What is one common use of weather balloons in meteorology?

Weather balloons, also known as sounding balloons, are instrumental in meteorology for gathering detailed data necessary for understanding the atmosphere. They carry instruments called radiosondes that measure temperature, humidity, and wind speed/direction as they ascend through the atmosphere. By analyzing this data, meteorologists can construct vertical profiles of the atmosphere, which are crucial for weather forecasting and understanding atmospheric conditions at various altitudes.

The data collected by weather balloons is particularly valuable because they ascend to altitudes that ground-based instruments cannot reach, often exceeding 30 kilometers (about 18 miles). This provides a comprehensive view of atmospheric conditions and trends, informing weather predictions and climate studies.

While measuring surface temperatures, predicting severe weather patterns, and assessing air pressure are important aspects of meteorology, these tasks do not rely on weather balloons in the same primary way that data collection on temperature, humidity, and winds does. Surface temperatures are typically measured using ground instruments, severe weather forecasting often uses a combination of radar and satellite data, and air pressure is frequently assessed with barometers at different altitudes through different methods.