Radiation correction and uncertainty evaluation of RS41 temperature sensors by using an upper-air simulator

Abstract. An upper-air simulator (UAS) has been developed at the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS) to study the effects of solar irradiation of commercial radiosondes. In this study, the uncertainty of the radiation correction of a Vaisala RS41 temperature sensor is evaluated using the UAS at KRISS. First, the effects of environmental parameters including the temperature (T), pressure (P), ventilation speed (v), and irradiance (S) are formulated in the context of the radiation correction. The considered ranges of T, P, and v are −67 to 20 °C, 5–500 hPa, and 4–7 m·s−1, respectively, with a fixed S0 = 980 W·m−2. Second, the uncertainties in the environmental parameters determined using the UAS are evaluated to calculate their contribution to the uncertainty in the radiation correction. In addition, the effects of rotation and tilting of the sensor boom with respect to the irradiation direction are investigated. The uncertainty in the radiation correction is obtained by combining the contributions of all uncertainty factors. The expanded uncertainty associated with the radiation correction for the RS41 temperature sensor is 0.119 °C at the coverage factor k = 2 (approximately 95 % confidence level). The findings obtained by reproducing the environment of the upper air by using the ground-based facility can provide a basis to increase the measurement accuracy of radiosondes within the framework of traceability to the International System of Units.