Super Site Instrumentation Calendar

Annual Fees to UAF Departments

• April (once accounts are setup)
  • PFRR Maintenance fee.
• early August
  • UAF Research Computing Services
    • $242 -- submit PR and RCS reaches out for payment at the end of the month.

Other Maintenance

Early March

• Snow removal on shed roof

May / June

• Look over anchors for signs of decay. Tighten guy wires if needed

September

• Look over anchors again. Adjust guy wires if needed (keep in mind they will tighten in winter as the metal contracts)

Eddy Covariance

Fall

• Swap out Licor 7200RS and ship to Nebraska for recalibration.
  • We have three units. I trade out the top one so the tower is always running and the subcanopy is off for part of the winter.

Winter / Spring / before leaf up

• The recalibration takes 4-8 weeks with shipping and purchase requests etc. So by the time the units are returned it is December. Aside from brief good weather windows it's pretty cold. So some year's we have been able to reinstall the sub canopy in December and other years it stretches into April/May due to travel schedule and climate of winter. The goal is to have both units operational by snowmelt in late April/ mid May.

Swap Procedure

• Follow this link: Licor 7200 RS Swap

Air Temperature / Relative Humidity

• All sensors are sent away for recalibration once every two years. On a 4 & 4 schedule ideally.
  • But also, as sensors fail they are replaced and then the schedule is off. The 4x4 schedule is mostly for budget purposes rather than scientific reasons.
• Record keeping on AT/RH is probably the weakest.

Swap Procedure

• Follow this link: Super Site HMP155 Sensor Swap
  • Another Guide: HMP155 Sensor Replacement

Tower Wind Speed

• All sensors are sent away for recalibration once every two years. On a 5 & 4 schedule ideally.

Swap Procedure

• Follow this link: Super Site MetOne Anemometer Sensor Swap

Gill Windmaster Pro

• Sent out occasionally

PAR

• Every 8 years or so instruments replaced but new ones are colocated with old ones for a year or two.

CNR4 Net Radiation

• Sent out for recalibration every 2-3 years
• Check for level at the start of spring and in the fall
• Replace desiccant annually except for years when instrument is sent for recalibration.
• desiccant can either be refreshed using crockpot or purchased from Campbell Scientific.

Swap Procedure

• Super Site CNR4 Recalibration procedure

Desiccant Change Procedure

• Super Site CNR4 desiccant refresh procedure

Snow Depth Sensor

• Campbell Scientific SR50A ultrasonic distance sensor
• Transducers replaced every 1-2 years
  • one by shed
  • one behind shed at second soil pit
  • one mounted to tower
  • one mounted at the forest floor radiation stand
• Snow Trandsucer Replacement Procedure

Tipping bucket rain gage

• Checked for level in spring and again in summer.

Geonor Rain Gauge

• Check for level every month of summer using a Geonor branded torpedo level
• In fall (around October 1st ideally) drain the bucket of prior year of precipitation and refill with proper mixture of alcohol and antifreeze
  • 6.6 Liters Antifreeze (full strength not premixed with water)
  • 4.0 Liters full strength alcohol
  • 1 or 2 bottles of mineral oil / baby oil. Baby Oil is scented mineral oil. Find Mineral oil in the incontinence section of Fred Meyer / grocery store. Find Baby Oil in the baby section.
  • This info is also written on the bucket itself out at the super-site.
• In October 2021 Total liquids removed: 5.3 gallons (antifreeze / alcohol/ liquid precip)
• In September 2022 Total liquids removed: 5.7 gallons (I think, from memory a couple weeks later).

Geonor Leveling Procedure

• Geonor Leveling

Geonor Fluids Replacement Procedure (Fall)

• Geonor Fluids Replacement

Skin Temperature sensor

• Replace as they break (they seem to die occasionally). Can compare their signal to the upwelling longwave radiation data converted to temperature.