Observations of a Shallow Inversion Layer in a Shoreline Lake Michigan Environment Using Meteorological Measurements on an Unmanned Aerial System

Abstract

The lower atmosphere is typically well-mixed during the daytime because the earth's atmosphere is heated by solar heating warming up the ground or ocean surfaces. Inversions in the atmosphere in the daytime, where warmer air lies above colder air, restrict this mixing, and can allow for pollutants to build up. From June 15th-19th 2020, an unmanned aerial system (UAS) equipped with a meteorological sensor and an ozone sensor was flown to measure atmospheric vertical profiles in both the early morning and early afternoon at the Chiwaukee Prairie State Natural Area shoreline site in Southeastern Wisconsin. The iMet-XQ2 meteorological sensor was used to measure temperature, humidity, and altitude data from the UAS flights. This data was used to identify air mass inversions as low as 40 m agl, indicating marine air influence overhead. The data was also compared to the calculated saturated adiabatic lapse rate and used to better understand vertical gradients in ozone concentrations.