The Precision and Relative Accuracy of Profiler Wind Measurements

Two independent wind profiles were measured every hour during Feb. 1986 with a five-beam, UHF (405-MHz) wind profiler at Platteville, CO. The analysis of the horizontal wind components over all heights for the entire month gave a standard deviation of similar to 1.3 m sec super(-) super(1) for the measurement errors one can expect for three-beam profilers in clear air. This study demonstrated that it is important to include the effects of large vertical motion (caused by gravity waves or precipitation) in the horizontal wind component measurements. These vertical motions were large enough to raise the error in the horizontal wind components to 1.7 m sec super(-) super(1) in two-beam configurations where no corrections are made for the vertical motion.