High-Resolution Profiling of Atmospheric Turbulence Using UAV Autopilot Data

Abstract

The capabilities of hovering unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in low-altitude sensing of atmospheric turbulence with high spatial resolution are studied experimentally. The vertical profile of atmospheric turbulence was measured at the Basic Experimental Observatory (Tomsk, Russian Federation) with three quadcopters hovering at altitudes of 4, 10, and 27 m in close proximity (~5 m) to anemometers installed on weather towers. The behavior of the longitudinal and lateral wind velocity components in the 0–10 Hz frequency band is analyzed. In addition, the obtained wind velocity components were smoothed over 1 min by the moving average method to describe long turbulent wind gusts. The discrepancy between the UAV and anemometer data is examined. It is found that after smoothing, the discrepancy does not exceed 0.5 m/s in 95% of cases. This accuracy is generally sufficient for measurements of the horizontal wind in the atmosphere. The spectral and correlation analysis of the UAV and anemometer measurements is carried out. The profiles of the longitudinal and lateral scales of turbulence determined from turbulence spectra and autocorrelation functions are studied based on the UAV and anemometer data.