Editing Radiosonde (section)

== Routine radiosonde launches ==
Radiosondes weather balloons have conventionally been used as means of measuring atmospheric profiles of humidity, temperature, pressure, wind speed and direction.<ref name="radio2022">{{cite journal |last1=Ding |first1=Tong |last2=Awange |first2=Joseph L. |last3=Scherllin-Pirscher |first3=Barbara |last4=Kuhn |first4=Michael |last5=Anyah |first5=Richard |last6=Zerihun |first6=Ayalsew |last7=Bui |first7=Luyen K. |title=GNSS Radio Occultation Infilling of the African Radiosonde Data Gaps Reveals Drivers of Tropopause Climate Variability |url=https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2022JD036648 |journal=Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres |date=16 September 2022 |volume=127 |issue=17 |doi=10.1029/2022JD036648|bibcode=2022JGRD..12736648D |s2cid=251652497 |hdl=20.500.11937/91903 |hdl-access=free }}{{Creative Commons text attribution notice|cc=by4|from this source=yes}}</ref> High-quality, spatially and temporally “continuous” data from upper-air monitoring along with surface observations are critical bases for understanding weather conditions and climate trends and providing weather and climate information for the welfare of societies. Reliable and timely information underpin society’s preparedness to extreme weather conditions and to changing climate patterns.<ref name="radio2022" />

Worldwide, there are about 1,300 radiosonde launch sites.<ref>[http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/www/OSY/Gos-components.html#upper WMO Global Observing System]''Upper-air observations''. Retrieved February 19, 2017.</ref> Most countries share data with the rest of the world through international agreements. Nearly all routine radiosonde launches occur one hour before the official observation times of 0000 [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]] and 1200 UTC to center the observation times during the roughly two-hour ascent.<ref>[https://www.weather.gov/media/key/Weather-Balloons.pdf Weather Balloons!] Retrieved 1 January 2023.</ref><ref name="auto">[https://www.weather.gov/jetstream/radiosondes Radiosondes] Retrieved 1 January 2023.</ref> Radiosonde observations are important for [[weather forecasting]], [[severe weather]] [[Severe weather terminology (United States)|watches and warnings]], and atmospheric research. 

The [[United States]] [[National Weather Service]] launches radiosondes twice daily from 92 stations, 69 in the conterminous United States, 13 in Alaska, nine in the Pacific, and one in Puerto Rico. It also supports the operation of 10 radiosonde sites in the [[Caribbean]].<ref name="auto"/>
A list of U.S. operated land based launch sites can be found in Appendix C, U.S. Land-based Rawinsonde Stations<ref>[http://www.ofcm.gov/fmh3/pdf/11-app-c.pdf U.S. Land-based Rawinsode Stations] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303235131/http://www.ofcm.gov/fmh3/pdf/11-app-c.pdf |date=March 3, 2016 }}</ref> of the Federal Meteorological Handbook #3,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ofcm.gov/fmh3/text/default.htm |title=Federal Meteorological Handbook #3 |publisher=Ofcm.gov |access-date=2013-09-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131222081748/http://www.ofcm.gov/fmh3/text/default.htm |archive-date=2013-12-22 }}</ref> titled Rawinsonde and Pibal Observations, dated May 1997.

The [[UK]] launches [[Vaisala]] RS41 radiosondes<ref>[https://blog.metoffice.gov.uk/2017/10/27/did-you-know-were-testing-new-weather-balloons-from-cornwall-to-antarctica/ Did You Know? We’re testing new weather balloons: from Cornwall to Antarctica!] Retrieved 1 January 2023.</ref>
four times daily (an hour before 00, 06, 12, and 18 UTC) from 6 launch sites (south to north):  [[Camborne]], (lat,lon)=(50.218, -5.327), SW tip of England; [[Herstmonceux]] (50.89, 0.318), near SE coast; [[Watnall]], (53.005, -1.25), central England; Castor Bay, (54.50, -6.34), near the SE corner of [[Lough Neagh]] in Northern Ireland; [[Albemarle Barracks, England|Albemarle]], (55.02, -1.88), NE England; and [[Lerwick]], (60.139, -1.183), [[Shetland]], [[Scotland]]. <ref>[https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/services/business-industry/energy/safeguarding Protecting our observing capability] Retrieved 1 January 2023.</ref>
<ref>[https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/uk-synoptic-and-climate-stations Synoptic and climate stations] Retrieved 1 January 2023.</ref>