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PMRP: A Project for a Micrometeorological network in the Region Piemonte

A. Amoroso, G. Balsamo, G. Maniscalco, P. Cerale, R. Garfagnini Dipartimento di Fisica Generale dell'Universita' degli studi di Torino (Italy) Summary. - The micrometeorological project PMRP aimed at building a network of meteorological stations implemented with air’s radioactivity sensors in the Region Piemonte, has been started with realisation of the central station. A description of the characteristics of the equipment and the projected time schedule for the completion of the project is given. Some details of the data-collecting system together with the first results are reported. PACS.92.60 - Meteorology.

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1. INTRODUCTION.

In 1992 at the Department of General Physics of the University of Turin a project was designed which was aimed at installing in the Region Piemonte a network of stations with meteorological sensors implemented with gauges measuring the level of radioactivity of the air. The data collecting central station was expected to be located in Turin. The project when completed would include a number of about 18 equal stations distributed around the host centre, following a subdivision of the Region in geographic and climatic areas. The remotest station would be located about 150 Km away from the centre.

The program has been supported at the time with funds of the Italian Ministry of University and Scientific Research (MURST) and by the University of Turin trough the so-called ex-60% research fund. The central station is now completed and running. It is the first of the network and collects and analyses in real time the data coming now from the installed sensors and in future from the nest’s other foreseen stations.

The purpose of this paper is to describe the instruments and the characteristics of the central station, the data-collecting system, the software-interface program for communication between gauge elements of the station, the PMRP project and the foreseen development. Some typical data collected by the central station are also presented. 2. - The station of the Institute of Physics of Torino.

The host station sensors are located on the roof-terrace of the building of the "Istituto di Fisica" via P. Giuria 1 as from the topographical map shown in Figure 1, 25 m above ground level and approximately 255 m asl. At present the central station collects local meteorological and radioactivity data at pre-set time intervals of one minute. The data are stored on PC for on- and off-line analysis. The Central Unit, the data-collecting system and the server web are located at the 3° floor of the Department of General Physics of the University of Turin. The measures are edited every minute in INTERNET (http://phnant.ph.unito.it/), with daily, weekly and monthly graphics. At our knowledge this is presently one of the very few stations in Piemonte with on-line data and graphics in real-time. The station includes the following instruments1: a wind wane, an anemometer, a solarimeter, a barometer, a hygrometer, two thermometers, a pluviometer and a sensor for measuring the level of radioactivity of the air. The instruments characteristics together with their main features are listed in TABLE I. The gauges are mounted vertically on a thin mast as shown in Figure 2. The station is mains-operated.

The wind vane is a standard instrument with a potentiometric circuit. The wind speed is determinates by a 3-cup anemometer, using a Hall-effect static sensor. Wind speed is proportional to the frequency of the Hall-effect pulses from the sensor. A rotating magnet produces the variable magnetic field. The sensor has a digital output.

The thermometers are used for measuring the internal and external temperature. A calibrated platinum resistance value (PT100) is used to determine the temperature by comparison with a predetermined temperature-resistance curve, stored in the central processing unit. 1 The meteorological equipment has been assembled by the firm MICROS of Castello Roganzuolo - S. Fior (TV) (Italy)

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Fig. 1. - Topographical map of Turin (S. Salvario) - The arrow show the Physics Institute (V. Pietro Giuria 1)

The solarimeter ranges in the category of "Black and White Pyranometers" and is used for measuring global reflected radiation and solar radiation on surface inclined respect to the horizontal plane. The sensing element of the instrument consists of a 12-sector star, the section of which are painted with a special white reflective paint and an absorbing black paint. When exposed to solar radiation the black sectors are heated more than the white ones and this temperature difference is determined by the thermocouples embedded below the star. A precisely cut dome made of optical "SCHOTT" glass shields the sensing element from wind and moisture. The voltage supplied is approximately 2.5/60 104 mV/J m-2 s-1 at an internal resistance of about 30 Ω. For this instrument the constant is 6 105 J m-2 s-1 = 2.83 mV.

The barometer uses a semiconductor pressure transducer, temperature compensated, with 1 ms response time. A sensing diaphragm, 0.10 inch square silicon sensor chip, with implanted resistors is the principal part of the barometer. It is connected with a configuration of Wheatstone-bridge type. Pressure applied on the diaphragm causes it to deflect and the resistance to change. The resulting output voltage is proportional to pressure. The instrumental constant is 10 mV/mbar (0V = 900 mbar). The transducer is not internally regulated and null offset and full-scale output will vary proportionally with supply voltage.

The pluviometer is a gauge of drop counter type with 5 10-2 m2 of orifice area, placed near the station mast. The sensor has a digital output.

The hygrometer uses as transducer an electro-sensor of humidity. It consists of a wafer with an electrically conducing surface layer with variable capacity. A change in relative humidity produces a variation of the surface resistivity. Since the humidity-sensitive portion is restricted to the surface, water vapour is quickly adsorbed and desorbed. Therefore the sensor has a fast response to change in relative humidity, but the response time is shorter for increasing than for decreasing relative humidity excursions due to the fact that water is adsorbed rapidly but released relatively slowly. The sensor is unaffected by environmental conditions that are not detrimental to cross-linked polystyrene, including the influences of most gases.

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Dust settling on the sensor surface will not affect performance except possibly in slightly decreasing the speed of response. However, the sensor is particularly susceptible to contamination by sulphur gases and sulphur compounds. The sensor is slightly temperature dependent with negative temperature coefficient. The response is approximately linear over a wide range of temperature and relative value of humidity.

A gamma radiation sensor measures the air’s radioactivity. It is connected with a data monitor2. It consists of a LUDLUM mod. 44-20-1 gamma-ray scintillator which utilises a teledyne integral detector assembly containing a 7,6x7,6 cm2 thick NaI(Ti) crystal optically completed to a photomultiplier tube. The detector is compatible with general survey meters, ratemeters and scalers for high-energy gamma detection from approximately 60 KeV to 2 Mev. A Cs-137 check source has been used for the peaking procedure and a calibrated Am-241 source is used for plateau procedure.

Fig.2.- Sketch of the meteorological station with shown the principal sensors.

2 LUDLUM Measurements INC. Sweetwater Texas USA

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TABLE I. - Specifications of the instrumental equipment of the central meteorological station. Wind speed – direction 1. transducer : 3 cup with magnetic transducer – wind vane and potentiometer 2. housing : aluminium alloy and stainless steel 3. weight : 1.2 Kg 4. dimensions : ∅max600 mm; h=410 mm 5. working temperature : -30 ÷ +70°C Anemometer 1. speed range : 0 ÷ 50 m/s 2. sensitivity : 0.25 m/s 3. speed accuracy : ± 0.25 m/s (0 ÷20 m/s); ± 0.7 m/s (>20 m/s) 4. out : digital out 5. power supplies : +5V ÷ +15V DC, 4.5 mA (5V) Wind vane 1. angular range : 0 ÷ 358° 2. sensitivity : 0.25 m/s 3. accuracy : ± 0.5% 4. operating range : 0 ÷ 50 m/s 5. out : 0-2V DC 6. power supplies : +2.5 V DC, 0.2 mA Temperature Internal and external temperature 1. range : -50 ÷ +70°C 2. accuracy : ±0.1% 3. transducer : PT100, platinum resistance 4. working temperature : -50 ÷ +70°C 5. dimensions : Ø240 x 200mm 6. weight : 900g Global solar radiation 1. measuring principle : measurement of the temperature difference by thermocouples between 6 white and 6 black

painted sector of the star 2. thermomaterial : NiCr – CuNi 3. internal resistance : 30 ohms 4. sensitivity : 2.5 mV/Joule cm-2min-1 5. response time : 20s 95% 6. spectral sensitivity : 0.3 ÷ 3µm 7. spectral transmissivity of glass dome : near UV range 96% / visible range 96.5% 8. glass dome : optical "SCHOTT" glass, thickness 2mm, tolerance: ±0.1mm 9. dimensions : Ø135mm h90mm 10. weight : 1.0 Kg

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TABLE I. - (Continued) Pluviometer 1. range : 0 ÷ 200 m/h 2. Kst : 0.2mm sensitivity : 0.2 mm 3. accuracy : ± 0.1 mm/h (10 mm/h) and ± 0.3 mm/h (60mm/h) 4. transducer : tilting bucket 5. working temperature : 0 ÷ +50°C 6. weight : 3 Kg 7. dimensions : ∅260 mm h=480 mm 8. orifice area : 500 cm2 9. housing : aluminium alloy and stainless steel bucket Barometer 1. range : 700 ÷ 1100 mb (hPa) 2. sensitivity : 0.1 mb (hPa) 3. accuracy : 0.5 mb (hPa) 4. transducer : semiconductor 5. working temperature : -30 ÷ +70°C 6. weight : 300 g 7. dimensions : 110x80x60 mm 8. out : -2V (700 mbar) +2V (1100 mbar) 9. power supplies : +12V DC, 20 mA Relative humidity 1. range : 10 ÷ 100% (RH) 2. sensitivity : ± 0.5% 3. accuracy : ± 2% 4. transducer : capacitive 5. working temperature : -20 ÷ +80°C 6. weight : 900 g 7. dimensions : Ø240 x 200 mm 8. out : 0 ÷ 1 Volt DC 9. power supplies : +9V ÷ +15V DC, 1 mA Digital Area Monitor mod. 375 1. Size: 45.1x18.7x6.4 cm 2. Weight : 2.95 Kg 44-20-1 Integral gamma scintillator 1. Voltage : 500-1200V max 2. 7.6x7.6 thick NaI(Ti) crystal 3. sensitivity : 2700 cpm/ µR/hr (Cs -137 gamma) 4. current drain : 20 µA at 1000V 5. photomultiplier tube : 7.6 cm ∅, end window with 10-stage dynode chain at approximately 60 MΩ 6. connectors : standard BNC 7. size : 8.6 cm ∅ by 28.2 long 8. weight : 2 Kg 9. construction : aluminium cap with stainless steel body

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3. – The data collecting system.

The block diagram of the data-collecting system is shown in Fig. 3. The sensors (S) are connected to a personal computer (PC) trough the Central Unit (CU). Communication between CU and PC occurs by RS-232 standard. The CU can communicate with S by cable or modem; presently, the signal generated is transmitted by cable. The CU consists in a number of forms for the administration of the data input-output, power supplies and memory. UCS M93, CBM, Dips, CIC and UCS16 units form it.

The UCS is the acquisition and processing central form. It acquires, processes, displays, memorises data from device sensors. The UCS memory contains a detailed description of all probes. For each probe it is necessary to specify the type (analogue or digital), the relative data units, the minimum and maximum data value (range), the number of decimal digits required and a formula for converting the raw data to the selected measures. In UCS there are the programs containing the scanning time, i.e. the time between successive interrogations.

The CBM - RAM CMOS static memorisation form has an expandable from 64 to 512 K memory size and a back-up with lithium battery. It is provided with an RS232-C port that can be connected with a PC.

The Dips is the power supplies module. The CIC is the interface module RS232. It is used to connect the CU directly to a

printer or a monitor. The USC 16 is the input-output administrator module. It guides up to 16 input-output

multi-channel interface module (analogue and digital). The station is provided with 3 I/O multi-channel interface module:

1. the Sip4 is a 4 temperature input PT100 (-100 ÷ +500°C auto ranging); 2. the SA4I is a 4 analogue input with programmable maximum range value; 3. the SD2 is a 2 digital input.

Fig.3: Block diagram of the data collecting system; PC (Web Server Name); CU (Central Unit); S (Sensors: 1-8.Internal and External Temperature; 2.Solarimeter; 3.Pressure; 4.Relative Humidity; 5-6.Anemometer; 7.Pluviometer; 9-10.Ludlum Area Monitor 375, Ludlum γ-scintillator 44-20-1)

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The Personal Computer is based on a Pentium PIII processor at 550 MHz with 128 MB RAM. The PC uses Microsoft Window NT 4.0 operative system. Exceed (Hummingbird Communications) and GrADS (Grid Analysis and Display System) for graphics creation and Microsoft Front Page 98 for Web Page editor and Server Web are used.

4. - Software - Interface program for communication between CU and PC.

The PC uses several programs for the management of the data. They are presented

in a data sequencing description. All are written in Quick-BASIC language. The program called "COLLWEB2.BAS" has the following data sequences:

1. Matrix initialisation (variable definition as string) 2. Declare matrix dimensions 3. Data saving after temporary interruption 4. Opening and initialisation COM1 port 5. Data reading thought COM1 port (Meteorological data) 6. Data saving on "*.DAT" file 7. Data output on display 8. Creation data for graphics 9. Opening file for "every minute" graph 10. Writing file "Datapage.html" (every minute data) for Web Page 11. Opening and initialisation COM2 port 12. Data reading thought COM2 port ( γ radiation data) 13. Data saving “on *.DAT” file for graphics and analysis 14. Writing file "Datarad.html" (every two seconds data) for Web Page 15. Writing file "GIORNO.html" (hourly average data) for Web Page 16. Writing comment to weather situation for web page (update every hour) 17. Opening file for data backup 18. Update archive file "STORICO.html" at 00.00 p.m. 19. Update archive file "MESE.html" at 00.00 p.m. (with monthly data) 20. Opening file for monthly graphics 21. Run program to create new file for graphics (daily, monthly)

The program called "SETI" creates file for weekly graphics. This program runs every hour. The data sequences are: 1. Matrix initialisation and measuring 2. Opening file for weekly graphics and writing file header 3. Reading data file in archive (a week of file) 4. Writing data in weekly file

The program called "TIMER" run application to create daily, weekly and monthly graphics. "TIMER" updates every ten minutes daily graph, every hour weekly graph and every day at midnight monthly graph. The data sequences from midnight are: 1. monthly graphics 2. daily graphics (every ten minutes) 3. weekly graphics (every hour)

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5. - Tabulation of the measurements.

The data acquired every minute are stored into the hard disk of the computer. The software creates a new file every day at 00.00 The every minute measurements together with hourly, daily and monthly averages are tabulated. These tabulations are organised in columns. The first two numbers are the date and time of the measurements, while the remaining numbers are meteorological data. 5.1- Tabulation of every minute measurement. In Table II is reported an example of every minute tabulation. The detailed description of each column is the following: 1. day, month, year, 2. hour, minute, second, 3. external temperature (°C), 4. internal temperature (°C), 5. relative humidity (%), 6. atmospheric pressure (mbar), 7. global solar radiation (W/m2), 8. precipitation, in mm of rainfall between two successive readings, 9. wind speed (m/s), 10. wind direction (gN). 5.2 - Tabulation of hourly-daily measurement. The hourly-daily tables are obtained by processing the data measured every minute. These tabulations are organised in a schedule of 9 columns and 24 lines. The first number is the hour, while remaining numbers are meteorological data. The data in the tables are hourly mean values. In TABLE III an example of hourly-daily tabulation is shown. The detailed description of each column is the following: 1. hour, 2. mean external temperature (°C), 3. internal temperature (°C), 4. relative humidity (%), 5. atmospheric pressure (hPa), 6. global solar radiation (W/m2), 7. precipitation (mm), 8. wind speed (m/s), 9. wind direction (gN).

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TABLE II.- Example of every minute tabulation. (only one hour; every file has 1440 lines) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

14/05/00 11.00.05, 20.1 , 24.8 , 41 , 997.8 , 680 , 0 , 2.8 , 184 14/05/00 11.01.05, 20.1 , 24.8 , 40 , 997.8 , 684 , 0 , 2.0 , 209 14/05/00 11.02.05, 20.1 , 24.8 , 40 , 997.8 , 687 , 0 , 1.6 , 160 14/05/00 11.03.05, 20.2 , 24.8 , 41 , 997.8 , 691 , 0 , 2.2 , 144 14/05/00 11.04.05, 20.5 , 24.8 , 41 , 997.8 , 695 , 0 , 1.8 , 119 14/05/00 11.05.05, 20.9 , 24.8 , 42 , 997.8 , 698 , 0 , 1.0 , 275 14/05/00 11.06.05, 20.9 , 24.8 , 41 , 997.8 , 700 , 0 , 2.6 , 192 14/05/00 11.07.05, 20.0 , 24.8 , 37 , 997.8 , 700 , 0 , 2.7 , 169 14/05/00 11.08.05, 19.8 , 24.8 , 35 , 997.8 , 703 , 0 , 2.3 , 167 14/05/00 11.09.05, 20.6 , 24.8 , 37 , 997.8 , 705 , 0 , 1.9 , 142 14/05/00 11.10.05, 20.5 , 24.8 , 39 , 997.8 , 708 , 0 , 2.0 , 124 14/05/00 11.11.05, 20.8 , 24.8 , 39 , 997.8 , 710 , 0 , 2.2 , 133 14/05/00 11.12.05, 20.5 , 24.8 , 36 , 997.8 , 711 , 0 , 1.9 , 162 14/05/00 11.13.05, 20.1 , 24.8 , 33 , 997.8 , 713 , 0 , 1.8 , 187 14/05/00 11.14.05, 20.3 , 24.8 , 34 , 997.8 , 713 , 0 , 1.6 , 158 14/05/00 11.15.05, 20.6 , 24.8 , 36 , 997.8 , 714 , 0 , 2.5 , 150 14/05/00 11.16.05, 20.0 , 24.8 , 33 , 997.8 , 714 , 0 , 2.0 , 134 14/05/00 11.17.06, 19.8 , 24.8 , 33 , 997.8 , 714 , 0 , 2.5 , 135 14/05/00 11.18.06, 20.4 , 24.8 , 35 , 997.8 , 715 , 0 , 1.3 , 151 14/05/00 11.19.05, 20.0 , 24.8 , 34 , 997.8 , 718 , 0 , 1.6 , 142 14/05/00 11.20.06, 20.3 , 24.8 , 35 , 997.8 , 722 , 0 , 2.2 , 106 14/05/00 11.21.05, 20.4 , 24.8 , 36 , 997.8 , 726 , 0 , 2.5 , 122 14/05/00 11.22.05, 20.1 , 24.8 , 33 , 997.8 , 727 , 0 , 2.5 , 111 14/05/00 11.23.06, 20.2 , 24.8 , 32 , 997.8 , 732 , 0 , 2.7 , 138 14/05/00 11.24.05, 20.0 , 24.8 , 31 , 997.8 , 736 , 0 , 2.7 , 138 14/05/00 11.25.06, 20.0 , 24.8 , 31 , 997.8 , 738 , 0 , 2.3 , 132 14/05/00 11.26.06, 20.2 , 24.8 , 32 , 997.8 , 741 , 0 , 2.1 , 134 14/05/00 11.27.06, 20.2 , 24.8 , 31 , 997.9 , 743 , 0 , 1.5 , 136 14/05/00 11.28.06, 20.4 , 24.8 , 32 , 997.8 , 745 , 0 , 1.2 , 120 14/05/00 11.29.06, 20.4 , 24.8 , 32 , 997.9 , 747 , 0 , 1.2 , 124 14/05/00 11.30.06, 20.6 , 24.8 , 32 , 997.9 , 748 , 0 , 0.6 , 95 14/05/00 11.31.06, 20.3 , 24.8 , 32 , 997.8 , 749 , 0 , 2.5 , 90 14/05/00 11.32.06, 20.3 , 24.8 , 30 , 997.9 , 750 , 0 , 2.1 , 117 14/05/00 11.33.06, 20.3 , 24.8 , 30 , 997.8 , 753 , 0 , 1.4 , 90 14/05/00 11.34.06, 20.8 , 24.8 , 32 , 997.8 , 757 , 0 , 2.0 , 120 14/05/00 11.35.06, 20.5 , 24.8 , 31 , 997.8 , 760 , 0 , 2.1 , 70 14/05/00 11.36.06, 20.5 , 24.8 , 30 , 997.8 , 762 , 0 , 2.0 , 77 14/05/00 11.37.06, 20.2 , 24.8 , 27 , 997.9 , 762 , 0 , 2.3 , 92 14/05/00 11.38.06, 20.3 , 24.8 , 24 , 997.9 , 762 , 0 , 0.8 , 112 14/05/00 11.39.06, 20.6 , 24.8 , 25 , 997.9 , 765 , 0 , 1.1 , 118 14/05/00 11.40.06, 20.6 , 24.8 , 25 , 997.9 , 767 , 0 , 0.7 , 80 14/05/00 11.41.06, 20.6 , 24.8 , 25 , 997.9 , 770 , 0 , 0.4 , 63 14/05/00 11.42.06, 20.4 , 24.8 , 23 , 997.9 , 770 , 0 , 2.0 , 41 14/05/00 11.43.06, 20.4 , 24.8 , 21 , 997.9 , 771 , 0 , 0.9 , 46 14/05/00 11.44.06, 20.4 , 24.8 , 22 , 997.9 , 775 , 0 , 0.7 , 21 14/05/00 11.45.06, 20.3 , 24.8 , 22 , 997.9 , 775 , 0 , 0.9 , 45 14/05/00 11.46.06, 20.5 , 24.8 , 22 , 997.8 , 782 , 0 , 1.0 , 55 14/05/00 11.47.06, 20.4 , 24.8 , 22 , 997.8 , 786 , 0 , 1.0 , 36 14/05/00 11.48.06, 20.7 , 24.8 , 21 , 997.8 , 785 , 0 , 1.7 , 21 14/05/00 11.49.06, 20.4 , 24.8 , 20 , 997.8 , 785 , 0 , 1.4 , 11 14/05/00 11.50.06, 20.5 , 24.8 , 21 , 997.8 , 784 , 0 , 1.5 , 333 14/05/00 11.51.06, 20.6 , 24.8 , 20 , 997.8 , 784 , 0 , 1.1 , 352 14/05/00 11.52.06, 20.6 , 24.8 , 17 , 997.7 , 788 , 0 , 0.9 , 350 14/05/00 11.53.06, 20.8 , 24.8 , 19 , 997.7 , 788 , 0 , 0.4 , 350 14/05/00 11.54.06, 20.8 , 24.8 , 20 , 997.7 , 790 , 0 , 0.6 , 7 14/05/00 11.55.06, 21.1 , 24.8 , 20 , 997.7 , 795 , 0 , 0.9 , 209 14/05/00 11.56.06, 21.6 , 24.8 , 20 , 997.7 , 810 , 0 , 1.2 , 203 14/05/00 11.57.06, 21.2 , 24.8 , 22 , 997.7 , 758 , 0 , 2.8 , 201 14/05/00 11.58.06, 21.3 , 24.8 , 25 , 997.7 , 791 , 0 , 2.0 , 151 14/05/00 11.59.06, 21.9 , 24.8 , 25 , 997.6 , 794 , 0 , 1.5 , 169 14/05/00 12.00.06, 21.6 , 24.8 , 27 , 997.7 , 810 , 0 , 1.5 , 107

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TABLE III. - Example of hourly-daily tabulation. (03/02/99)

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

0 – 1 0.6 25.5 23.8 1008.0 0.0 0 0.9 142.2 1 – 2 0.5 25.3 21.7 1008.0 0.0 0 0.7 99.8 2 – 3 0.4 25.2 23.8 1007.0 0.0 0 0.7 194.8 3 – 4 0.2 25.0 25.6 1007.0 0.0 0 0.5 147.2 4 - 5 -0.9 25.0 42.5 1007.0 0.0 0 1.3 188.3 5 - 6 -1.6 25.0 55.1 1007.0 0.0 0 1.1 197.7 6 - 7 -1.1 25.0 55.5 1006.0 0.0 0 1.4 189.5 7 - 8 -0.7 24.9 50.5 1007.0 0.4 0 1.0 96.0 8 - 9 -0.1 24.9 44.0 1008.0 42.0 0 1.1 47.1 9 - 10 1.5 24.9 35.9 1008.0 146.5 0 0.8 117.7

10 - 11 3.3 24.9 28.8 1008.0 189.1 0 1.2 150.6 11 - 12 5,0 24.9 19.7 1009.0 287.2 0 1.3 181.3 12 - 13 6.5 25.2 14.2 1008.0 289.3 0 1.5 160.0 13 - 14 8.1 25.1 11.4 1007.0 291.4 0 1.3 109.4 14 - 15 8.7 25.3 17.9 1006.0 228.3 0 1.2 89.8 15 - 16 8.2 25.5 11.9 1006.0 121.7 0 2.1 195.4 16 - 17 7.9 25.6 10.6 1005.0 45.0 0 1.8 208.3 17 - 18 7.2 25.5 12.2 1005.0 3.9 0 1.7 191.7 18 - 19 7.0 25.6 10.9 1004.0 0.0 0 1.3 198.9 19 - 20 5.5 25.7 8.99 1004.0 0.0 0 0.9 184.7 20 - 21 4.6 25.8 8.48 1005.0 0.0 0 0.7 178.2 21 - 22 4.5 25.7 10.1 1005.0 0.0 0 0.9 199.8 22 - 23 5.1 25.7 10.2 1004.0 0.0 0 1.6 213.2

23 - 24 5.2 25.3 9.6 987.1 0.0 0 3.0 218.8

5.3 – Tabulation of γ radiation measurements

The γ radiation level data are acquired every two seconds and every minute are analysed make average value. In table IV is reported an example of γ radiation data tabulation. The listed quantities are as follows:

1. date, 2. hour, 3. γ radiation level

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TABLE IV. Example of γ radiation measurements tabulation (one minute)

1. 2. 3. 09-14-2000 11:21:00 0.10 09-14-2000 11:21:02 0.10 09-14-2000 11:21:04 0.10 09-14-2000 11:21:06 0.09 09-14-2000 11:21:08 0.09 09-14-2000 11:21:10 0.09 09-14-2000 11:21:12 0.09 09-14-2000 11:21:14 0.09 09-14-2000 11:21:16 0.10 09-14-2000 11:21:18 0.10 09-14-2000 11:21:20 0.10 09-14-2000 11:21:22 0.10 09-14-2000 11:21:24 0.09 09-14-2000 11:21:26 0.09 09-14-2000 11:21:28 0.09 09-14-2000 11:21:30 0.09 09-14-2000 11:21:32 0.10 09-14-2000 11:21:34 0.09 09-14-2000 11:21:36 0.10 09-14-2000 11:21:38 0.10 09-14-2000 11:21:40 0.09 09-14-2000 11:21:42 0.09 09-14-2000 11:21:44 0.09 09-14-2000 11:21:48 0.10 09-14-2000 11:21:50 0.10 09-14-2000 11:21:52 0.10 09-14-2000 11:21:54 0.10 09-14-2000 11:21:56 0.09 09-14-2000 11:21:58 0.09 09-14-2000 11:22:00 0.09

5.3- Tabulation of monthly measurement. The monthly tables are obtained by processing the data measured every minute. The arithmetic average of each daily measurement, the maximum and minimum, and the total rainfall are shown in Table V. The listed quantities are as follows: 1. day, month, year, 2. maximum external temperature (°C), 3. minimum external temperature (°C), 4. mean temperature (°C), 5. mean atmospheric pressure (mbar), 6. maximum global radiation (W/m2), 7. mean relative humidity (%), 8. daily precipitation or rainfall (mm), 9. mean wind velocity (m/s), 10. maximum wind velocity (m/s), 11. images

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TABLE V. - Example of monthly tabulation. (Period: September 1999)

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.

01/09/99 28.2 16.7 21.8 991.4 720 49.7 0.0 1.2 4.6

02/09/99 23.8 17.0 19.9 991.2 794 52.2 0.0 1.7 7.2

03/09/99 19.9 12.2 15.9 993.9 958 55.8 16.6 2.2 8.7

04/09/99 19.8 13.7 16.0 994.4 832 61.9 1.2 1.2 4.3

05/09/99 22.9 15.0 18.2 994.6 806 57.8 0.0 1. 3.4

07/09/99 24.8 15.8 19.7 992.0 763 71.7 0.0 1.2 4.4

08/09/99 26.5 16.2 20.6 994.4 677 96.2 0.0 1.1 3.8

09/09/99 28.0 16.5 21.4 996.4 661 96.9 0.0 0.9 4.2

10/09/99 27.7 17.1 21.8 999.1 641 99.4 0.0 0.9 3.6

11/09/99 26.9 17.1 21.6 997.5 636 98.7 0.0 1.0 4.8

12/09/99 28.1 16.7 22.0 993.5 618 97.6 0.0 1.0 4.2

13/09/99 28.0 17.6 22.1 989.9 679 95.6 0.0 1.1 4.1

14/09/99 27.3 15.5 21.0 990.3 660 88.5 0.0 1.1 4.5

15/09/99 23.5 15.4 19.0 989.7 696 95.7 0.4 1.7 6.4

16/09/99 24.2 15.3 19.2 987.9 674 89.9 0.2 1.2 4.5

17/09/99 23.8 14.8 18.1 986.2 463 66.6 0.0 0.9 5.5

18/09/99 19.6 14.9 16.6 986.4 488 73.4 2.6 1.4 7.6

19/09/99 16.4 14.5 15.3 984.6 152 85.3 21.4 1.1 4.8

20/09/99 21.1 14.3 16.9 977.3 817 84.4 4.8 1.9 8.9

21/09/99 21.8 14.2 17.1 984.3 705 62.9 0.0 1.4 4.1

22/09/99 20.8 14.0 17.3 992.1 789 68.4 0.0 1.1 4.0

23/09/99 23.1 16.2 18.8 994.4 695 66.8 0.0 0.9 3.2

24/09/99 24.7 14.3 18.6 996.1 618 68.6 0.0 0.9 3.8

25/09/99 23.1 15.7 19.0 991.8 590 77.2 0.0 1.1 3.7

26/09/99 23.9 17.2 19.7 985.0 664 75.5 0.0 1.3 5.1

27/09/99 22.8 14.4 18.3 987.5 773 62.9 0.0 1.2 4.5

28/09/99 22.8 15.9 19.5 984.9 699 45.9 0.0 1.7 6.3

29/09/99 23.5 12.9 17.8 988.7 627 54.6 0.0 1.1 4.3

30/09/99 17.9 13.9 16.0 981.9 703 77.2 0.4 1.5 5.8 6. - Web Site (http://phnant.ph.unito.it)

The Web Site is build with Microsoft Front Page 98®. It’s structured with three index pages (Java and textual in Italian and one in English ) and two sections with data and graphics. Data pages are: Real Time data page upgraded every minute; radioactivity page upgraded every two seconds; hourly average upgraded every hour; monthly data and historical archive data upgraded daily. Graphics pages are: daily graphics upgraded every ten minutes; weekly graph upgraded every hour; monthly graph upgraded daily; annual graph upgraded every month. At the end of the pages are shown some interesting meteorological graphs and the annual graph of the year 1999. The block diagram in Fig.4 shows the web site structure.

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7. Examples of behaviour as a function of time of some measured meteorological

quantities.

Figure 5 reports an example of graphics representation of behaviours of temperature, global solar radiation, atmospheric pressure, relative humidity, wind velocity and air’s radioactivity measured at the host station in the period December 21-28, 1999. The figure shows the correct trend of the data and the reliability of the automatic collection system. An easy check of the consistency of the measured parameters with similar data taken by portable calibrated instruments has been done.

Another examples is given in Figure 6 with the behaviours of temperature, humidity and global solar radiation during the solar eclipse observed and measured in Turin in 11th august 1999.

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Fig. 5. – Behaviours of temperature, global solar radiation, relative humidity and wind direction as function of time in the period December 21-28 1999. The air’s γ-equivalent dose behaviour is obtained the day 01-08-2000. The maximum occurred during a period of rainfall.

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Fig.6: Behaviours of solar global radiation, temperature and relative humidity as a function of date and time during the solar eclipse (11-08-99) in Turin. The maximum of the eclipse occurred at 12.32 h.

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8. - The PMRP network

The PMRP network will be composed of eighteen stations with the same sensors of the central one described in paragraph 2. They will be located in selected places following the climatic characteristic of each geographical area. The network of the PMRP would cover the whole territory of the Region Piemonte. The project was aimed at obtaining micrometeorological and air radioactivity data to be used typically for regional and world wide on-line information on real local weather condition. The data are also utilised for further studies on the local environment, on hydrology and climatology, while giving at the same time, an accurate database for more detailed analysis of the territory. Table V gives the geographical co-ordinates and the altitude on mean sea level of the barometer for each station. In the last column is reported the present status and the development plan of the project to December 2002. Figure 7 shows the map of the foreseen locations of the remote stations. Each station is connected with a line to the central one in Turin so as to indicate the automatic telephone link. TABLE V. - Geographical co-ordinates and altitude on mean-sea-level of the barometer for the network’s stations. Station Longitude East of

Greenwich (E) Latitude North (N) Altitude asl of the

barometer (m) Status of MPRP project

Torino 7° 40' 04.77" 45° 03' 04.77" 255 Active Grugliasco 7° 35’ 45° 04’ 290 October 2000 Ivrea 7° 52’ 45° 28’ 267 Aosta 7° 20’ 45° 45’ 583 Bardonecchia 6° 42’ 45° 08’ 1312 Susa 7° 03’ 45° 08’ 503 Sestriere 6° 53’ 44° 57’ 2038 Pinerolo 7° 21’ 44° 53’ 376 Cuneo 7° 32’ 44° 23’ 534 Savigliano 7° 40’ 44° 38’ 320 Cortemilia 8° 12’ 44° 35’ 247 Alba 8° 02’ 44° 42’ 172 Acqui Terme 8° 28’ 44° 41’ 164 Asti 8° 12’ 44° 54 125 Tortona 8° 52’ 44° 54’ 141 Alessandria 8° 37’ 44° 54’ 94 Novara 8° 38’ 45° 28’ 164 Vercelli 8° 25’ 45° 19’ 130 Crescentino 8° 06’ 45° 11’ 154 Verbania 8° 33 45° 56’ 197

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Fig. 7. - Map of the network and of the mean climatic areas in Region Piemonte. The circles represent the location of the remote stations and the central one.

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9.- Acknowledgements.

Financial support from the MURST and the University of Turin has been essential and welcome for the realisation of the project and for the starting of the network.

We gratefully acknowledge ing. M. Daudo for the co-operation of the workshop of the INFN of Turin for the project of the sensors supporting mast. The development of the project has largely profited from the advice and financial support of the Directorship of the Department of General Physics “A. Avogadro” of the University of Turin. Thanks to Prof. A. Longhetto for reading of the paper.