Turbulence and Particles in Fluids
The Mobile Cloud Laboratory (MCL)
In order to complement and facilitate the Cloudkite measurements, we have developed a Mobile Cloud Laboratory (MCL). The MCL is a mobile weather station, which also enables us to transport the CloudKite parts and its 2.8t winch to the field. The quantities measured by the MCL are the basic meteorology (temperature, pressure, wind speed and direction), dewpoint via chilled mirror, precipitation rate, hydrometeor size distribution, cloud ceiling and backscatter, and the atmospheric electric field (field mill).
Schematics of the MCL operation in the field
Furthermore, the MCL is designed to be used as an operation control center for the Cloudkite in the field, while providing suitable space to repair instruments and shelter in emergency situations, such as thunderstorms. The MCL van has a dedicated space for a small cluster (e.g. with two GPU blade server), several drawers and closets for storing tools and spare parts, and three desks. The combination of airborne Cloudkite and ground-based MCL measurements can substantially improve our understanding of clouds by providing the most detailed picture of the cloud to date.