This study will discuss the sonic anemometer data processing techniques used in past field studies (e.g. Fireflux I and II, RxCADRE, FASMEE, etc.) and compare those techniques to those used when processing data collected during recent experiments completed as a component of the U.S. Department of Defense – Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP)-funded project conducted in the New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve. High-frequency (10 Hz) measurements of wind components and temperature were collected at multiple vertical levels for the SERDP experiment to characterize the turbulent vertical momentum fluxes before, during, and after surface fire-front-passage (FFP). In processing the sonic anemometer data from this experiment, choices were made to account for instrument error codes, adjust for wind component definitions, and to eliminate unrealistic data values. Additional decisions addressed the definition of the FFP, and appropriate averaging times pre-, during-, and post-FFP. The impact of these choices on the resultant analyses of turbulence parameters were also investigated, to determine the extent to which the results were sensitive to choices. The sensitivity analyses contributed to the identification of a sequence of steps that should be followed for 10 Hz sonic anemometer data collected in future field projects to ensure the results can be directly compared with existing experimental data.

