Comparison of Meteorological Service Calibration Laboratories in Southeastern Europe

Abstract

Interlaboratory comparisons serve as tools for assessment of measurement results performed by calibration laboratories in the relevant field of measurement. They are effective means to demonstrate technical competence of the participant and are used as a technical base for accreditation. However, in the network of meteorological services calibration laboratories, comparisons among laboratories are still rare. Some laboratories are still not evaluating measurement uncertainty, thus causing problems when comparing meteorological data from different countries. The Environmental Agency of the Republic of Slovenia (EARS), serving in the frame of the World Meteorological Organization as a Regional Instrument Centre, has organized a round-robin comparison of calibration laboratories of meteorological services in the southeastern part of Europe using instruments for temperature, relative humidity, and barometric pressure. Each participant laboratory had to calibrate a set of instruments at defined calibration points, to evaluate the measurement uncertainty (if possible), and to report the results. EARS RIC invited the National Hydrometeorological Services in the southeastern part of Europe to take part in the intercomparison. In addition, the Laboratory of Metrology and Quality (MIRS/UL-FE/LMK), which holds the Slovenian national standard for temperature and relative humidity, was also invited to participate in the comparison and in the data analysis. Results from MIRS/UL-FE/LMK and EARS were used to calculate the temperature and humidity comparison reference values, while the EARS results were taken as reference values for barometric pressure.