New anemometer for offshore use

Abstract

We present a new type of a highly resolving anemometer to perform long-term measurements of turbulent wind flows. The sensor has been designed for rough environments and thus can operate under offshore conditions. The resolution goes down to about 1mm and above 1kHz, thus resolving fluctuations in a wind field of about 1cm. Its measuring principle, based on the atomic force microscope, allows for simultaneous measurements of the horizontal and transversal velocity component within a volume of < 1 mm3.