Temperature Drift in Pilot Weather Station Instruments

This work will examine drift in temperature sensors at an automated weather station as compared to a nearby cooperative observer site. The University of Tennessee at Martin has installed a functional, Campbell Scientific weather station as a pilot project for an eventual Tennessee Mesonet. The station is located approximately 1km north of campus on farmland owned by the university. Data for this project were taken from the data accumulated at the weather station since 2010 and are compared to data collected from the university's cooperative observer site. This project compares the temperature data collected at each location over the multi-year timespan, and examines the change in temperature differences between the stations over time. Changes in this temperature difference are evidence of instrumental drift, which would require recalibration to ensure accurate temperature readings. Accurate temperature readings are necessary for the development of a temperature climatology at this location, which has been the primary goal in the development of a Tennessee Mesonet.