Evaluation of a new sonic anemometer for routine monitoring and emergency response applications

Recently, several new sonic anemometers have become available for routine wind measurements. Sonic anemometers avoid many problems associated with the traditional rotating anemometer and vane sets- inertia of moving parts, bearing wear, contamination from dust and ice, frequent maintenance. Without a starting threshold, the sonic anemometer also produces more accurate measurements of wind direction and sigma theta at very low wind speeds. We illustrate these advantages by comparing 20 days of observations from a new sonic anemometer with data from existing cup and vane sensors at the 10-m level of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory`s meteorological tower.