Hundreds of high-flying balloons are genuine gatherers of climate information, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said Friday.
“Weather balloons have been a very important part of the global observing network for decades as they are the primary source of data above the ground,” it said.
Computer forecast models which use weather balloon data are used by meteorological forecasters worldwide.
After the US shot down a Chinese balloon in its airspace, speculation about the balloons has accelerated.
WMO spokesperson Clare Nullis was asked about the phenomenon at a UN news conference. Her organization later released a statement on objects in space or high in the sky.
“Millions of observations are gathered worldwide every day: from space by over 50 satellites; from the ocean by 400 moored buoys, 1,250 drifting buoys and 7,300 ships; by 4 000 aircraft from around 40 commercial aircraft companies, and 10,000 automated and land-based observing stations, and by nearly 1,000 weather balloons equipped with radio-sondes,” said the WMO statement. “Radiosondes, which act as upper-air stations, are attached to free-rising balloons and released simultaneously from almost 900 locations worldwide.”
Between 100 and 200 stations make observations once every day.
“The balloon flights last for around 2 hours, making measurements of pressure, wind velocity, temperature, and humidity from just above the ground to heights of up to 35 km (22 miles),” it said.
They can travel many miles before they burst and fall back to Earth under a parachute.
Weather balloons provide valuable input in real-time for computer forecast models, local data for meteorologists to make forecasts and predict storms, climate monitoring, and data for research to better understand weather and climate processes.
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