The Concordiasi Progam utilizes the NCAR Driftsonde system to make radisonde soundings over and near the Antarctic continent. Thirteen super pressure balloons were launched, each carrying a Driftsonde gondola loaded with radiosondes. The balloons floated at a constant altitude in the stratosphere, circling the continent in the polar vortex. Using a web based interface, scientists scheduled the release of radiosondes. As the radiosonde fell, the measurements were transmitted back to the gondola. Once the radiosonde reached the surface, the complete sounding data set was relayed to data servers at NCAR, where it is made available to users. The balloons stayed aloft for up to three months, and over 650 soundings were performed.
Google Earth is used to visualize the flight track of the balloons. Once you have selected the kmz file in Google Earth, the animation tool will appear. Slide the start and end sliders apart in order to display about a 24 hour time span, and press the run button. Each colored symbol represents one position fix for the gondola. The fixes were typically received once per hour.
Extra credit: enable looping in the animation tool settings, and just let it run!
