Targeted observations of the boundary layer using the Glidersonde Meteorological Package in a radio controlled aircraft: Results and limitations

A radio controlled instrumented aircraft was used to collect data with the purpose of characterizing the boundary layer in three and four dimensions. Results from two field experiments are presented. They include observations obtained over a mature transpiring winter wheat field and during the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program (ARM)water vapor IOP 2000 in North Central Oklahoma. The data collection platform is compared to other independent sources from the IOP 2000 observational suite and the usefulness and limitations of the platform are discussed.