Enhancing High Resolution Atmospheric Profiling Using UAS: Deployment and Validation of the PARASITE Sensor Package

Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) are an invaluable tool for atmospheric profiling due to their mobility and capability to operate in the lower atmosphere and boundary layer. These regions represent an observational gap between ground-based stations and remote sensing instruments and satellites, which tend to be less accurate at lower altitudes. To fill this gap, while prioritising usability, versatility and safety, we have developed a custom meteorological sensor suite integrated into commercially available UAS, specifically multicopters.

The custom sensor package, called the Portable Aircraft Rucksack for Atmospheric Sensing and In-situ Turbulence Estimation (PARASITE), integrates data from the aircraft's positioning system and external meteorological sensors, including fast measurement of temperature, relative humidity and barometric pressure. We demonstrated the capabilities of this sensor package in flight on a DJI Mavic 3 multicopter with dimensions of 350 mm × 290 mm and a total take-off weight of 1 kg.

The three-dimensional wind vector is calculated using an improved method that combines a physical model based on meteorological and aircraft data - such as attitude, rotor frequencies, ground speed and air density - with machine learning techniques. The accuracy of the system was validated during the VITAL field campaign against ground-based in situ and remote sensing instruments, including Doppler wind lidars, differential absorption lidar, a 120 m meteorological tower and radiosondes.

The VITAL campaign was organised by the Hans-Ertel Centre for Weather Research of the German Weather Service (DWD) at Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany in August 2024 and was also part of the World Meteorological Organisation's (WMO) global UAS Demonstration Campaign. During the campaign, PARASITE collected more than 100 vertical profiles, which were automatically transmitted wirelessly to a central data server after landing.

The system demonstrated compliance with WMO requirements by delivering processed data products in BUFR (Binary Universal Form for the Representation of Meteorological Data) format within minutes of each flight. The PARASITE system's rapid data processing and reliable performance highlight its potential to advance atmospheric profiling and support global meteorological initiatives.