Measurement tower


A measurement tower or met mast is a free standing tower or a removed mast, which carries measuring instruments with meteorological instruments such as thermometers and instruments to measure windspeed. Measurement towers are an essential component of rocket launching sites, since one must know exact wind conditions for an execution of a rocket start. Met masts are crucial in the development of wind farms, as precise knowledge of the windspeed is necessary to know how much energy will be produced, and whether the turbines will survive on the site. Measurement towers are also used in other contexts, for instance near nuclear power stations, and by ASOS stations.

Examples

Meteorology

StructureCity or regionCountryHeight Year builtNotes
Amazon Tall Tower ObservatoryVila de Balbina3252015
IAP Meteorological TowerBeijing3251979for meteorological measurements, studies of air pollution and studies of the atmospheric boundary layer
Obninsk Meteorological towerObninsk3101958for meteorological and radioactivity measurements
Zotino Tall Tower Observation FacilityZotino302for measurements of meteorological variables and of concentration of greenhouse gases and aerosols
KNMI-mast CabauwCabauw2131972for meteorological research
Jaslovské Bohunice Meteorological TowerJaslovské Bohunice2121986
Meteorological tower of Forschungszentrum KarlsruheKarlsruhe2001972
Rödeser Berg Meteorological MastWolfshagen2002011
KFU-Tower GundremmingenGundremmingen1741978
KFU-Mast GrafenrheinfeldGrafenrheinfeld1641978for the measurement of meteorological parameters and environmental radioactivity
Mast of Richard Assmann ObservatoryFalkenberg991998
Mast of AsbachObrigheimdismantled
Oskar-von-Miller-TowerGarching622010
Mast of Dukovany Nuclear Power StationDukovany
Košetice Meteorological TowerKošetice2502012
Hegyhátsál TV TowerHegyhátsál117transmission tower equipped with instruments for the measurement of meteorological parameters and carbon dioxide concentration
Norunda towerUppsala County103
Puijo towerKuopio751963
NAVO-TorenVeurne243

Other measurement towers

Before developers construct a wind farm, they first measure the wind resource on a prospective site by erecting temporary measurement towers. Typically these mount anemometers at a range of heights up to the hub height of the proposed wind turbines, and log the wind speed data at frequent intervals for at least one year and preferably two or more. The data allow the developer to determine if the site is economically viable for a wind farm, and to choose wind turbines optimized for the local wind speed distribution.