Unmanned Aerial System Utilized to Characterize Low Altitude Ozone Measurements in a Northern Wisconsin Forest

Abstract

The CHEESEHEAD19 campaign studied measurements of ozone depositions that were taken at a very tall tower at two different heights (30 meters and 120 meters) and compared to measurements from an unmanned aerial system, UAS, equipped with meteorological sensors. Ozone is a pollutant formed in the atmosphere by photochemical processes involving nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds when exposed to sunlight. The ozone rich atmospheric layer is mixed with the ground level ozone formation to produce the gradients. The hexacopter UAS was flown with a portable ozone monitor (POM) and a meteorological temperature and humidity sensor, InterMetsystem (iMet). The hexacopter UAS was hovered at specific altitudes to determine ozone concentration gradients. The gradients observed will be discussed in context of the very tall tower ozone concertation measurements and other meteorological parameters. From this campaign, there has been better understanding of how the equipment performs to improve the quality of future campaigns.