Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Department of
Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research
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First Advisor
Adam L. Houston
Committee Members
Matthew Van Den Broeke, Ross Dixon, Shawn Murdzek
Date of this Version
7-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Citation
A thesis presented to the faculty of the Graduate College at the University of Nebraska in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Master of Science
Major: Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Under the supervision of Professor Adam L. Houston
Lincoln, Nebraska, July 2026
Abstract
Uncrewed aircraft systems have emerged as a promising option to address meteorological gaps in observations in the lower troposphere. With recent advancements, UAS may be able to address gaps aloft in areas that lack coverage from radiosondes and commercial aircraft. UAS have shown the potential to significantly benefit NWP forecasts from profiles in the lowest 2 km AGL, but the impact of UAS profiles to the tropopause has yet to be quantified. Additionally, the impacts of hazardous flying conditions that UAS would encounter need to be addressed to guide future UAS capabilities. To address these questions, we designed an observing system simulation experiment (OSSE) consisting of two week-long nature runs over CONUS, a system for creating realistic, synthetic conventional and UAS observations, and forecasts using the High-Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR). Several networks are examined with variations in site density, launch frequency, profiling depth, and with limits imposed owing to high winds and icing. Results show positive impacts from UAS, with a network of 431 evenly spaced UAS sampling every 2 hours to 15 km AGL improving 6-hour forecasts of 500 hPa temperature by nearly 10% and mixed-layer CAPE forecasts by over 30% versus a conventional observing network. It is shown that increasing the profiling frequency of UAS sites may be more beneficial to forecasts than adding sites and that hourly UAS profiles can still benefit forecasts even when restrictive wind and icing thresholds are imposed.
Advisor: Adam L. Houston
Comments
Copyright 2026, Kenneth Alexander Swan. Used by permission