Inhaltszusammenfassung:
The accurate measurement of wind patterns and profiles in the atmospheric
boundary layer (ABL) is of great importance for a number of meteorological applica-
tions, including weather forecasting, climate studies and environmental monitoring.
Conventional techniques frequently encounter diffculties, including the necessity
to rely on fxed instruments and the assumption of homogeneity in diverse topo-
graphical settings. In light of these challenges, this research project investigates the
potential applications of the emerging technology of uncrewed aircraft system (UAS)
to atmospheric measurements and meteorology.
UAS systems are known to be versatile instruments with flexible automatic
mission planning capabilities, allowing rapid deployment to collect data in remote
locations or in close proximity to sensitive structures. This study focuses on the
measurement of the atmospheric wind vector through the use of both fixed- and
rotary-wing UAS, addressing several aspects of these two inherently different flight
systems.
A low-cost technique for using any rotary-wing UAS as a sensor capable of
measuring the horizontal wind vector is presented and analysed from several as-
pects. The experimental results are presented and demonstrate the practicality
and effectiveness of this method. This procedure, which is independent of the
specifc rotary-wing system, has been applied to numerous UASs subsequently used
for different research purposes.
At the same time, the capabilities of the small fixed-wing UAS, the Multi-
purpose Airborne Sensor Carrier-3 (MASC-3), for the validation of remote sensing
instruments are analysed in detail using data from three different experimental
campaigns. Both mean wind and turbulent component vectors are analysed to
highlight the strengths and weaknesses of this approach for the validation of other
stationary instruments. On a 10-minute time average, the UAS proved to be a good
reference for stationary sensors even when flying over long horizontal distances,
while the accuracy of turbulence measurements was found to be influenced by the
heterogeneity of the terrain around the test site, with optimal results obtained
where the terrain is flat and homogeneous and greater discrepancies where it is
covered by forest patches. This finding emphasises the challenges and limitations
associated with the use of UAS for atmospheric turbulence studies in heterogeneous
landscapes.
Overall, this thesis illustrates the potential of UAS technology as a versatile tool
for atmospheric wind measurement, offering enhanced mobility and precision in
various environmental contexts.
