Justification for high-Ascent attainment for balloon radiosonde soundings at GRUAN and other sites

Masatomo Fujiwara, Bomin Sun, Anthony Reale, Domenico Cimini, Salvatore Larosa, Lori Borg, Christoph Von Rohden, Michael Sommer, Ruud Dirksen, Marion Maturilli, Holger Vömel, Rigel Kivi, Bruce Ingleby, Ryan J. Kramer, Belay Demoz, Fabio Madonna, Fabien Carminati, Owen Lewis, Brett Candy, Christopher ThomasDavid Edwards, Noersomadi, Kensaku Shimizu, Peter Thorne

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

We assess and illustrate the benefits of high-Altitude attainment of balloon-borne radiosonde soundings, up to and beyond 10 hPa level compared to, for example, 30 hPa, at operational stations and at sites of the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) Reference Upper Air Network (GRUAN). We first discuss technical challenges and the possible solutions for balloon soundings at these higher altitudes. Then, we assess the role of high-Ascent radiosonde measurements in climate monitoring and various process studies, contributions to satellite calibration and validation, and impacts on numerical weather prediction systems. The analysis herein shows that the extra costs and technical challenges involved in consistent attainment of high ascents are more than outweighed by the benefits for a broad variety of real-Time and delayed-mode applications. Consistent attainment of high ascents should therefore be pursued across the GRUAN network and the broader observational network.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2919-2955
Number of pages37
JournalAtmospheric Measurement Techniques
Volume18
Issue number13
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 7 2025
Externally publishedYes

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