Up, up and away: Scientists release weather balloons to study Chicago skyline's climate impact

CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - Researchers are looking to the skies of downtown Chicago to learn more about climate change.

These are far from the balloons you see at birthday parties.

“We are launching these weather balloons that give us information about how the atmosphere is structured in Humboldt Park, Woodlawn and also from the Shedd Aquarium,” Scott Collis, an atmospheric scientist at Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont.

Argonne is partnering with the University of Illinois to use the weather balloons and on the ground researchers to study how Chicago’s skyline impacts climate.

“[The balloons will] really help us understand the basic physics of how cities interact with climate and how climate interacts with cities,” Collis added.

He said you may notice the balloons before they make their way to Michigan and eventually pop, sending their data tumbling back down to earth.

“We’re really excited to be in Chicago to be collecting the data that’s going to build the next generation of climate balloons to really build equitable solutions to building climate resilience,” Collis said.

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