スウォンジー大学を中心とする新しい研究により、鳥の飛翔が細かいスケールの環境条件に対する気象学的洞察を提供することが示されました。 A new study led by Swansea University has shown how the flight of birds can offer a meteorological insight into fine scale environmental conditions.
2022-11-16 スウォンジー大学
研究チームは、鳥に取り付けたGPS、気圧、加速度のデータロガーを使って、飛行高度と運動の微細な変化を乱気流の強さの指標として利用できるかどうかを調べ、航空機に搭載した風速計で測定した乱気流と比較した。
その結果、鳥が上下に揺れ動く不安定な状態を利用して、乱気流の状態を把握することができることが示された。
この新しい研究により、鳥が搭載するセンサーを使って自然界の流れの乱れを計算できる可能性が出てきた。
＜関連情報＞
- https://www.swansea.ac.uk/press-office/news-events/news/2022/11/flight-of-birds-can-help-provide-predictions-on-turbulence-new-study-suggests.php
- https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsif.2022.0577
羽ばたき飛行の動きを利用した乱流の微細な変化の推定 Estimating fine-scale changes in turbulence using the movements of a flapping flier
Emmanouil Lempidakis,Andrew N. Ross,Michael Quetting,Baptiste Garde,Martin Wikelski and Emily L. C. Shepard
Journal of the Royal Society Interface Published:09 November 2022
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2022.0577
Abstract
All animals that operate within the atmospheric boundary layer need to respond to aerial turbulence. Yet little is known about how flying animals do this because evaluating turbulence at fine scales (tens to approx. 300 m) is exceedingly difficult. Recently, data from animal-borne sensors have been used to assess wind and updraft strength, providing a new possibility for sensing the physical environment. We tested whether highly resolved changes in altitude and body acceleration measured onboard solo-flying pigeons (as model flapping fliers) can be used as qualitative proxies for turbulence. A range of pressure and acceleration proxies performed well when tested against independent turbulence measurements from a tri-axial anemometer mounted onboard an ultralight flying the same route, with stronger turbulence causing increasing vertical displacement. The best proxy for turbulence also varied with estimates of both convective velocity and wind shear. The approximately linear relationship between most proxies and turbulence levels suggests this approach should be widely applicable, providing insight into how turbulence changes in space and time. Furthermore, pigeons were able to fly in levels of turbulence that were unsafe for the ultralight, paving the way for the study of how freestream turbulence affects the costs and kinematics of animal flight.
