radiosondes

Noun

radiosonde (plural radiosondes)

1. A miniature radio carried aloft (e.g. by an uncrewed balloon, an airdrop from a crewed aircraft, or a sounding rocket) to automatically transmit measurements of the upper air such as the wind speed, pressure, temperature, and relative humidity to a receiving station on the ground.
   • The ultimate limitation of radiosonde networks is the impracticality of global deployment. […] Although, in principle, satellite soundings should be able to match radiosonde accuracies, in practice, they have errors of at least twice those of radiosondes.1980, National Research Council (U.S.) Select Committee on the National Weather Service, Technological and Scientific Opportunities for Improved Weather and Hydrological Services in the Coming...