Development of an automatic, storage precipitation gauge for improved winter precipitation measurements

A high-precision, self-operating storage precipitation gauge was designed and field-tested. It consists of a cylinder-shaped container that incorporates antifreeze solution to melt snow and a quartz-crystal pressure sensor to detect mass of the contained liquid. Field trials showed performance to be at least equivalent to the Japanese standard gauge. A novel feature of the developed instrument is that it also measures a parameter related to wind speed, which is the basis for a catch correction. The instrument is simple, robust and can be battery-operated, therefore making it useful for winter precipitation measurements at sites where electric power supply is unavailable.