Application of Geodesy for Meteorological Multi-Instrument Campaigns and Calibration

Here we present the methodology for the application of geodesy in the collocation of observations made between meteorological radars and atmospheric research aircraft and balloon-based platforms. The case studies used in this study are from two campaigns: PICASSO (Parameterising Ice Clouds using Airborne obServationS) project based in the south of England and CONCIRTO (CONvection, CIRrus and tropical Tropopause layer over the Indian Ocean) based at the Maido Observatory in La Reunion. Previous methods have relied on statistics to make up for observations that are not collocated, which gives rise to further uncertainties. This analysis showcases how geodesy can be implemented prior to observations and during post analysis to provide the best observations, improving collocation by a factor of 10^2. In particular this method will be invaluable for calibrating ground based radars and characterising their beams.