SEDL / STP / STP653-EB / STP36583S

Applicability of a Measurement System: Sensor Response and Representativeness

MacCready, PB
AeroVironment Inc., Pasadena, Calif.

Pages: 9    Published: Jan 1978

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Abstract

A complete view of the management (acquiring and use) of meteorological data requires the consideration of many factors, from the dynamic response characteristics of the sensor to the time and spatial representiveness of the final numerical quantity produced. The mathematical techniques for quantifying the various factors associated with a particular measurement are well developed. This paper reviews some fundamentals of the response and errors of typical meteorological sensors, with an emphasis on the sort of responses and errors that arise when the instrument is used in the real turbulent atmosphere, and also reviews factors of averaging and representativeness. Broader aspects of representativeness are also discussed from the perspective of incorporating the measurements into complete atmospheric descriptions or models.