The vibrations of
mechanically propelled platforms make accurate collection of atmospheric and
geo-spatial data difficult if not impossible.
The cost of such platforms makes simultaneous widespread collection too
expensive.
Because the Instrument's
balloon modules can remain aloft for longer periods without mechanical
propulsion, an array of units can simultaneously collect the full spectrum of
imagery and sample air quality at the same time, without disturbing the sample
by propulsion turbulence.
The on-board sensors will measure
low altitude pollutants. The
imagery and data are geo-referenced and will be accurately mapped on
TerraFly within seconds of the collection. [Alta Science].
The Center for Imaging
Science at the Rochester Institute of Technology [http://www.cis.rit.edu/]
(see letter) will utilize the Instrument in their NSF, NASA, DOE, and
industrial research on air quality mapping for the isolation and
identification of offending sources.
Atmospheric research by the team of Dr.
Bertrand Dano at
FIU and their extramural colleagues will utilize the Instrument for research in
air quality.
The
Instrument will help overcome major challenges in research on air quality and
climate change. They are: understanding the exchange of carbon dioxide (CO2)
between the atmosphere and land surface for predicting climatic changes
[Cramer, W.; Schultz, K.; Yang Yu Woon]; modeling of CO2 exchanges among the
atmosphere, soil, and vegetation and the prediction of the impact of climatic
changes on the land surface exchange processes for heat, water, and CO2; dry
and wet depositions of materials such as air pollutants on the soil and
vegetation because the vegetation physiology, such as respiration and
assimilation of CO2 by photosynthesis, as they affect the material exchanges in
the atmosphere, soil, and vegetation system [Nagai, H.]. Many pilot studies and
have addressed these issues, but never on a large scale [Cadule,
P.].
The
Instrument's balloon module can carry up to 12 sensors at a time, including:
temperature, humidity, CO2 and other gas sensors, pressure, radiation, pyranometer (visible, IR and UV radiation) and PAR (Photosynthetically Active Radiation) sensors. The
Instrument's balloons are lighter than air and do not use propellers. They can
stay for extended periods of time, and are easily moveable, either by hand, or
drifting with the wind. In either case, they do not disturb the
surrounding air, making them the ideal for air quality sensing,
which will have paramount effect on climate change studies.
The
Instrument's imagery and data can depict the atmospheric pollution patterns
over super resolution imagery of land and buildings; its data analytics can locate
pollutions sources and predict affected areas. Its recorded tracks will
facilitate broad area pattern analysis of surface air, useful for wind energy
studies, architecture and planning drift patterns for balloons.
References Cited
[ALT+13] ALTA SCIENCE http://www.altadrifter.com/Manual.html#ALTA_SCI
[CBW+01] W. Cramer, A. Bondeau,
F. Woodward, I. Prentice, R. Betts, V. Brovkin, P.
Cox et al. "Global response of terrestrial ecosystem structure and
function to CO2 and climate change: results from six dynamic global vegetation
models." Global change biology 7, no. 4 (2001): 357-373.
[SK01] K. Schulz, et al. "The predictive
uncertainty of land surface fluxes in response to increasing ambient carbon
dioxide." Journal of Climate 14.12 (2001): 2551-2562.
[JW+14] Y.W. Woon,
I.-S. Park, S.-S. Ha, S.-H. Jang,
K.-W. Chung, G. Lee, W.-H. Kim,
Y.-J. Choi, and C.-H. Cho.
"Preliminary analysis of the development of the Carbon Tracker
system in Latin America and the Caribbean." Atmósfera 27, no. 1 (2014).
[NH05] Nagai, Haruyasu,
2005: Incorporation of CO2 Exchange Processes into a Multilayer
Atmosphere-Soil-Vegetation Model. J. Appl. Meteor., 44, 1574-1592.
[CP+10] P. Cadule, et
al. "Benchmarking coupled climate-carbon models against long-term
atmospheric CO2 measurements." Global Biogeochemical Cycles 24.2 (2010):
GB2016.