Mr. Allen Q. Howard Profile

Allen Q. Howard

at Space Dynamics Lab

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Proceedings Article | 12 August 2009 Paper

VisibleWind: a rapid-response system for high-resolution wind profiling

Tom Wilkerson, Bill Bradford, Alan Marchant, Cordell Wright, Tom Apedaile, Eve Fowles, Allen Howard, Tom Naini

Proceedings Volume 7460, 746009 (2009) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.826368

KEYWORDS: Atmospheric monitoring, Remote sensing, Atmospheric sciences, Automatic tracking, Imaging systems, Atmospheric modeling, Profiling, Sensors, Wind measurement, LIDAR

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The VisibleWind^TM initiative has sponsored the development and demonstration of a simple balloon tracking system for low altitude wind profile measurements using laser rangefinders, a surveying station, and small (0.25 m diameter) lightweight balloons. Experiments on balloon trajectories demonstrate that laser range detection (± 0.5 m) combined with azimuth and elevation measurements is a simple, accurate, and inexpensive alternative to other wind profiling methods. The maximum detection range has been increased to 2200 m using retroreflector tape on the balloons. Nighttime tracking is facilitated by low power LEDs. Small balloons with low ascent rates and Reynolds numbers are preferred to avoid the large trajectory fluctuations previously observed with large balloons. Under conditions of "light and variable winds", the wind profile features observed by VisibleWind^TM include the frequent onset of shear at altitudes 100 -200 m, 1-3 m/s velocity transitions across atmospheric layers only 10 -20 m thick, and rotation of wind direction exceeding 180 degrees in the altitude range 300 - 500 m. Wind speed and direction results are compared with simultaneous sodar measurements. The profiling resolution is greatly improved using a laser rangefinder, Impulse XL-200, with automatic coordinate and time recording; however, balloon tracking is still man-in-the-loop. Planned improvements include automation of the tracking system itself, so trajectory points are collected automatically at 1 Hz or faster. This ValidWind^TM system is a precise and adaptable means for characterizing highly variable wind fields for wind energy, micrometeorology, and air quality studies.

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