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Difference between revisions of "Automatic weather station"
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Westarctica (talk | contribs) (Created page with "An '''automatic weather station (AWS)''' is an automated version of the traditional weather station, either to save human labor or to enable measurements from remote areas. An...") |
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Most automatic weather stations have: | Most automatic weather stations have: | ||
* Thermometer for measuring temperature | |||
* Anemometer for measuring wind speed | |||
* Wind vane for measuring wind direction | |||
* Hygrometer for measuring humidity | |||
* Barometer for measuring atmospheric pressure | |||
Some stations can also have: | Some stations can also have: | ||
* Ceilometer for measuring cloud height | |||
* Present weather sensor and/or visibility sensor | |||
* Rain gauge for measuring liquid-equivalent precipitation | |||
* Ultrasonic snow depth sensor for measuring depth of snow | |||
* Pyranometer for measuring solar radiation | |||
==Data-logger== | ==Data-logger== | ||
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The main functions of a data-logger are: | The main functions of a data-logger are: | ||
* '''Measurement''': the data-logger collects the information from every sensor and archives it. | |||
* '''Calculation''': the data-logger processes most of the meteorological data for the users (avg, min, max...). | |||
* '''Data storage''': the data-logger saves all the data either on its own memory or on uSD memory card. | |||
* '''Power supply''': the data-logger manages the power supply of the Automatic Weather Station, using a solar panel for instance. | |||
* '''Communication''': the data-logger manages the communication protocols with the remote server. The different communication protocols are usually GSM, GPRS, RTC, WiFi, uSD, and RS232. | |||
==Enclosures== | ==Enclosures== | ||
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The standard mast heights used with automatic weather stations are 2, 3, 10 and 30 meters. Other sizes are available, but typically these sizes have been used as standards for differing applications. | The standard mast heights used with automatic weather stations are 2, 3, 10 and 30 meters. Other sizes are available, but typically these sizes have been used as standards for differing applications. | ||
==Antarctic Automatic Weather Stations Project== | |||
The Antarctic Automatic Weather Station (AWS) Project is an Antarctic research program at the Space Science and Engineering Center at the University of Wisconsin–Madison that is funded by the [[United States Office of Polar Programs]] at the National Science Foundation (NSF). The AWS project was started in 1980 by UW-Madison atmospheric sciences Professor Charles R. Stearns. | |||
Currently, the UW-Madison AWS project operates and maintains approximately 63 automated weather stations in Antarctica, more than half of all stations currently known to be operating on the continent. | |||
===Research=== | |||
Data from the UW-Madison Antarctic AWS program has been used for many research studies including, but not limited to: boundary layer meteorology studies near the [[South Pole]], [[Katabatic wind]] studies at Reeves Glacier and the Adelie Coast, Long Term Ecological Research along the [[Antarctic Peninsula]], and Barrier wind flow studies along the [[Transantarctic Mountains]] and the Antarctic Peninsula. Additional studies include flight forecasting and long-term climatology studies at the historic [[Byrd Station]] in [[Westarctica]]. | |||
Although the primary purpose of the AWS station project was intended to collect data on current meteorological conditions, the current 30-year archive of data has allowed for some recent climatological usage of the data. | |||
[[Category:Science]] | [[Category:Science]] | ||