Specifications

TEAM Climate Monitoring Protocol 3.0
39
System/Sensor
Activity
Frequency
Climate station core
area/fence
Remove debris, general maintenance
Monthly
Tower base
General inspection, rust control,
removal of debris, nests, etc
Biweekly
Instrument Enclosure
External/Internal integrity
Monthly
Check internal humidity
Replace silica or Zorb-it™ packets
Biweekly
Temperature/RH
sensor
Clean debris and deposits
Monthly
Aspirated radiation
shield
Clean exterior surface, check fan,
inspect fan speed logs every time data
is downloaded
Biweekly
Precipitation gauge
Clean debris from collection funnel
Every time station is visited
Clean/remove debris from inside
Make sure tipping bucket is working
Check level
Biweekly
Solar Radiation sensor
Check level, remove debris, inspect
drain hole
Monthly
Solar Panel
Clean surface, check voltage
Opportunistically, Monthly
Battery
Check cable connections
Monthly
Inspect voltage logs
Every time data is
downloaded
Table 5. Summary of maintenance activities for the equipment in the climate station.
6.4 Sensor Calibration
The sensors need to be calibrated periodically to ensure that the measurements are consistent
through time. Having duplicate sensors facilitates this process and ensures there is always a
backup in case one of the sensors fails. While a sensor is out for calibration, a replacement
sensor needs to be installed in its place (just the head for the Temperature/RH sensor). A
summary of the calibration schedule can be found in Table 6. Sensor calibration will be recorded
in the Sensor Calibration Form Appendix A.4. See Section 6.1.4 on where and how to upload
the Sensor Calibration Form. For each sensor calibrated also please complete the Sensor
Calibration Metadata Form (Appendix A.5). This form keeps track of vendors, costs and
calibration certificates for each of the sensors used. All sensor calibration events will be
scheduled automatically in the TEAM online Sampling Scheduler before the start of each data
collection year.