Snap of the Week: Journey into the Expansive Outdoors
UC San Diego Students Launch Weather Balloon for Atmospheric Research
A group of undergraduate students at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) recently embarked on an exciting learning opportunity as they launched a weather balloon off Scripps Pier on January 28. The launch was part of a "Physics of the Atmosphere" class led by Assistant Professor Amato Evan, an atmospheric scientist at UCSD.
The weather balloon, filled with helium, offered hands-on learning opportunities for the students, according to third-year student Moon Pankam. The students could track the balloon's location in real time via GPS as it ascended through the atmosphere. Pankam and fellow classmate Alex Fields had the opportunity to physically hold and release the weather balloon during the launch.
Field described the experience as "amazing!". The purpose of the weather balloon launch was to make a "sounding" of the environment, collecting data on temperature, atmospheric pressure, wind speed, and humidity. The data will be collected using a small measuring device called a radiosonde.
The Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes (CW3E), a research center within the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, was involved in the weather balloon launch. CW3E is dedicated to advancing the understanding and prediction of extreme weather and water events, especially those impacting the U.S. West Coast.
CW3E's research integrates meteorology, hydrology, and climate science to provide actionable science aimed at enhancing early warning systems, water management strategies, and resilience to extreme weather and water challenges in the Western U.S. and beyond. Some of their key research areas include forecast uncertainty and dynamics of atmospheric rivers, precipitation extremes and their predictability, developing new research and applications capabilities, understanding phenomena like "weather whiplash", and studying the influence of large-scale climate patterns on California's hydroclimate.
This weather balloon launch provides a valuable learning experience for the students, offering a glimpse into the world of atmospheric research and the important work being done by organisations like CW3E. The data collected from the launch will contribute to a better understanding of the atmosphere and help inform future research and predictions.
The weather balloon launch, a part of a 'Physics of the Atmosphere' class at UCSD, focused on environmental-science, giving students hands-on experience in tracking weather patterns as the balloon gathered data on temperature, pressure, wind speed, and humidity. The collected data from this launch will contribute to the advancement of science, particularly in the understanding and prediction of extreme weather events, as advocated by organizations like the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes.
