Launching a weather balloon!

[@kendrajohnson6535]

I thoroughly enjoyed this. It is absolutely fascinating how you can track exactly where the balloon is and the conditions it is experiencing - thanks Simon :) I also loved your explanatory interludes. They made me smile a lot, especially the bit where you showed yourself out! Really looking forward to the next one :)

[@lukematthews6816]

Next time attach lots of weather balloons to a house and go on an adventure

[@lemonadepie9631]

+

[@ashe5454]

Really interesting and enjoyed it a lot. The small cuts of explaining was a good added extra to. Looking forward to watching more!

[@somedude4938]

So interesting! A brilliant balance of detail and making it accessible to those of us who aren't meteorology nerds! Please do more :)

[@DCLuzM]

Yes, I find these very interesting. Good work!

[@ryaning6817]

Great video! launching a weather balloon as a school science project in September.

[@omarmassoud8811]

Great video Simon !

[@safiyyah113]

This video was great!

[@pseudophd1073]

Enjoyed the video, always interesting to have more detail and a nice long video to watch. Although perhaps the science was a little dry for me but it's not my field. Look forward to more!

[@jms547]

Also also at 5:19, it's probably the sounds of the pump covering up the 'x' but it sounds like Graham's saying the balloon is made of rubber and LaTeX. So he really *has* just finished his PhD then! ;-)

[@mikestevenson1334]

Really enjoyable video! Keep up the great #scicomm :)

[@SimonClark]

Thanks Mike, means a lot coming from you!

[@secundrabeasley855]

Thank you for this video. I geeked out in it big time. Question, if the data box lands on land after the ballon bursts, is their a way to retrieve it? Also can the data boxes be used again in another weather ballon or are they one and done?

[@graygray4]

We generally don't retrieve them and the main reason for it is this. Due to the curvature of the Earth and terrain we loose the telemetry data when the balloon descends below 1km. Thus depending on the wind the radiosonde could land anywhere in a km of that point. So it turns into a needle in several fields of haystacks job to find it. Because of this all the sensors we launch are designed to be disposable. One box did get returned to us once and was reused.

[@secundrabeasley855]

+gjmarlton1 Thank you for answering my question. I was blown away with your answer!!

[@graygray4]

+lgbtTV5 The radiosonde does contain an accurate GPS. However the last 1km of the descent data is lost due to a lack of line of sight. Hence after the link with the radiosonde is lost it is a lot harder to pin point the device. The amateur ballooning community often want to retrieve their balloons to retrieve cameras etc and include a GPS with a simple mobile phone which can text the location upon landing. Given our radiosondes may land in the ocean or become damaged on landing it is more viable to build them so they are disposable.

[@vickyadedayoogunruku7070]

Can you please explain how doing and epq helps your chances of getting into Oxford ? also does joining stem help?

[@tombenford227]

great stuff! looking forward to new content! (:

[@anubhabbiswas7767]

Hey a quick question.... Whats the duration of a Masters Degree in physics in the U.K. ???

[@SimonClark]

It depends... I did a four year degree which resulted in my masters, but also included three years of undergraduate material. Normally masters are either one year or sometimes two years in the UK when taken as a standalone qualification

[@angelafay2329]

thanks Simon, Graham and the University of Reading. That was really interesting. Did you get a chance to look at all the data? Can we get to see how you interpret it? Am now going to watch more of your videos.

[@AK-ei7iy]

Hi Simon! We just received our GCSE results today. I did ok, I got 3a*s, 9a's and 1b, any advice on applying for Oxford?

[@SimonClark]

Definitely apply - the only way to guarantee that you won't get in is to not apply at all! With only 3A*s you may be somewhat less likely to get an offer than others, but there's only one way to find out!

[@jms547]

Awesome video! More of this kind of thing! I want to know more about what you can do with the turbulence data! As far as I can make out the turbulence measurement is just how much the sonde is swinging about under the balloon, so a proxy for the RMS turbulent velocity, yes? Does Graham then relate that to what clouds and structures (jet stream etc) the sonde is going through? Can you look at turbulence/shear-flow interaction? And how thick are the regions of turbulence generally? Also, he said that when the balloon bursts and the parachutes deploy, the sondes follow the wind. Like Lagrangian particles? If so then I've just had a wacky and impractical idea for a two-sondes-on-one-balloon experiment for measuring velocity increments...

[@graygray4]

Hi Jon, The standard deviation of the accelerometer data is taken over 200m and using this we can relate it to a turbulence metric called the Eddy Dissipation Rate which is one of the most common measures of atmospheric turbulence. A more detailed description is given in: www.met.reading.ac.uk/~williams/publications/1.4905529.pdf As part of my PhD about 50 turbulence sensors were launched into jet streams and clouds of all different types (Stratiform, convective, frontal). This enabled me to begin building up the pictures of turbulence structure in the atmosphere caused by different phenomena and the processes driving the turbulence. For example convective clouds are always more turbulent at the top. Wind data from the radiosonde allowed me to look at vertical shear, but when comparing the data with model data it was found that horizontal stretching of the flow also caused a lot of turbulence. This work will hopefully be published in a journal within the next year. Graeme

[@jms547]

Ah ok. Thanks Graeme. That sounds very cool! Just added you on ResearchGate, will look forward to reading the paper when it comes out!

[@bryankelly9026]

Great vid, you're "interruptions" were actually welcomed well needed expositional breaks.

[@vikashvashistha2020]

hello Simon. Can you give me the contact details of this research scholar

[@orderofytene]

Hi Simon, I just received ABB in my A levels with an A in maths and a B in physics, does this stand me in a good way to go on to do my physics and maths degree? my goal is to do a PhD in physics and am interested in atmospheric physics like you.

[@Gregster427]

Depends where you want to go. Find a university that has your grade requirements.

[@orderofytene]

Oh I've already got a university I just wasn't sure whether I was good enough or not

[@Gregster427]

Boring Bathtimes Then look at their website. It should tell you the requirements to get in. Getting a PhD doesn't rely on your A level results.

[@orderofytene]

You don't understand, I have a place at the university I got higher than the entry requirements. My question is to someone whos experienced generally how do people get on with grades similar to mine.

[@Gregster427]

Boring Bathtimes PhD's have different experiences regardless of grades. Simon got just shy of a first and is on a course with other people of completely different grades. Your PhD is what you make of it.

[@Gregster427]

Little bit quiet this video Simon, just something to bear in mind next time.

[@StephenFarthing]

Thanks, it’s interesting to see the professional approach. A number of radio hams have built balloons with on board telemetry tracked by ground stations using a protocol called wspr. The electronics are often controlled by the popular Arduino microcontroller and are solar powered. The lifting balloon can be as little as two or three helium filled party balloons. Several of these balloons have circumnavigated the world. For more info see www.qrp-labs.com/circumnavigators.html

[@danielchen9841]

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