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<front>
<journal-meta>
<journal-id journal-id-type="publisher">EGUsphere</journal-id>
<journal-title-group>
<journal-title>EGUsphere</journal-title>
<abbrev-journal-title abbrev-type="publisher">EGUsphere</abbrev-journal-title>
<abbrev-journal-title abbrev-type="nlm-ta">EGUsphere</abbrev-journal-title>
</journal-title-group>
<issn pub-type="epub"></issn>
<publisher><publisher-name>Copernicus Publications</publisher-name>
<publisher-loc>Göttingen, Germany</publisher-loc>
</publisher>
</journal-meta>
<article-meta>
<article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.5194/egusphere-2025-4843</article-id>
<title-group>
<article-title>CopterSonde-SWX: Development of a UAS-based Vertical Atmospheric Profiler for Severe Weather</article-title>
</title-group>
<contrib-group><contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Segales</surname>
<given-names>Antonio R.</given-names>
<ext-link>https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0752-0434</ext-link>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1">
<sup>1</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Bell</surname>
<given-names>Tyler M.</given-names>
<ext-link>https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0078-2044</ext-link>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1">
<sup>1</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Tasim</surname>
<given-names>Abdullah A.</given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1">
<sup>1</sup>
</xref>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff3">
<sup>3</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Quiroz</surname>
<given-names>Aaron</given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1">
<sup>1</sup>
</xref>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff4">
<sup>4</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Simms</surname>
<given-names>Jeremy D.</given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1">
<sup>1</sup>
</xref>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff4">
<sup>4</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Gebauer</surname>
<given-names>Joshua</given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1">
<sup>1</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author" xlink:type="simple"><name name-style="western"><surname>Smith</surname>
<given-names>Elizabeth N.</given-names>
<ext-link>https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6673-1576</ext-link>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff2">
<sup>2</sup>
</xref>
</contrib>
</contrib-group><aff id="aff1">
<label>1</label>
<addr-line>Cooperative Institute for Severe and High-Impact Weather Research and Operations, The University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma</addr-line>
</aff>
<aff id="aff2">
<label>2</label>
<addr-line>NOAA/OAR National Severe Storm Laboratory, The University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma</addr-line>
</aff>
<aff id="aff3">
<label>3</label>
<addr-line>School of Engineering, The University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma</addr-line>
</aff>
<aff id="aff4">
<label>4</label>
<addr-line>School of Meteorology, The University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma</addr-line>
</aff>
<pub-date pub-type="epub">
<day>27</day>
<month>12</month>
<year>2025</year>
</pub-date>
<volume>2025</volume>
<fpage>1</fpage>
<lpage>30</lpage>
<permissions>
<copyright-statement>Copyright: &#x000a9; 2025 Antonio R. Segales et al.</copyright-statement>
<copyright-year>2025</copyright-year>
<license license-type="open-access">
<license-p>This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this licence, visit <ext-link ext-link-type="uri"  xlink:href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</ext-link></license-p>
</license>
</permissions>
<self-uri xlink:href="https://egusphere.copernicus.org/preprints/2025/egusphere-2025-4843/">This article is available from https://egusphere.copernicus.org/preprints/2025/egusphere-2025-4843/</self-uri>
<self-uri xlink:href="https://egusphere.copernicus.org/preprints/2025/egusphere-2025-4843/egusphere-2025-4843.pdf">The full text article is available as a PDF file from https://egusphere.copernicus.org/preprints/2025/egusphere-2025-4843/egusphere-2025-4843.pdf</self-uri>
<abstract>
<p>Growing demand for high spatiotemporal resolution observations in the planetary boundary layer (PBL) has driven the development of affordable, small uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) technology to fill critical observational gaps and support improved understanding and future assimilation into prediction models. This work presents the CopterSonde-SWX (CSWX), an in-situ UAS vertical profiler that combines a high-thrust tilted-body airframe, a wind-vane flight mode for sampling undisturbed air, and a shielded actively ventilated sensor scoop to acquire thermodynamic and full 3D wind vectors without dedicated anemometers. Through a series of flow simulations and intercomparison field campaigns, including colocated flights with its predecessor (CS3D), Doppler wind lidars, and radiosondes, the CSWX demonstrated inter-sensor temperature uniformity within &amp;plusmn; 0.2 &amp;deg;C across variable solar and wind regimes and achieved LESO-based wind retrieval RMSEs of 0.49 m s&lt;sup&gt;-1 &lt;/sup&gt;(vertical) and 1.03 m s&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt; (horizontal). In a nocturnal low-level jet case, the CSWX sustained winds up to &amp;sim; 24 m s&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt; at 520 m (versus the CS3D&apos;s 20 m s&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt; limit at &amp;sim; 275 m), with polynomial fits projecting a safe maximum wind tolerance of 29.5 m s&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt; while retaining sufficient battery energy margin for safe return. These results support the CSWX as a resilient, high-fidelity platform for atmospheric profiling, advancing the transition from a research prototype to an operational instrument. Even though the CopterSonde is an experimental design, this work may serve as a guideline to define future standards for WxUAS development.</p>
</abstract>
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<funding-group>
<award-group id="gs1">
<funding-source>National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration</funding-source>
<award-id>NA21OAR4320204</award-id>
</award-group>
</funding-group>
</article-meta>
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