Measurement of boundary layer ozone concentrations on-board a Skywalker unmanned aerial vehicle

Abstract

This study demonstrates novel measurements of in situ ozone (O3) concentrations and thermodynamics sampled on-board an instrumented Skywalker Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). Small spatial and temporal gradients were observed over a localized region, which nearby ground-based in situ measurements lack the ability to resolve. It was found that the UAV-measured O3 concentrations provided a useful additional indicator of O3 variability at the sub-urban scale. The ability to sample subtle variability over a localized area highlights the important and novel capabilities of UAVs to rapidly characterize local area micrometeorology and chemistry.