How frequently should environmental sensors in RAWS be calibrated?

Calibration of environmental sensors in Remote Automated Weather Stations (RAWS) is crucial for maintaining accurate and reliable data. The correct approach is to calibrate these sensors periodically against known standards. This practice ensures that any drift in the sensor's readings can be identified and corrected before it leads to significant inaccuracies in the data collected.

Periodic calibration against known standards helps in maintaining the integrity of the measurements. These standards provide a reference that enables the technicians to determine the precision and accuracy of the sensor readings at regular intervals rather than waiting for specific time frames or until errors are detected. Regular calibration contributes to the overall reliability of the RAWS data, which is essential for applications like weather forecasting, resource management, and environmental monitoring.

Other options suggest time frames for calibration or only calibrating upon detection of errors. While it’s beneficial to calibrate annually or at longer intervals, relying solely on those schedules may lead to unnoticed discrepancies in data over time. Waiting for errors to manifest before calibration can result in prolonged periods of inaccurate readings, which may have serious implications, especially in critical weather-dependent operations. Therefore, periodic calibration against known standards is the best practice to ensure ongoing accuracy and reliability.