Field Instrument History — Research Context

This datatable is part of the LTER Meteorological Stations dataset.

Meteorological data have been collected on the LTER main site since 1988.

Originally, wind direction and speed, total solar radiation, net solar radiation, rainfall, air temperature, and relative humidity were recorded hourly in connection with measurements of evapotranspiration and deep percolation from a 6 m² in-ground weighing lysimeter. The lysimeter and fetch area were planted to continuous alfalfa.

Although the lysimeter is no longer in operation, weather data collection continues. Precipitation was measured with a tipping bucket rain gauge until fall of 1997, when it was replaced with a weighing bucket rain gauge. In 2007 the belford rain gauge was replaced by a NOAH IV weighing bucket gage. All other sensors are electronic, connected to a data logger that is polled remotely. Instruments to measure wind speed and direction are mounted on a tower at 10 m. Light sensors (net solar radiation and photosynthetically active radiation) a thermometer, and an RH probe (with a built-in thermometer) are mounted at about 3 m. Soil moisture and temperature are monitored near the base of the tower.