Universal Cloud and Aerosol Sonde System (UCASS)

气象学和大气研究广泛使用被称为“无线电探空仪”的系统，一方面为天气预报提供必要的常规测量，另一方面为更广泛的大气研究提供测量。然而，无线电探空仪和它们在飞机上发射的类似物被称为“投射探空仪”，仅限于提供三到四个基本测量，包括温度、压力、湿度，有时还包括臭氧浓度。由于缺乏技术能力，缺少任何关于大气颗粒的信息，如气溶胶或云雾颗粒。该项目旨在开发、测试一种模块化、低成本的大气探测仪，并将其商业化，用于表征云和气溶胶颗粒，包括火山灰。该模块将与提供标准气象量的几个广泛使用的商业探测系统兼容，但将是对它们的补充，因为它将提供尚不能常规测量的变量。最初，我们将重点放在最基本的属性上，即颗粒大小，但未来可以将其扩展到颗粒形状。探空仪系统将可以使用气象气球、有人驾驶的飞机或无人驾驶飞行器进行部署。因此，它将允许访问目前无法进行直接测量的环境。其应用范围从天气预报到空气质量监测，再到民用应急事件，如火山喷发，以及在大气研究中的许多用途，包括气候变化、极端天气事件或卫星遥感测量的验证。

Meteorology and atmospheric research make wide use of systems called "radiosondes", which supply essential, routine measurements for weather prediction on the one hand, and for wider atmospheric research on the other hand. However, radiosondes and their aircraft-launched equivalents called "dropsondes" are limited to providing three or four basic measurements, including temperature, pressure, humidity and sometimes ozone concentration. Missing through lack of technical capability is any information on atmospheric particulates, such as aerosol or cloud particles. This project aims to develop, test and commercialize a modular, low-cost, atmospheric sonde for the characterization of cloud and aerosol particles, including volcanic ash. The module will be compatible with several widely used commercial sounding systems giving standard meteorological quantities, but will be complementary to them, as it will provide variables not yet routinely measurable. Initially, we will focus on the most basic property, that is particle size, but this can be extended in the future to particle shape. The sonde system will be deployable using meteorological balloons, manned aircraft or unmanned aerial vehicles. Therefore, it will allow accessing environments where direct measurements are not currently possible. Applications extend from weather prediction, through air quality monitoring, to civil contingencies, such as volcanic eruptions, as well as numerous uses in atmospheric research, including climate change, extreme weather events or the validation of satellite remote-sensing measurements.