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CSIRO scientists have taken to the skies in a Lear jet to advise VicRoads on how to minimise the risks of black ice on new bypasses of the Calder Highway. Black ice on roads is invisible and can make driving very hazardous.
The scientists are building up thermal maps of the 50-kilometre highway route between Macedon and Kyneton, north-east of Melbourne. The scanner on board their Lear jet shows temperature on the ground to within 0.1 degree Celsius.
"We are advising VicRoads where the terrain is below freezing point," said Dr Fred Prata from the CSIRO Division of Atmospheric Research.
"It is these sections where black ice is likely to be the greatest problem. VicRoads can then design road surfaces that are resistant to black ice or undertake other management strategies," said Dr Prata.
Black ice forms from rain that has frozen, from surface water released by the road surface and from drips falling from overhanging trees. It makes roads very slippery, making cars difficult to steer.
To get precise data on temperatures and to check the accuracy of the airborne scanner, the CSIRO team is making additional measurements from a four-wheel drive vehicle. The vehicle has the advantage of being able to make measurements inaccessible to the jet, such as beneath tree canopies.
"This project is an example of the way in which science can be harnessed to help the community. We will be applying measurement techniques known as remote sensing, often associated with instruments mounted on satellites," said Dr Prata.
"We also anticipate that the project will help us make scientific advances in the understanding of the type of terrain in which very cold temperatures occur," said Dr Prata.
The Lear jet used in this study, which will continue until September, is supplied by Air Target Services.
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