplexed configuration with the UAV-DTS platform can effectively reduce noise level during the morning transition data collection. The customized “wet bulb” fiber optic cable is capable of providing information for the calculation of relative humidity in the ABL at unprecedented spatial and temporal resolutions. From this study, the UAV-DTS platform demonstrated great potential in collecting temperature data in the ABL and with the development of atmospheric sensor technologies, it will have more applications in the future.