When kids (or even adults) release a balloon into the air, it seems like a natural instinct to watch it until it disappears from sight. When scientists release a radiosonde (a fancy word for an instrument like a weather balloon which takes measurements of the atmosphere), they can “watch” it long after it disappears from sight. We’re currently in the Laptev Sea (latitude 77°N, longitude 124°E), and the students in the NABOS (Nansen and Amundsen Basins Observational System) Summer School onboard will be taking turns assisting Kensuke Komatsu, the lead scientist for the experiment, in the deployment of these balloons. Today, after filling the balloon to a few feet in diameter with helium (which allows it to rise in the atmosphere), Kensuke and student assistant Ioana attached the balloon to a coiled-up 50 meter string and device that will take measurements. The device will take temperature and humidity data, and also has a GPS which allows Kensuke to track the balloon as it rises and moves in the atmosphere. From the temperature and GPS tracking data, the atmospheric air pressure, wind speed and wind direction can also then be monitored. Multiple balloons will be deployed when the ship is stopped at its “stations,” and the goal is to learn about atmospheric conditions over sea ice. What eventually happens to the balloon? POP!
hi i am student in ms.gilbert class what patten is shown by the 2013 sae ice data
Hi Kenya, we don’t have all the data yet for 2013 sea ice, but so far, 2012 had the lowest amount of sea ice on record, and the amount of ice in 2013 hasn’t bounced back up as much as we’d hoped yet. So in general, the pattern is varying a little but mainly decreasing.