CU RAAVEN: Atmospheric Measurements from Uncrewed Aircraft

CU RAAVEN data for WiscoDISCO21 contains measurements from 12 flights of the RAAVEN uncrewed aircraft system over coastal Wisconsin in May 2021. The dataset includes temperature, relative humidity, winds, surface and sky IR temperature, turbulence, and aircraft position and attitude data. These observations were collected between the surface and 500 meters above ground level over coastal land and lake environments.

Use Cases

• Analyzing vertical profiles of temperature and humidity to study atmospheric boundary layer structure.
• Investigating wind patterns and turbulence over heterogeneous coastal landscapes.
• Validating satellite-derived land surface temperature estimates using in-situ IR measurements.
• Studying the diurnal evolution of atmospheric conditions over land and adjacent water bodies.

Strengths

• Provides nearly 24 hours of coordinated flight data from 12 separate missions.
• Contains a multi-parameter suite of direct atmospheric measurements (temperature, humidity, wind, turbulence) from a consistent platform.
• Offers high-resolution spatial and temporal data from flights conducted between the surface and 500 m AGL.

Limitations

• Specific column names, data formats, and total row counts are not provided in the available metadata.
• The dataset's temporal coverage is limited to a single six-day campaign in May 2021.
• Documentation regarding data processing levels, quality flags, and uncertainty estimates is not described.

Provenance

Source

Gijs de Boer, University of Colorado Boulder

Collection Method

Data collected using the RAAVEN uncrewed aircraft system.

Time Range

21-26 May 2021

Geography

Coastal Wisconsin, USA, around the Chiwaukee Prairie State Natural Area