Sensor Research
THE OKLAHOMA MESONET'S SKIN TEMPERATURE NETWORK In 1999, the Oklahoma Mesonet deployed infrared temperature
(IRT) sensors at 89 of its environmental monitoring stations.
The dataset collected since that time provides a unique opportunity
to analyze longer-term, continuous, mesoscale observations
of skin temperature across a large area. Several limitations
of the sensor have been identified and include: (1) failure
of the calibration equation during the cold season, (2) difficulty
in keeping the sensor's lens clean at remote sites, and (3)
limited representativeness of local conditions due to the sensor's
narrow field of view. Despite these limitations, the Oklahoma
Mesonet's skin temperature network provides a wealth of information
that can be used to better understand many land-atmosphere
interactions. Not only can the observations be used
to estimate the partitioning of latent and sensible heat flux,
they also provide beneficial "ground truth" estimates
to validate remotely sensed estimates of skin temperature. Further
description of the IRT sensor, its performance, and an analysis
of time series data and observed spatial variability across
Oklahoma can be found in Fiebrich et al. 2003.
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