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<br />Section 9. - Acoustical Sounder <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />An acoustical sounder, manufactured by AeroVironment, Inc., and operated by <br />North American Weather Consultants was installed near the GMO. It measured <br />winds aloft by assessing the doppler shift in sound echoes reflected from <br />turbulence and thermal microstructures in the atmosphere. During the field <br />season it gathered wind information for up to 1.5 km (50 bins) above ground <br />level, though only the lower levels (20 bins) usually provided useful data. <br />There were major periods during which one or both wind components were read as <br />zero because of interfering sounds. Efforts to correct the problem included <br />interchanging data channels, rotating the platform, moving the platform, and <br />increasing the length of the horns. A major improvement in data quality was <br />achieved on January 14 when the unit was moved about 125 m east. A memo by <br />Lonnie Sale on April 3 1986 details the changes. NAWC personnel have edited <br />some of the data to discard measurements believed to be unreliable. The good <br />data, available at the Montrose office, are an excellent source of 15-min <br />resolution low level winds over the Grand Mesa throughout the season. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />9-1 <br />