Sparv’s Blog - News & Insights on Sparv Embedded

11 Articles

Radiosondes ×

Windsond and hot air ballooning

Long before Windsond became the world's lightest radiosonde, there was ballooning. The idea behind Windsond, and in many ways the foundation of Sparv Embedded, grew out of the needs of hot-air balloon...

FAI HotAirBallooning Radiosondes Windsond

Sep 25, 2026

Into the volcanic plume: Windsond S2 with custom SO₂ integration

Researchers from the Physical Volcanology and Geological Risks Group at the University of Geneva are deploying Windsond S2 radiosondes with custom-integrated SO₂ sensors to study volcanic plumes at Et...

Lightweight Radiosonde Radiosondes SO2 Volcano Windsond

Jun 1, 2026

Recent Study Showcases the Use of Sparv’s Windsond to Promote Firefighter Safety During Wildfires

Executive Summary A groundbreaking 2025 study by Castellnou Ribau et al. highlights the critical role of real-time atmospheric data in protecting wildland firefighters during extreme wildfire events. ...

Meteorology Instrumentation Pyroconvection Radiosondes Weather Balloons Wildfire Research Wildfire Safety

Oct 8, 2025

Observing Tornadoes Using Radiosondes: Windsond Storm Profiling System

Executive Summary Accurate tornado forecasting and research depend on both wind and thermodynamic data inside supercell thunderstorms, where Doppler radar alone falls short. Radiosondes —balloon-borne...

Radiosondes Tornado Research Windsond

Sep 5, 2023

Mapping Extreme Wildfire Behavior with Windsond Radiosondes

Executive Summary A 2021 field campaign led by Marc Castellnou employed Windsond radiosondes to probe the complex interactions between extreme wildfires and the atmosphere. Published in the Journal of...

Atmospheric Profiling Fire Behavior Analysis In-Plume Measurements Radiosondes Wildfire Research Windsond

Jan 30, 2023

Mapping the Urban Heat Island in Houston, Texas

Executive Summary In November 2022, the Center for Multiscale Applied Sensing (CMAS) deployed 32 miniaturized Windsond radiosondes across downtown Houston to capture the three-dimensional structure of...

3D Heat Mapping Public Health Radiosondes Urban Sensing Windsond

Nov 14, 2022

Windsond Radiosondes Empower TORUS Supercell Observations

Executive Summary Windsond , a compact radiosonde system, is central to the NOAA- and NSF-supported TORUS campaign (Targeted Observation by Radars and UAS of Supercells). By launching small, instrumen...

In-Situ Measurements Radiosondes Tornado Research Windsond

Oct 20, 2021

Dual-Balloon Radiosonde Launching Advances Tornado Research

Executive Summary Severe-weather researchers face immense challenges when probing the inflow regions of tornadoes: extreme winds, rapid pressure changes, and limited launch sites. The Swarmsonde syste...

Atmospheric Sensors Boundary-Layer Research Dual-ballon Radiosondes Tornado Research Windsond

Nov 16, 2020

Introducing RR2: A Smarter, Wireless Receiver for Windsond Soundings

Executive Summary Sparv Embedded proudly presents the RR2 receiver—an advanced, weatherproof upgrade to the original RR1. Designed for Windsond radiosondes and Sparvio sensor systems, RR2 streamlines ...

Atmospheric Profiling Radiosondes SKH3 Data Logger Sparvio Windsond

Oct 7, 2016

Windsond in Action: Professor Mike Brown on VORTEX-SE Field Campaigns

Executive Summary During the spring 2016 VORTEX-SE campaign, Mississippi State University (MSU) deployed Windsond radiosondes to investigate how landscape features influence severe storm environments ...

Atmospheric Sensors Radiosondes Severe Storm Monitoring Severe Weather Monitoring Tornado Research Windsond

Apr 4, 2016

Windsond Tracks High-Altitude Balloon to 27 km: A Case Study from Stockholm University

Executive Summary In a remarkable high-altitude balloon experiment, researchers at Stockholm University attached Windsond to a scientific payload that ascended to 27 km above mean sea level (MSL). Alt...

Atmospheric Sensors Radiosondes Windsond

Jun 22, 2015