Quality Assurance
This page describes factors that influence the quality of data from the Tesa WS1081V3 AWS, as well as any issues with the Weather Display weather monitoring software that affect our operations. Our routine performance monitoring is also outlined, and although we strive to provide high quality data you should never base important decisions on the data we publish or provide.
This page should be viewed in conjunction with our station metadata and observing program for a complete overview of our standard operations.
Tesa WS1081V3
Rainfall
The AWS rain gauge has a resolution of 0.3 mm and is used for all real-time reporting. The standard rain gauge is read to 0.1 mm and is used for all daily and monthly reporting, and long-term statistics.
The AWS daily rainfall are routinely compared against the standard rain gauge. This ongoing comparison evaluates the need for a rainfall coefficient in the weather monitoring software to improve the accuracy of the AWS rainfall data. Details of the current rainfall coefficient are listed in the station metadata.
Temperature
The AWS thermo-hygrograph is protected from direct solar radiation and other sources of radiated heat by a solar-powered fan aspirated radiation shield (FARS). When the ambient air temperature is quickly warming or cooling the thermo-hygrograph responds faster to temperature changes than the sensor in the Stevenson Screen. In these situations, spot temperature checks show the difference between the two sensor housings may exceed ±1.0° C due to the different response times. When the ambient air temperature is relatively steady, the temperature difference between the two sensor housings is typically within ±0.2° C.
The AWS maximum and minimum temperature data are routinely compared against a check thermometer in the Stevenson Screen for local accuracy, and also checked for consistency against the nearby BoM AWS network.
Mean Sea Level Pressure (MSLP)
The absolute pressure is the measured atmospheric pressure. The relative pressure is the atmospheric pressure corrected down to sea level, and is calculated by applying a height offset to the absolute pressure on the console and in the weather monitoring software. The relative pressure, more commonly known as MSLP, is the most important element on a station weather plot.
The AWS MSLP data are routinely compared against the MSLP data from the BoM AWS at Laverton. This ongoing comparison evaluates the need for a pressure offset in the weather monitoring software to improve the accuracy of the AWS MSLP data. Details of the current pressure offset are listed in the station metadata.
Wind Speed and Direction
The AWS anemometer and wind vane are installed at a height of about 2 m instead of the standard height of 10 m. The quality of the wind data is therefore compromised and should be used with caution.
Weather Display
No issues of any operational significance.
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