On Intercomparison Of Instruments Used Within The Vatnajökull Glacio-Meteorological Experiment

Abstract

As an important deliverable of a glaciometeorological experiment the participating research institutes produced a common data set that consists of temperature, humidity, wind and radiation data collected by different types of weather station at an elevation of 2 m above the glacier surface. Although all of the instruments had been calibrated in laboratories, intercomparison measurements were carried out under field conditions before and after the Vatnajokull experiment. This note deals with the intercomparison measurements and considers the observed differences in sensor characteristics. In spite of the fact that different types and brands of sensors were used under difficult field circumstances, the estimated accuracy of the common data set obtained is almost as good as suggested by the manufacturers' specifications. The long-term stability of the sensor calibrations also proved to be good. The reliability of the observed values included in the common Vatnajokull dataset is therefore considered to be high.