Physics Commons^™

In Situ Checks Of Sonic Anemometer Temperature Calibration, David Cook, Michael Negale

Physics Student Research

The temperature calibration of the Gill Instruments WindMaster Pro sonic anemometer used in the ARM SGP ECOR systems is actually a curve, but is approximated with a linear fit for field use. The original calibrations were performed in a temperature-controlled chamber. The linear fit slope is only applied to the calculation of sensible heat flux and not to the reported temperature. The linear fit results in an underestimate of sensible heat flux during cold ambient temperatures and an overestimate during hot ambient temperatures. In situ calibrations performed using five years of ARM SGP data reveal how poorly the temperature is …