CO2 = profits; water vapor = climate change

Why is the most significant greenhouse gas water vapor and not CO₂?

Water vapor is not officially considered to be a cause of man-made global warming because it is abundant and CO₂ is much more convenient to measure, regulate and tax. The fact that water vapor does not persist in the atmosphere for more than a few days, makes its concentrations highly variable and harder to quantify on a global scale without good quality weather networks everywhere. Its concentrations can reach 100 times that of CO₂ and its ability to trap heat is double. Additionally, fog and clouds reflect and absorb immense amounts of incoming solar radiation and moderate climatic temperatures. The water cycle reduces temperature extremes and redistributes heat throughout earth’s climates.

The water cycle by Ehud Tal

MeteoHelix® weather stations installed to monitor new frost protection technology experiment in famous Vienna Wine School

Bundesamt für Obst- und Weinbau in Klosterneuburg

Three MeteoHelix® micro-weather stations were installed to monitor new technology experiment to help prevent frost on budding wine grape plans at the renowned Hö­he­re Bun­des­lehr­an­stalt viticulture school in Klosterneuburg near Vienna, Austria. These precision weather stations are powered by the sun and connected to the Sensor Network Services GmbH LoRaWAN wireless network to provide critical real-time information to help evaluate the success of this new technology. Differentiated by their helical shape, they are able to provide world class measurements for a fraction of the cost of comparable accuracy meteorological technologies.

The variability of weather over the recent decade has caused grape wine damage in the millions of euros each year due to frost. This experiment is very significant due to the fact that it sits within a vast wine region stretching for hundreds of kilometers from the Tokaj of southern Slovakia and northern Hungary to the southern Moravia region of the Czech republic and all the way to the Vienna region known for its wine schools and superb white wine production.

MeteoHelix® weather stations monitoring ground frost in precision viticulture at the Hö­he­re Bun­des­lehr­an­stalt school in Klosterneuburg near Vienna, Austria

Birds’ fight against ultrasonic wind sensors

Bird sitting on an ultrasonic anemometer.[1]

Ultrasound and wildlife reserves

Ultrasonic anemometers seemed like the solution for maintenance-free wind measurement, yet nature had its say. Their ultrasound, while being inaudible to humans, is disturbing enough to natural wild life so that each year, birds destroy about 1/3 of all ultrasonic sensors by biting out their ultrasonic transducers as reported by the German Met Office. [1] This leads to the question of whether ultrasonic sensors are environmentally friendly and whether they should be allowed in wildlife reserves and national parks or if their application should be limited to industrial use?

Bird damage to an ultrasonic anemometer transducer [1]

Cup anemometer renaissance

New advances in electronics and manufacturing are enabling mechanical cup anemometers to not only outlast their ultrasonic counterparts but to maintain their accuracy advantage and to remain the mainstay of meteorological measurement and of the precision wind energy industry.

References:

[1] Examination of different versions of bird repelling techniques for ultrasonic anemometers by K. Schubotz, H. Dörschel, Dr. E. Lanzinger, M. Theel of the German Meteorological Service.