Surface and Tower Meteorological Instrumentation at NSA (METTWR)
Instrument Categories: Surface Meteorology
General Overview
![Picture of the Surface meteorological measurements from tower (METTWR)](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090508175721im_/https://www.arm.gov/instruments/images/mettwr.jpg)
Surface and Tower Meteorological Instrumentation at NSA (METTWR) use mainly conventional in situ sensors to measure wind speed, wind direction, air temperature, dew point, and humidity mounted on either a 10-m or a 40-m tower. It also obtains barometric pressure, visibility, and precipitation data from sensors at or near the base of the towers. In addition, Chilled Mirror Hygrometers are located on the towers for comparison purposes.
Primary Measurements Taken
The following measurements are those considered scientifically relevant. Refer to the netCDF File Header Descriptions (Data Object Design Files) for the list of all available measurements, including those recorded for diagnostic or quality assurance purposes.
- Atmospheric moisture
- Atmospheric pressure
- Atmospheric temperature
- Horizontal wind
- Precipitation
- Visibility
Available Datastreams
- cmh - Chilled Mirror Dew Point Hygrometer
- mettiptwr - Ten Meter Tower: meteorological data, 2 & 6 m, 1-min avg
- mettwr - Forty Meter Tower: meteorological data, 2, 10, 20, & 40 m, 1-min avg
- mettwr2h - Meteorological tower with 2 sampling heights (2 and 5 m)
- mettwr4h - Meteorological tower with 4 sampling heights (2, 10, 20, 40 m)
- org - Optical Rain Gauge measurements: precipitation rate and accumulation
- pws - Present weather sensor, 1-min avg
- snodep - Snow depth
Sites / Facilities
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- North Slope Alaska (NSA)
- Central Facility, Atqasuk AK (C2)
- Central Facility, Barrow AK (C1)
Mentor(s)
Michael Ritsche
(630) 252-1554
mtritsche@anl.gov
David Cook
associate
(630) 252-5840
drcook@anl.gov