Weather & Climate

Automated Weather Stations (AWS) & Meteorologic Instruments

Weather & Climate

From single research stations to mesoscale networks, Campbell Scientific automated weather stations (AWS) have become the worldwide standard for climatological and meteorological monitoring. Our stations have measured conditions in the Sahara Desert, Brazilian rain forests, and both the Arctic and Antarctic. Accurate measurements, proven reliability, and the ability to customise each station make our weather stations ideal for all types of meteorological and climate monitoring.

We offer many types of automated weather and climate stations. Our preconfigured stations feature a standard suite of pre-wired sensors, easy installation, and simplified programming. Custom stations offer a wider selection of sensors and data transfer peripherals, providing greater flexibility.

Station Benefits

  1. Preconfigured and custom automated weather stations are available.
  2. Stations can measure most commercially available meteorological sensors.
  3. Communications options include phone, cellphone, voice-synthesized phone, satellite (DCP), and radio.
  4. Stations operate reliably in harsh environments.
  5. Data Loggers provide on-site statistical and mathematical capabilities.
  6. Batteries and solar panels allow long-term, remote operation.
  7. Stations are easily expandable—add new sites or add sensors to existing sites.
  8. Powerful software supports programming, data retrieval, and data display.

Dataloggers for Weather Monitoring

Our weather stations are based around a programmable datalogger (typically a CR1000 or CR3000) that measures the sensors, then processes, stores, and transmits the data. Our dataloggers have wide operating temperature ranges, on-board instructions, programmable execution intervals, and ample input channels for commonly used sensors. Wind vector, wet bulb, histogram, and sample on maxima or minima are standard in the datalogger instruction sets. Most sensors can be measured directly—without external signal conditioning.

Data are typically viewed and stored in the units of your choice (e.g., wind speed in mph, m/s, knots). Measurement rates and data recording intervals are independently programmable, allowing calculation of 15-minute, hourly, and daily data values from 1-minute or 1-second measurements, for example. Conditional outputs, such as rainfall intensity and wind gusts, can also be recorded. The program can be modified at any time to accommodate different sensor configurations or new data processing requirements. If needed, channel capacity can be expanded using multiplexers, including a model designed specifically for thermocouples.

 

Weather Sensors

Almost any meteorological sensor can be measured by our data loggers, allowing stations to be customised for each site. Typical sensors used on our stations include, but are not limited to:

  1. Wind speed and direction
  2. Solar radiation
  3. Temperature (air, water, soil)
  4. Relative humidity
  5. Precipitation
  6. Snow depth
  7. Barometric pressure
  8. Soil moisture

In some locations, hydrological sensors provide additional measurements, such as water level of a nearby stream.

Data Retrieval

We offer multiple communications options for data retrieval, which can be mixed within the same network. Telecommunications options include short-haul, telephone (landline, voice-synthesized, cellular), radio frequency, multidrop, and satellite. On-site options include storage module and laptop computer.

Software

Our PC-based support software simplifies the entire weather monitoring process, from programming to data retrieval to data display and analysis. Our software automatically manages data retrieval from networks or single stations. Robust error-checking ensures data integrity. We can even help you post your data to the Internet.

Example Stations


 

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