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Caribbean weather - Observations

In-situ observations

Upper-air soundings

Upper-air sounding is a valuable tool for meteorology. It is a snapshot of the vertical structure of the atmosphere. Air temperature, atmospheric pressure, air humidity and wind are the basic and most often measured factors. With special sensors, ozone and radioactivity can be studied as well.

The sounding system consists of a radiosonde and ground equipment with antennas. The radiosondes are launched into the atmosphere on the meteorological balloons and ascend to the upper atmosphere from the ground to an altitude of about 30 km.

The radiosonde contains sensors that measure pressure, temperature and humidity. The navigational systems are used to locate the radiosonde during flight. The wind speed and direction are computed by the ground equipment from information about the position of the radiosonde. The radiosonde has the capability to retransmit navigational aid signals received from the navigational systems to the ground equipment.

There are few active upper-air sounding stations in the Greater Caribbean:

(* Degrees and minutes.) (**Operated by the USA)

Aerology is the branch of meteorology involving observation and research of the atmosphere by means of balloons, radiosondes, airplanes etc. Read an article (both in English and in Spanish) about the History of Aerology of Cuba: Part I and Part II published online in the Meteorological Bulletin of Sociedad Meteorológica de Cuba. (the Meteorological Society of Cuba).

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