1. Plural of dropsonde; small, expendable instruments dropped from aircraft that measure atmospheric conditions (temperature, humidity, pressure, wind) as they fall through the air.
Usage: technical; meteorology; usually plural

Examples

• Meteorologists deployed dropsondes from the hurricane reconnaissance aircraft to gather real-time data.
• The dropsondes transmitted atmospheric measurements back to the research team as they descended.
• Weather forecasters use dropsondes to improve the accuracy of storm predictions.
• Multiple dropsondes were released at different altitudes to map the vertical structure of the atmosphere.
• The data collected by dropsondes helped scientists understand the intensity of the tropical cyclone.