Field computation of winds-aloft velocities from single theodolite pilot balloon observations

Bill C. Ryan

Treesearch

Field computation of winds-aloft velocities from single theodolite pilot balloon observations

Informally Refereed

Authors:

Bill C. Ryan

Year:

1976

Type:

Research Note

Station:

Pacific Southwest Research Station

Source:

Res. Note PSW-RN-320. Berkeley, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station. 6 p

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Download (PDF 610 KB): https://research.fs.usda.gov/download/treesearch/31336.pdf

Abstract

The ability to determine wind speeds and directions in the first few thousand meters of the atmosphere is important in many forestry operations such as smolce management, aircraft seeding and spraying, prescribed burning, and wildfire suppression. A hand-held electronic calculator can be used to compute winds aloft as balloon observations are taken. Calculations can be made in the field with any calculator with trigonometric functions, programmable or nonprogrammable, by the method described.

Keywords

wind velocity, wind directions, electronic calculations, forest meteorology

Citation

Ryan, Bill C. 1976. Field computation of winds-aloft velocities from single theodolite pilot balloon observations. Res. Note PSW-RN-320. Berkeley, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station. 6 p