Development of an automated cloud water collection system for use in atmospheric monitoring networks

An automated cloud water collection system for unattended operation at remote sites is described. This system consists of a cloud water collector, sample accumulator, sample storage unit, and electronic control unit. Threshold values for liquid water content, wind speed, and temperature were set with the electronic control unit to initiate automatic collection of cloud water samples. The automated system was tested in the summer of 1994 at two remote sites: Whitetop Mountain, VA, and Whiteface Mountain, NY. During this period, it successfully collected 449 hourly cloud water samples.