In situ calibration of ground heat flux plates

Abstract

An experiment is described in which CSIRO ground heat flux plates were recalibrated in situ. Soil temperatures were recorded at several depths and the thermal capacity of the soil was determined simultaneously in the laboratory with a simple calorimeter. It is suggested that a similar procedure is adopted whenever accurate ground heat flux data are needed, in particular when the plates are buried in the soil for a long time. This method puts a much less stringent demand on the calorimeter equipment than in attempts to calibrate the plates by direct determination of the flux in the laboratory.