Observations of Air-Sea Interactions in an Antarctic Coastal Polynya Using Small Unmanned Aerial Systems

Since 2009 our research group has used small (< 1 kg) and modest (~15 kg) sized UASs to make observations of the polar atmospheric boundary layer and air-sea interactions. Long distance and duration UAS flights in 2009 and 2012 were used to study the atmospheric state and air-sea interactions over the Terra Nova Bay polynya. UAS observations documented downwind evolution of the cold, dry, continental atmospheric boundary layer as it passed over the polynya and were used to estimate turbulent heat, moisture, and momentum fluxes and diagnose thermodynamic and dynamic processes acting over the polynya. Observations with the smaller UASs have focused on the hourly to sub-hourly time evolution of the boundary layer over the Ross Ice Shelf in the vicinity of McMurdo Station. The high vertical and time resolution of the UAS boundary layer profiles allows for an unprecedented view of polar boundary layer structure and evolution that provide physical insight into boundary layer processes as well as providing a unique dataset for process-based model evaluation. Discussion of how these small UAS will be used to study the boundary layer over sea ice and open water regions in the Ross Sea during a mid-winter cruise in 2017 will be discussed.