A fleet of  weather-sensing uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) took to the skies just south of St. Augustine, Florida during the 2026 ISARRA Flight Week between August 30–September 3. This was a ground-breaking effort in that it was the first time weather-sensing UAS have been approved by the FAA to fly BVLOS to collect atmospheric data over inaccessible areas of the coastal environment.

Organized by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Senior Scientist James Pinto in RAL, the ISARRA Northern Florida UAS Sampling of the Shoreline Environment (INFUSSE) campaign brought together researchers, students, and industry partners to study how coastal sea breezes form, move inland, and may influence the development of clouds and thunderstorms.

Student involvement was a key priority of the project which was funded in part by NSF Education proposal awarded to Kevin Adkins (ERAU) and James Pinto (NCAR)

Student involvement was a key priority of the project which was funded in part by NSF Education proposal awarded to Kevin Adkins (ERAU) and James Pinto (NCAR).
Images courtesy of James Pinto

UAS teams were deployed to  six sites across the coastal plain that represented a variety of landscapes, including tropical forests, wetlands, rivers, scrubland, and pastures. Weather-sensing UAS, Doppler wind lidars, and NSF NCAR’s 32-meter instrumented tower provided different views of the lower atmosphere as the sea breeze developed. UAS carrying remote sensors characterized the land surface conditions.

The week also provided hands-on field experience for more than 40 students from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Oklahoma State University, and the University of Kentucky. Students worked alongside research teams operating UAS and atmospheric instruments and gained a firsthand look at what goes into a large, coordinated field campaign.

Data collected during INFUSSE will help researchers better understand Florida’s coastal atmosphere and how variations in surface characteristics influence local weather.

Thanks to co-organizers Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and partners from NOAA: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration National Severe Storms Laboratory, University of Oklahoma, University of Kentucky, University of Colorado Boulder, Oklahoma State University, and the German Aerospace Center (DLR).

NSF NCAR's involvement was funded in-part by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Aviation Weather Research Program.