SGP/SWATS/E8 - Sensor failure, 15cm W

The temperature rise readings from the 15-cm depth on the west profile are incorrect. This 
also causes the matric potential and water content data to be incorrect.

Instrument removed from service 20091110.

• Volumetric Water Content, West Profile(watcont_W)
• Sensor Temperature Rise, West Profile(trise_W)
• Soil Water Potential, West Profile(soilwatpot_W)

SGP/SWATS/E27 - Incorrect Soil Moisture Data

The temperature rise readings from all depths on both the east and west profiles (trise_E, 
trise_W) are incorrect. This also causes the matric potential (soilwatpot_E, 
soilwatpot_W) and water content (watcont_E, watcont_W) data to be incorrect.

• Volumetric Water Content, East Profile(watcont_E)
• Soil Water Potential, East Profile(soilwatpot_E)
• Soil Water Potential, West Profile(soilwatpot_W)
• Sensor Temperature Rise, West Profile(trise_W)
• Sensor Temperature Rise, East Profile(trise_E)
• Volumetric Water Content, West Profile(watcont_W)

• AVHRR satellite images for Darwin from BOM (RAW)(raw)

SGP/SWATS/E7 - Sensor failure, 35cm E

The 35cm East profile data spiked out of range on 20040106. Soil temperature is incorrect 
at 0407 GMT, and all 35cm E data are incorrect at 0407 and 0507 GMT.

The 35cm East profile sensor failed on 20040127 around 1300 GMT. All data from this sensor 
are incorrect or missing until 20040208.

The 35cm East temperature rise readings were noisy and inconsistent with the rest of the 
data 20040317-20040623. This also caused the matric potential and water content data to be 
suspect.

The 35cm East soil temperature measurements were incorrect beginning 20041223 to 9:07 on 
12/24. Temperature rise, soil-water potential, and water content are incorrect from from 
the same start time to 11:07 GMT on 12/24.

• Sensor Temperature Rise, East Profile(trise_e)
• Soil Water Potential, East Profile(soilwatpot_e)
• fwi_e
• Soil Temperature, East Profile(tsoil_e)
• trise_ref_e
• Volumetric Water Content, East Profile(watcont_e)

SGP/SWATS/E8 - Sensor failure, 15cm E

The temperature rise readings from the 15-cm depth on the east profile are incorrect. This 
also causes the matric potential and water content data to be incorrect.

• Volumetric Water Content, East Profile(watcont_E)
• Sensor Temperature Rise, East Profile(trise_E)
• Soil Water Potential, East Profile(soilwatpot_E)

SGP/SWATS/E7 - Missing Data

Data are missing and unrecoverable.

• lon
• time_offset
• Sensor Temperature Rise, East Profile(trise_E)
• Volumetric Water Content, East Profile(watcont_E)
• Soil Water Potential, West Profile(soilwatpot_W)
• tref
• Soil Temperature, West Profile(tsoil_W)
• alt
• serial_numbers_W
• lat
• serial_numbers_E
• Sensor Temperature Rise, West Profile(trise_W)
• depth
• Soil Water Potential, East Profile(soilwatpot_E)
• Soil Temperature, East Profile(tsoil_E)
• base_time
• Volumetric Water Content, West Profile(watcont_W)

SGP/SWATS/E20 - Incorrect Soil Moisture Data

Due to failure of an electronic component (apparently caused by the onset of 
precipitation), the temperature rise readings from both the west and east profiles (trise_W, trise_E) 
are incorrect at all depths. This also causes the matric potential (soilwatpot_W, 
soilwatpot_E) and water content (watcont_W, watcont_E) data to be incorrect.

• Raw data stream - documentation not supported

• Volumetric Water Content, West Profile(watcont_W)
• Soil Water Potential, East Profile(soilwatpot_E)
• Soil Water Potential, West Profile(soilwatpot_W)
• Volumetric Water Content, East Profile(watcont_E)
• Sensor Temperature Rise, West Profile(trise_W)
• Sensor Temperature Rise, East Profile(trise_E)

SGP/SWATS/E27 - Reprocess: Incorrect calibrations

The calibration coefficients for the 5-cm sensor on the East profile are
incorrect. This is causing incorrect soil water content (watcont_E) to be
reported.

• Volumetric Water Content, East Profile(watcont_E)

SGP/SWATS/E20 - Reprocess: Changed Depth Dimension

The dimension "depth" in the netCDF files was incorrectly reported as 8, and has been 
changed. Newer files with the correct smaller depth dimension do not have extra placeholder 
values and thus are smaller in size.

• depth

SGP/SWATS/E9 - Incorrect reference temperature

The reference temperature was incorrect resulting in incorrect results for soil moisture 
measurements.

• Volumetric Water Content, East Profile(watcont_E)
• tref
• Soil Water Potential, West Profile(soilwatpot_W)
• Volumetric Water Content, West Profile(watcont_W)
• Sensor Temperature Rise, East Profile(trise_E)
• Soil Water Potential, East Profile(soilwatpot_E)
• Sensor Temperature Rise, West Profile(trise_W)

SGP/SWATS/E7 - Sensor failure, 35cm E

The 35-cm East sensor had several problems before failing permanently in 2007:

20061208.2000-20070306.2000: temperature rise reported values of -9999, and soil 
temperature reported abnormally high temperature values.  

20070813.1200-20070912.1300: all variables reported as -9999, including soil temperature.  
A very small number of soil temperature values were reported as unusually high 
temperature values after 09/10/07.

20070912.1300-20070915.1600:  incorrect values of temperature rise reported (near 0 C), 
and soil temperature values incorrect and unusually high.

20071110.0000-20071115.2300:  incorrect values of temperature rise reported near 0 C or 
unusually low.  Values of soil temperature OK.  

20071128.0000-->:  Except for two very brief recoveries (on the order of a few days), all 
35cm E variables are reported as -9999.

• Sensor Temperature Rise, East Profile(trise_e)
• Soil Water Potential, East Profile(soilwatpot_e)
• fwi_e
• Soil Temperature, East Profile(tsoil_e)
• trise_ref_e
• Volumetric Water Content, East Profile(watcont_e)

SGP/SWATS/E8 - Sensor failure, 35cm W

The sensor installed at 35 cm at the west profile has produced questionable data ince it 
was installed back in 1996.  Once the sensor began to stabilize at 17:00 GMT on 07/20/99, 
it has produced questionable or incorrect values of temperature rise.  From 07/20/99 to 
the present date, 35cm W temperature rise values have stayed within a range of 
approximately 0.8-2.0 C, while the sensor from the 35cm E profile has produced an approximate range 
of 1.5-4.0 C.

In addition, the calibration for this sensor is so bad it is not possible to correct it 
using field data.  The range of temperature rise values produced by this sensor is too 
limited to reliably re-calibrate the instrument.  Under the old ARM calibration for SWATS, 
the calibrated reference temperature change should fall within a range of 1.45-4.00 C (the 
new range is 1.38-3.96 C).  For this sensor, the reference temperature change has fallen 
within an approximate range of 0.2-1.7 C and the calibration is actually adjusting the 
trise measurements in the wrong direction.  

Therefore, all temperature rise, matric potential and water content data 
are all highly suspect from the 35cm W sensor.

The soil temperature data appear to be OK.

Instrument removed from service 20091110.

• Volumetric Water Content, West Profile(watcont_W)
• Sensor Temperature Rise, West Profile(trise_W)
• Soil Water Potential, West Profile(soilwatpot_W)

SGP/SWATS/E20 - Sensor failure, 5cm E

The temperature rise readings from the 5-cm depth on the east profile are incorrect. This 
also causes the matric potential and water content data for the 5-cm depth to be 
incorrect. The soil temperature measurements were not affected.

• Soil Water Potential, East Profile(soilwatpot_E)
• Volumetric Water Content, East Profile(watcont_E)
• Sensor Temperature Rise, East Profile(trise_E)

SGP/SWATS/E27 - Sensor failure, 85cm W

The 85 cm West sensor (based on location in the multiplexer) at this facility appears to 
have failed.  After initially demonstrating problems in mid-2006, all variables from this 
sensor began to report as -9999 on and after 7:00 GMT on 08/04/06.  

Note, although this sensor is listed as 85 cm W in the data files due to its location in 
the multiplexer, it is actually the 85 cm E sensor in the ground.  

Instrument removed from service 20091204.

• Soil Temperature, West Profile(tsoil_W)
• Soil Water Potential, West Profile(soilwatpot_W)
• Sensor Temperature Rise, West Profile(trise_W)
• Volumetric Water Content, West Profile(watcont_W)

SGP/SWATS/E7 - Soil temperature irregular, 125cm E

The 125 cm E sensor was demonstrating temporal irregularities in its soil temperature 
measurements.  These irregularities consisted of dips and increases of around 2-4 C that 
typically started around 14:00 or 15:00 GMT on most days. On other days the values appeared 
somewhat noisy throughout the day. In both cases, the temporal changes did not compare 
well with the other sensors installed at E7.  

A bad fiber optic cable was replaced.

• Soil Temperature, East Profile(tsoil_E)

SGP/SWATS/E27 - Incorrect soil temperature measurements

All of the tsoil measurements at this EF appear noisy and erratic at times, impacting all 
sensors and both profiles.

• Soil Temperature, East Profile(tsoil_E)
• Soil Temperature, West Profile(tsoil_W)

SGP/SWATS/E20 - Sensor failure, 15cm E

The temperature rise readings from the 15-cm depth on the east profile were incorrect (0 
or -9999) This also caused the matric potential and water content data for the 15-cm depth 
to be incorrect.

Soil temperature data measurements also failed 20060502.  No data from this sensor should 
be used at or beyond this date.

• Soil Water Potential, East Profile(soilwatpot_E)
• Volumetric Water Content, East Profile(watcont_E)
• Soil Temperature, East Profile(tsoil_E)
• Sensor Temperature Rise, East Profile(trise_E)

SGP/SWATS/E20 - Sensor failures

Following a period of missing values (-9999) from 08/05/05-08/17/05, sensors at several 
depths failed.

Temperature rise values from the 60cm West and 85cm East profile sensors were very noisy 
after 08/17/05. These data, including matric potential and water content, were incorrect.

Temperature rise values from the 85cm West and 125cm East profile sensors are reported as 
0 after 08/17/05. Matric potential and water content data for these sensor were also 
incorrect.  Soil temperatures for these depths were unaffected.

Temperature rise and soil temperature measurements for the 60cm East and 125cm West 
profile sensors were reported as 0 or -9999 after 08/17/05. Matric potential and water content 
data for these sensors were also incorrect.

• Volumetric Water Content, West Profile(watcont_W)
• Soil Water Potential, East Profile(soilwatpot_E)
• Soil Water Potential, West Profile(soilwatpot_W)
• Volumetric Water Content, East Profile(watcont_E)
• Soil Temperature, East Profile(tsoil_E)
• Sensor Temperature Rise, West Profile(trise_W)
• Soil Temperature, West Profile(tsoil_W)
• Sensor Temperature Rise, East Profile(trise_E)

SGP/SWATS/E27 - Incorrect serial numbers

The wiring at E27 from the Campbell Scientific 229-L sensors is backwards. This issue 
impacts the following variables but does not impact data quality: serial_numbers_W, 
serial_numbers_E.

All serial numbers stored in the serial_numbers_W variable apply to data stored in the 
trise_E and tsoil_E variables, and vice versa.  Thus, the user should be aware that the 
trise_W, trise_E, tsoil_W, and tsoil_E variables actually contain data from the opposite 
profile.

• serial_numbers_E
• serial_numbers_W

SGP/SWATS/E27 - Reprocess: Miscalibration

The wiring at E27 from the Campbell Scientific 229-L sensors is backwards. Matric 
potential and water content data are incorrect due to incorrect calibrations being applied to 
temperature rise sensor data.

• Volumetric Water Content, East Profile(watcont_E)
• Soil Water Potential, East Profile(soilwatpot_E)
• Soil Water Potential, West Profile(soilwatpot_W)
• Volumetric Water Content, West Profile(watcont_W)

SGP/SWATS/E20 - Incorrect soil moisture data

After 12/20/2007, temperature rise values for all sensors (still operational at the time) 
were much too high, on the order of 10's of degrees C. Matric potential and water content 
data for these sensors were also incorrect.

• Volumetric Water Content, West Profile(watcont_W)
• Soil Water Potential, East Profile(soilwatpot_E)
• Soil Water Potential, West Profile(soilwatpot_W)
• Volumetric Water Content, East Profile(watcont_E)
• Sensor Temperature Rise, West Profile(trise_W)
• Sensor Temperature Rise, East Profile(trise_E)

SGP/SWATS/E27 - Sensor failure, 125cm E

The 125 cm E sensor tsoil measurements were very erratic and much too high, and all trise 
values were reporting as slightly negative or -9999.  The issue started on 06/07 and 
corrected itself by 20:00 GMT the same day, but the problem returned on 06/10.  Connections 
were re-seated on 6/17 to resolve the problem.

• Volumetric Water Content, East Profile(watcont_E)
• Soil Temperature, East Profile(tsoil_E)
• serial_numbers_W
• Sensor Temperature Rise, East Profile(trise_E)

SGP/SWATS/E8 - Sensor failure, 60cm W

At 2:00 GMT on 07/30 all measurements from the 60 cm W sensor began reporting as -9999. 
The sensor has failed. 

This EF site is scheduled to be decommissioned in the near future.

Instrument removed from service 20091110.

• Volumetric Water Content, West Profile(watcont_W)
• Sensor Temperature Rise, West Profile(trise_W)
• Soil Temperature, West Profile(tsoil_W)
• Soil Water Potential, West Profile(soilwatpot_W)