Weather Tidbits: Radiosonde

One of the most important weather instruments is explored in this Weather Tidbits, with the radiosonde. A radiosonde is an instrument that obtains a vertical distribution of temperature, pressure and humidity. It consists of a balloon filled with hydrogen, a parachute which helps slowing descend when the balloon pops and a string, along with a temperature and humidity sensor, barometer and even a GPS device. They are released twice a day, at the time it corresponds to midnight (0z) and noon (12z) in Greenwich, England. The data from a radiosonde plotted with the vertical distribution of wind, humidity and temperature known as a sounding.