Sounding Club
The Sounding Club is a student-lead organization overseen by professors within the Atmospheric Science department at NC State, allowing students to gain valuable hands-on experience with radiosonde equipment. Data obtained by weather balloon launches are used for graduate research and real time forecasting applications within the meteorological community before and during significant weather events.
Historically, the Sounding Club utilizes GRAWMET software provided by GRAW, along with other materials such as radiosondes, balloons, and other hardware. The radiosondes that the club uses are DFM-09 sondes, packaged in a styrofoam casing. Each sonde consists of a lithium battery, transmitter, and various sensors to relay humidity, temperature, wind speed, and pressure data back to the receiver every few seconds.
More recently, the Sounding Club has experimented using radiosondes and hardware provided by Windsond. The radiosondes are packaged in a styrofoam cup, relaying humidity, temperature, wind speed, and pressure data back to the receiver every few seconds.
More recently, the Sounding Club has experimented using radiosondes and hardware provided by Windsond. The radiosondes are packaged in a styrofoam cup, relaying humidity, temperature, wind speed, and pressure data back to the receiver every few seconds.
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Once this data is fully collected, Skew-T plots, such as the ones shown above, can be generated using the SHARPpy program. This is a software specifically designed to utilize python coding in generating skew-T plots based on collected atmospheric data. This allows for quick visual interpretation of the data and gives a better understanding of the state of the atmospheric environment.
What Have We Done?
Sounding Club has participated in many things, ranging from aiding in High Shear Low Cape (HSLC) research with Keith Sherburn and now Dr. Joseph Zambon's Gulf stream project, to doing outreach events with grade-school and home-school students in conjunction with Wolfpack Meteorology. We have also conducted balloon launches for winter weather and severe weather episodes, coordinating the data we collect with news stations like WRAL and with the National Weather Service (NWS) in Raleigh. In collaboration with the North Carolina State Climate Office (SCO), we have also conducted launches for a school group and the Solar Eclipse. To see our latest Soundings, please visit our Twitter page!
Video of a balloon launch from the Jordan Hall roof at NC State on 10/31/2019
