Geoscientific Model Development
Geoscientific Model Development
GMD
Articles | Volume 17, issue 9
Articles | Volume 17, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-3783-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-3783-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Articles | Volume 17, issue 9
Development and technical paper
 | 
13 May 2024
Development and technical paper |  | 13 May 2024

Balloon drift estimation and improved position estimates for radiosondes

Ulrich Voggenberger, Leopold Haimberger, Federico Ambrogi, and Paul Poli

Data sets

Integrated Global Radiosonde Archive (IGRA), Version 2 Imke Durre et al. https://doi.org/10.7289/V5X63K0Q

In situ atmospheric harmonized temperature, relative humidity and wind from 1978 onward from baseline radiosonde networks Copernicus Climate Change Service, Climate Data Store https://doi.org/10.24381/cds.f101d0bf

ERA5 hourly data on pressure levels from 1940 to present H. Hersbach et al. https://doi.org/10.24381/cds.bd0915c6

Progress toward High-Resolution, Real-Time Radiosonde Reports (https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/data/ecmwf-global-upper-air-bufr/archive/) B. Ingleby et al. https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-15-00169.1

Model code and software

UVoggenberger/rs_drift: rs_drift height information (rs_drift_station_height) Ulrich Voggenberger https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10663306

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Short summary
This paper presents a method for calculating balloon drift from historical radiosonde ascent data. The drift can reach distances of several hundred kilometres and is often neglected. Verification shows the beneficial impact of the more accurate balloon position on model assimilation. The method is not limited to radiosondes but would also work for dropsondes, ozonesondes, or any other in situ sonde carried by the wind in the pre-GNSS era, provided the necessary information is available.
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