Development and Calibration of Pressure-Temperature-Humidity (PTH) Probes for Distributed Atmospheric Monitoring Using Unmanned Aircraft Systems.

Small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are increasingly being used for meteorology and atmospheric monitoring. The ease of deployment makes distributed sensing of parameters such as barometric pressure, temperature, and relative humidity in the lower atmospheric boundary layer feasible. However, constraints on payload size and weight, and to a lesser extent power, limit the types of sensors that can be deployed.

Classifying Reflectance Targets under Ambient Light Conditions using Passive Spectral Measurements.

Collecting remotely sensed spectral data under varying ambient light conditions is challenging. The objective of this study was to test the ability to classify grayscale targets observed by portable spectrometers under varying ambient light conditions. Two sets of spectrometers covering ultraviolet (UV), visible (VIS), and near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths were instrumented using an embedded computer.

Unmanned aerial vehicles reveal the impact of a total solar eclipse on the atmospheric surface layer.

We use unmanned aerial vehicles to interrogate the surface layer processes during a solar eclipse and gain a comprehensive look at the changes made to the atmospheric surface layer as a result of the rapid change of insolation. Measurements of the atmospheric surface layer structure made by the unmanned systems are connected to surface measurements to provide a holistic view of the impact of the eclipse on the near-surface behaviour, large-scale turbulent structures and small-scale turbulent dynamics. Different regimes of atmospheric surface layer behaviour were identified, with the most significant impact including the formation of a stable layer just after totality and evidence of Kelvin-Helmholtz waves appearing at the interface between this layer and the residual layer forming above it.

Development and Preliminary Evaluation of a Spray Deposition Sensing System for Improving Pesticide Application.

An electronic, resistance-based sensor array and data acquisition system was developed to measure spray deposition from hydraulic nozzles. The sensor surface consisted of several parallel tin plated copper traces of varying widths with varying gap widths. The system contained an embedded microprocessor to monitor output voltage corresponding to spray deposition every second.