87th AMS Annual Meeting

Wednesday, 17 January 2007
Noise dependencies for Geonor vibrating wire precipitation gauge
Exhibit Hall C (Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center)
Alisa Holley, NOAA/NESDIS/NCDC, Asheville, NC; and S. Gros and M. E. Hall
The Geonor vibrating wire all weather precipitation gauge is used in the United States Climate Reference Network (USCRN). The traditional Geonor gauge uses one vibrating wire and two support chains to suspend the bucket. The version that is used for the USCRN includes three vibrating wires (utilizing a three-wire system helps to determine a more accurate precipitation measurement). However, since the measurement is based on the audio frequencies produced by each vibrating wire, noise is an unwanted element we seek to minimize and filter. Study suggests that beyond the temperature dependence of the noise, noise also changes when we mechanically adjust the sensing element and may also change as a function of the amount of precipitation in the weighing bucket. In this research we seek to identify the characteristics of this mechanically induced noise, and the effect of different accumulations in the production of noise.

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