Cornell University contribution to the 2017 international field experiment in Perdigao, Portugal: Blog for January 2017 installation.

BLOG! (AKA diary!)

Welcome back to our blog describing progress on setting up the Cornell University instruments… So here we are back in Portugal a mere 3 weeks after leaving!

Sunday 19th - Monday 20th February

Drove from Ithaca to Newark and then flew to Lisbon and drove to Vila Velha de Ródão stopped in at the Ops center (first bad news - no internet!) and then went on to Castello Branco to buy some supplies... Feeling absolutely exhausted.... off to Herdade da Urgueria

The Ops-center -- different day and different rental car (a Fiat Punto)!

The Ops-center -- looks a little more tidy than last time we were here!

And where did Steve Oncley go (should we check the boxes)??

Tuesday 21st February

Up early and out to the Orange Grove site where Rebecca was reunited with the Galion and ZephIR Z423. Loaded a slight modified scan pattern to the Galion, download data from the Galion and Zephir Z423. Set off to deploy the seismometers.... All went well initially - we deployed an L28 Seismometer (100 SPS) at RiSW05 rather efficiently but then... went to RiSW03 only to find the power supply connector on our cables doesn't connect to the 24VDC supply in the DTU power and ethernet cabinet.... And worse still spent 4 hours at RiSW02 trying to deploy the seismometer but failing (we are guessing insufficient voltage is the problem - later confirmed by the PASSCAL team). So mixed news but thats field work for you!

Re-united with the Galion and ZephIR Z423

Data streaming in from the Galion!

Data streaming in from the ZephIR!

An L28 seismometer installed and running at RiSW05

Wednesday 22nd February

Up and out to deploy the SpiDAR lidar at RiSW06.... We had a nice visit from some colleagues from the Portugese Meteorological Service and our friend Jose Carlos (so we put them to work!). We made great progress and the SpiDAR is now installed and collecting data .. HOORAY... we then popped up to Castello Branco and bought two power supplies so we can hopefully deploy a seismometer at RiSW03 and move the one at RiSW02 to RiSW06 tomorrow (yes we have all the fun!).. Mind you fame and fortune may be coming my way- apparently I wwas quoted in a Portugese newspaper today (what a privlege!)

GENTLY!!!The SpiDAR emerges!

Hip-hip hooray!

What a great measurement location.

Thursday 23rd February

We spent most of the day deploying the two remaining L-28 seismometers using the 230 AC to 12 VDC transformers we bought yesterday. Unfortunately it meant digging up the system we had previously dug in at RiSW02 and moving it to RiSW06 but also got poor stomp test results at RiSW03 so we dug it up and moved it slightly... Ah the life of an atmospheric scientist - diggin' in the dirt! You can click here for details of the seismometers. Mixed news though the SpiDAR is only working intermittantly (we have subsequently narrowed it down to likely a problem with the internal temperature sensor). Collected data from the two ZephIRs and the Galion.

L-28 in the ground at RiSW05

Stomp test on one of the L-28 seismometers

I must be getting good at this digging!

Friday 24th February

Another day and here we are back on the ridge!! (Groundhog day!) Working a bit more on diagnosing the problems that are causing episodic shutdown of the SpiDAR and loss of data. Collected data from the other lidar systems (the ZephIRs and Galion) and undertook initial quality control.

Saturday 25th February

Another day and here we are back on the ridge to obtain more errorlog files from the SpiDAR for further diagnostics. Also took some videos of the sites and spent some time verifying locations of the barometers. Here are the calibration sheets for the Setra calibration sheets. Then off back to Lisbon!

Come on SpiDAR!