Innovative Mini Ultralight Radioprobes to Track Lagrangian Turbulence Fluctuations within Warm Clouds: Electronic Design

• Published in: Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 21; no. 4; p. 1351
• Main Authors: Paredes Quintanilla, Miryam E, Abdunabiev, Shahbozbek, Allegretti, Marco, Merlone, Andrea, Musacchio, Chiara, Pasero, Eros G A, Tordella, Daniela, Canavero, Flavio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI 14.02.2021; MDPI AG
• Subjects: atmospheric probe; atmospheric turbulence; instrumented balloon; Lagrangian measurements; research sonde; warm clouds; warm clouds; research sonde; LoRa; atmospheric probe; instrumented balloon; wireless sensor network; low-power sensors; atmospheric turbulence; Lagrangian measurements
• ISSN: 1424-8220; 1424-8220
• DOI: 10.3390/s21041351

Characterization of dynamics inside clouds remains a challenging task for weather forecasting and climate modeling as cloud properties depend on interdependent natural processes at micro- and macro-scales. Turbulence plays an important role in particle dynamics inside clouds; however, turbulence mechanisms are not yet fully understood partly due to the difficulty of measuring clouds at the smallest scales. To address these knowledge gaps, an experimental method for measuring the influence of small-scale turbulence in cloud formation in situ and producing an in-field cloud Lagrangian dataset is being developed by means of innovative ultralight radioprobes. This paper presents the electronic system design along with the obtained results from laboratory and field experiments regarding these compact (diameter ≈30 cm), lightweight (≈20 g), and expendable devices designed to passively float and track small-scale turbulence fluctuations inside warm clouds. The fully customized mini-radioprobe board (5 cm × 5 cm) embeds sensors to measure local fluctuations and transmit data to the ground in near real time. The tests confirm that the newly developed probes perform well, providing accurate information about atmospheric turbulence as referenced in space. The integration of multiple radioprobes allows for a systematic and accurate monitoring of atmospheric turbulence and its impact on cloud formation.