Meteorology Students Launch Weather Balloon
At 2:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 1, a 4-foot-wide balloon filled with helium was released from the Olive-Compton Parking Garage. As it rose along with other weather balloons, it carried with it potentially life-saving data.
Launching weather balloons, or radiosondes, are no easy task, as Robert Pasken, Ph.D., an associate professor in the department of Earth & Atmospheric Science, can attest to.
In order to construct a radiosonde, first, a large latex balloon is filled with about 300 grams of helium. After the balloon becomes buoyant, it is detached from its filling apparatus, taped closed, and a 100 foot string, or dereeler, is attached to the balloon. An expensive instrument package that collects and transmits moisture, temperature, and pressure is then attached to the end of the dereeler. All that left to do is release the instrument and collect the data.
As with any field experiment, mistakes can and will happen. The team’s first radiosonde was constructed and lost as the dereeler broke sending the balloon without the instrument helplessly into the atmosphere. Quickly, a second radiosonde was constructed. Unlike the first time, the second weather balloon was constructed without any problems.
As it began its flight to an altitude of 110,000 feet, the balloon sent weather data back to the surface via a large 4-foot antenna. Meteorology students in the Department of Earth & Atmospheric Science will use this datum to reconstruct a vertical profile of Earth’s atmosphere.
The process of launching radiosondes is done worldwide. In the United States, about 90 stations launch radiosondes twice a day, 365 days of the year. Radiosondes provide valuable information that makes modern weather forecasting possible, saving lives and property.
This project was made possible by contributions from Quantum Weather™. Quantum Weather™ is a joint Saint Louis University and Ameren Missouri project that is funded by Ameren Missouri.