Comparisons between aerovane and sonic anemometer wind measurements at Alcantara Launch Center

This paper aimed to compare the wind measurements in two different types of anemometer: classical aerovane and modern sonic anemometer. The two sensors were installed at Alcantara Launch Center during a dry period of 2008 at 10 m height. The analysis compared the average and maximum wind speed for one- and ten-minute time intervals for each anemometer. The results showed that, considering the range of the measurements (from 3.0 up to 6.5 m/s), the average and maximum wind speed are different by roughly 0.5 and 1.0 m/s, respectively. There is no significant difference between the results from one- and ten-minute time intervals. The substitution of the sensors at the Anemometric Tower at Alcantara Launch Center will lead to an increase of the average and maximum wind speed.