Travel Grant: The 2023 International Society for Atmospheric Research using Remotely piloted Aircraft (ISARRA) Meeting; Bergen, Norway; August 1-4, 2023

University Of Colorado At Boulder, Boulder CO

Investigators

Abstract

The International Society for Atmospheric Research using Remotely piloted Aircraft (ISARRA) is going to hold its 2023 conference in Bergen, Norway from 1- 4 August 2023. This meeting provides a unique opportunity for the presentation, discussion, and advancement of scientific outcomes stemming from the use of uncrewed aircraft systems, or drones, in support of understanding the Earth’s atmosphere. Such understanding is very important for advancing abilities to predict and understand weather and climate, and the associated potential societal implications. Additionally, ISARRA serves as a community forum for advancing sensor and aircraft technologies, measurement strategies, integration of drones into the airspace, and general knowledge on the use of drones to understand the atmosphere. The meeting will feature several days of science talks, poster sessions, industry events and, perhaps most importantly, ample time for discussion of current frontiers in this rapidly evolving field. In addition, there will be opportunities for flight demonstrations that allow researchers of all career stages to share and observe different aircraft and sensor systems in action. This project will support the participation of early career researchers, including students and postdocs from a variety of different backgrounds, in the ISARRA 2023 meeting. Uncrewed aircraft systems offer revolutionary perspectives on a variety of different elements of the Earth system, including the atmosphere and surface. To advance the scientific community’s ability to effectively harness the information that can be produced by these systems, the ISARRA was established over a decade ago. Through annual meetings, this society has offered a significant boost to drone-based research and has supported the career development of a significant number of scientists and engineers. Work discussed at these meetings and through the society includes scientific progress on understanding key atmospheric phenomena, including aerosol-cloud interactions, severe weather, atmospheric boundary layer processes and development, high-latitude boundary layers, aerosol and trace gas properties, turbulence, fire weather, the effects of sources of renewable energy (e.g., wind turbines), and more. Additionally, there have been significant discussions on sensors and aircraft systems, including the development of autopilot systems, new miniaturized sensors for aerosol, gas, and cloud measurements, aircraft design, wind sensing and more. Importantly, all these discussions have involved academic researchers, national laboratory researchers and industry participants. Engaging early-career and under-represented scientists in the ISARRA conference and associated activities is a critical step towards continuing and expanding the use of uncrewed aircraft systems in the atmospheric sciences, and towards our collective ability to support the advancement of weather and climate prediction and understanding. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.