Measurement tower

The measurement tower of Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe

A measurement tower or measurement mast, also known as meteorological tower or meteorological mast (met tower or met mast), is a free standing tower or a removed mast, which carries measuring instruments with meteorological instruments, such as thermometers and instruments to measure wind speed. Measurement towers are an essential component of rocket launching sites, since one must know exact wind conditions for an execution of a rocket launch. Met masts are crucial in the development of wind farms, as precise knowledge of the wind speed is necessary to know how much energy will be produced, and whether the turbines will survive on the site. Measurement towers are also used in other contexts, for instance near nuclear power stations, and by ASOS stations.

Examples[edit]

Meteorology[edit]

Structure City or region Country Height (metres) Year built Notes
Amazon Tall Tower Observatory Vila de Balbina  Brazil 325 2015 [1]
IAP Meteorological Tower Beijing  China 325 1979 for meteorological measurements, studies of air pollution and studies of the atmospheric boundary layer
Obninsk Meteorological tower Obninsk  Russia 310 1958 for meteorological and radioactivity measurements
Zotino Tall Tower Observation Facility Zotino  Russia 302 for measurements of meteorological variables and of concentration of greenhouse gases and aerosols
KNMI-mast Cabauw Cabauw  Netherlands 213 1972 for meteorological research
Jaslovské Bohunice Meteorological Tower Jaslovské Bohunice  Slovakia 212 1986 [2]
Meteorological tower of Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe Karlsruhe  Germany 200 1972
Rödeser Berg Meteorological Mast Wolfshagen  Germany 200 2011
KFU-Tower Gundremmingen Gundremmingen  Germany 174 1978
KFU-Mast Grafenrheinfeld Grafenrheinfeld  Germany 164 1978 for the measurement of meteorological parameters and environmental radioactivity
Mast of Richard Assmann Observatory Falkenberg  Germany 99 1998
Mast of Asbach Obrigheim  Germany dismantled
Oskar-von-Miller-Tower Garching  Germany 62 2010
Mast of Dukovany Nuclear Power Station Dukovany  Czech Republic
Košetice Meteorological Tower Košetice  Czech Republic 250 2012 [3]
Hegyhátsál TV Tower Hegyhátsál  Hungary 117 transmission tower equipped with instruments for the measurement of meteorological parameters and carbon dioxide concentration
Norunda tower Uppsala County  Sweden 103 [4]
Puijo tower Kuopio  Finland 75 1963
NAVO-Toren Veurne  Belgium 243 [5]

Other measurement towers[edit]

Wind farm development[edit]

Before developers construct a wind farm, they first measure the wind resource on a prospective site by erecting temporary measurement towers. Typically these mount anemometers at a range of heights up to the hub height of the proposed wind turbines, and log the wind speed data at frequent intervals (e.g. every ten minutes)[6] for at least one year and preferably two or more. The data allow the developer to determine if the site is economically viable for a wind farm, and to choose wind turbines optimized for the local wind speed distribution.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "ATTO inauguration ceremony in the Brazilian rain forest".
  2. ^ "Jaslovské Bohunice Meteorological Tower, Trnava | 1226337". Emporis. Archived from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved 2022-05-03.
  3. ^ "Košetice Meteorological Mast, Košetice | 1298696". Emporis. Archived from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved 2022-05-03.
  4. ^ "Fluxnet".
  5. ^ "Zendmast Jump Trading Houtem, Houtem | 1225959". Emporis. Archived from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved 2022-05-03.
  6. ^ "Anemometer Loan Programs". Wind Powering America, NREL, USDOE. 2009-09-01. Archived from the original on 2010-04-25. Retrieved 2010-05-04.
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