The Bodeker Scientific project to exploit data being collected from
Google's [x] Project Loon commenced on 1 October 2014. The goal of the
project is to use the Loon balloon data to investigate stratospheric
transport, and in particular barriers to transport because these
barriers largely determine the distribution of radiatively active gases
(e.g. ozone) in the stratosphere. The distribution of such gases then
determines their fingerprint on the warming of the atmosphere. The
processes associated with transport in the stratosphere are often not
well simulated in atmosphere-ocean global climate models. This year,
hundreds of long-duration stratospheric balloons are being flown in the
stratosphere by Google to provide internet access to remote locations.
Bodeker Scientific will use balloon position data to reveal in
unprecedented detail the transport processes, and small-scale turbulent
diffusion processes, active in the southern high latitude stratosphere.
Our research will add to fundamental understanding of stratospheric
dynamics and its role in climate. This project is funded through the New
Zealand Antarctic Research Institute. |
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