Instrument : Balloon-Borne Sounding System (SONDE)

Beneficiary of Recovery Act funding.

Instrument Categories
Atmospheric Profiling

General Overview

The balloon-borne sounding system (SONDE) provides in situ measurements (vertical profiles) of both the thermodynamic state of the atmosphere, and the wind speed and direction. Sondes are launched at the sites at the following frequencies:

SGP: 4 times per day
NSA Barrow, Alaska: 2 times per day
TWP Manus, PNG: 2 times per day
TWP Nauru Island: 2 times per day
AMF1 and AMF2: Each campaign sets the frequency; usually 4 times per day and has been as many as 8 per day.

Output Value-Added Products

This instrument is an input to the following value-added products, which provide improved measurements or derived quantities.

lssonde : BBSS: derived, relative humidity scaled with MWR

Output Datastreams

sonde : Balloon-borne Sounding System (BBSS): meterological data profile
sondewnpn : Balloon-borne sounding system (BBSS): Vaisala-processed winds, press., temp, &RH
sondewnpr : Balloon-borne sounding system (BBSS): Vaisala winds, research press., temp, &RH
sondewrpn : Balloon-borne sounding system (BBSS): research winds, Vaisala press., temp, &RH
sondewrpr : Balloon-borne sounding system (BBSS): research-mode winds, presssure, temp, &RH

Primary Measurements

The following measurements are those considered scientifically relevant.

Locations

North Slope Alaska (NSA)
- Central Facility, Barrow AK (C1)
Southern Great Plains (SGP)
- Central Facility, Lamont, OK (C1)
- Hillsboro, KS (Boundary) (B1)
- Lamont, OK (Extended, secondary) (E14)
- Morris, OK (Boundary) (B5)
- Purcell, OK (B6)
- Vici, OK (Boundary) (B4)
Tropical Western Pacific (TWP)
- Central Facility, Darwin, Australia (C3)
- Central Facility, Manus I., PNG (C1)
- Central Facility, Nauru Island (C2)
ARM Mobile Facility (FKB)
- Black Forest, Germany (M1)
ARM Mobile Facility (GAN)
- Gan Airport, Gan Island, Maldives (M1)
ARM Mobile Facility (GRW)
- Graciosa Island, Azores, Portugal (M1)
ARM Mobile Facility (HFE)
- Shouxian, Anhui, China (M1)
ARM Mobile Facility (MAG)
- Los Angeles, CA to Honolulu, HI - container ship (M1)
ARM Mobile Facility (NIM)
- Niamey, Niger (M1)
ARM Mobile Facility (PGH)
- ARIES Observatory, Nainital, Uttarkhand, India (M1)
ARM Mobile Facility (PVC)
- Highland Center, Cape Cod MA; AMF 1 (M1)
ARM Mobile Facility (PYE)
- Point Reyes, CA (M1)
ARM Mobile Facility (SBS)
- Steamboat Springs CO, Valley Site (M1)