Beachgoers in south-west Victoria have been startled to discover scientific weather balloons adorning their beaches this summer. The Warrnambool’s Beach Patrol crew discovered five of these deflated balloons, which have traveled across vast distances as part of a significant climate study. Every day, an estimated 1,300 weather balloons are launched worldwide. This particular ensemble is sourced from the Kennaook/Cape Grim Baseline Air Pollution Station, Tasmania.
According to the World Meteorological Organization, regular and systematic daily launches of weather balloons are a key component for understanding what is going on in the atmosphere. The balloons fly to an altitude of 25 kilometers. There, they collect crucial information on climate and meteorological patterns before popping and plummeting back to the surface of the Earth.
The Journey of Weather Balloons
The Kennaook/Cape Grim Baseline Air Pollution Station located at the north-west tip of Tasmania. It’s no surprise, then, that it’s one of just three Continuing Collaborating Centers for Air Quality around the world. At that location, researchers are able to take precise atmospheric measurements needed for the global climate research. From this station, researchers launch up to four weather balloons each day, contributing significantly to the understanding of atmospheric conditions.
As Mr. Powers, a representative involved in the project, explains, “They start off as pretty decent-sized party balloons … and as they go up the atmospheric pressure drops and they get bigger and bigger and bigger until at the top of their flight they’re about the size of a school bus.” Each hot-air balloon is tethered to a specialized package, but ultimately these balloons burst, discharging their packages back into the environment.
The accompanying payloads collect data that scientists are using to better understand atmospheric rivers, dangerous wind patterns, the jet stream and more. For all their promise, there is no feasible method to recover these balloons as they return to earth. The environmental impacts of this practice have alarmed residents of affected communities and environmental justice advocates.
Local Discoveries and Community Response
Local volunteers are concerned by the growing army of pop past balloons littering our local beaches. Team leader Colleen Hughson with some of her band of environmental warriors, who are working to reclaim the beaches that stretch around south-west Victoria. In just the last few months, her team has made headlines discovering six weather balloons.
Mr. Furphy, a local beachgoer, noted, “She said we’ve been getting heaps of them this summer. They’re putting up two of them every day.” This uptick in sightings has prompted discussions about the balance between critical climate research and its unintended consequences on local ecosystems.
Many residents are understandably frustrated over the environmental consequences. Mr. Powers strongly accents the essential value of the research that is still in process. He stated, “The trade-off is that the measurements and the impact on people’s quality of life and people’s safety by knowing what the weather is, are absolutely important and that’s part of the trade-off equation.”
Acknowledging Environmental Impact
Recognizing the environmental costs of weather balloons goes hand-in-hand with ensuring that researchers can pursue vital atmospheric studies in the wake of climate change. Mr. Powers affirmed, “I want to acknowledge that these certainly have an environmental impact and we’re working to try and improve and minimize the impact.”
He pointed out the significance of understanding atmospheric dynamics. “Clouds have a huge impact on warming and cooling of the Earth’s surface, which impacts everything from long-term climate to short-term weather.” Scientists such as Rosenzweig are working feverishly to collect precise data for an emerging climate science. Simultaneously, the researchers are trying to find ways to lower the environmental cost of their research activity.
