dynamic response characteristics of meteorological sensors

Abstract

This paper constitutes a brief review of the main concepts relating to dynamic response characteristics.1 It gives the quantities used to define the characteristics (a response time or distance for devices like a simple temperature probe or rotating cup anemometer; both a delay factor and a damping ratio for a direction vane). It shows how to obtain these quantities experimentally by noting the sensor response to a step change of the variable being measured. Graphs are presented, showing the response of the sensors to sinusoidal inputs, by which measured statistical data can be corrected for the sensor characteristics.