Atmosphere Observation

The invention of the airplane and the rocket created a multitude of new opportunities for the study of the atmosphere by making it possible to carry instruments far higher than they had ever gone before. At first, airplanes did similar work to that done by scientists traveling in balloons. Airplanes, however, performed that work much more efficiently, and at higher altitudes, with greater safety and comfort. As technology improved, aircraft began to take on new and more complex tasks. For example, they could fly through a cloud and collect cloud droplets on slides for future study. Today, airplanes are also used by "hurricane hunters," who fly into the middle of a hurricane to study its properties and movement.

Airplanes now used for atmospheric observation often have bizarre appearances. They may carry large platforms on their tops, oversized needles on their noses, or other attachments in which an array of observational instruments can be carried. One airplane used for atmospheric observation, a commercial DC8 aircraft, has been redesigned and outfitted to carry the equipment needed to measure levels of ozone and related chemicals over the Antarctic. Data collected from this airplane has been crucial in helping scientists to understand how ozone levels have been decreasing over the South Pole over the past decade or more.

Unmanned rockets can carry measuring devices to altitudes even greater than is possible with a piloted aircraft. Again, rockets can perform the same standard measurements as a radiosonde, except at greater atmospheric heights. But they can also perform more complex measurements. For example, they can be designed to carry and release a variety of chemicals that can then be tracked by radar and other systems located on the ground. Some rockets have also released explosive devices high in the atmosphere so that scientists can study the way in which sound waves are transported there.