Long-term comparison of temperature measurements by the multi-plate shield and Czech-Slovak thermometer screen

Abstract

Differences between measurements taken with the Czech-Slovak thermometer screen (TS) and the multiplate radiation shield (MRS) should not be neglected. The average difference between the TS and the MRS measurements varied between 0.3 and 2.8 °C during suitable weather conditions (wind speed less than 3 m/s, bright and sunny day) throughout the year, during both daytime and nighttime hours. A 10-year time series of comparative measurements in Doksany, Czech Republic, showed that relative to TS, measurements from MRS yielded average and minimum air temperatures that were lower in the winter and higher in the summer. Daily maximum air temperatures were lower for MRS than TS throughout the year. The greatest differences were observed in the maximum air temperatures; only 62 % of all differences between the TS and MRS were less than 0.5 °C, and 70 % were less than 1 °C. Among minimum air temperatures, 60 % of differences were less than 0.5 °C, and 79 % were less than 1 °C. In contrast, 74 % of all differences in average daily temperature were less than 0.5 °C, and 97 % were less than 1 °C. The use of temperature measurements from multiple equipments may negatively affect inference from climate and hydro-meteorological models. Irregular temperature data could be corrected using a simulation of temperature differences (SITEDI) model, which incorporates differences between the MRS and the TS. It is important to consider whether temperature data in the Czech Republic and Slovakia come from the TS or the MRS when analyzing and modeling temperature in Central Europe.