A Technical Demonstration Mobile Profiler System

A near, real time sounding of the atmosphere from the surface to > 30 km over a battlefield may be obtained by combining atmospheric profiles from meteorological (MET), satellite, and ground-based instruments. This type of capability is essential for optimum use of Army resources such as artillery and defense against biological and chemical attack. The technical demonstration (TD) mobile profiler system (MPS) has this capability and plays an important role in a variety of civilian applications, including detailed analysis of MET variables for research and operations over mesoscale areas (regional pollution studies and severe storm forecasting). This report provides a brief description of the TD MPS and the method for merging data from the satellite and ground-based remote sensing systems. Results presented from a month-long field test indicate the ability of the present version of the TD MPS to generate useful atmospheric soundings in the format of an artillery MET message and a variety of other formats and displays. Comparisons made with data from rawinsondes nearly coincident in space and time indicate the level of accuracy of the data. An intercomparison between two rawinsonde systems an site suggest possible errors in the rawinsonde data. Mobile profiler, Combined soundings, Atmospheric soundings.