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Comment on “Capabilities and limitations of tracing spatial temperature patterns by fiber‐optic distributed temperature sensing” by Liliana Rose et al.
Author(s) -
Selker J. S.,
Tyler Scott,
van de Giesen Nick
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
water resources research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.863
H-Index - 217
eISSN - 1944-7973
pISSN - 0043-1397
DOI - 10.1002/2013wr014979
Subject(s) - rose (mathematics) , remote sensing , optical fiber , fiber , maximum temperature , environmental science , materials science , optics , geography , geology , physics , biology , atmospheric sciences , composite material , horticulture
Interpreting results from new methods and technology requires understanding of the technical performance of these tools and the underlying physics. Since scientific discovery is often driven by improvements in accuracy, precision, and resolution, understanding these factors is central to realizing these opportunities. An important addition to the suite of tools applicable to environmental observation is fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing (DTS) [e.g., Selker et al., 2006a, 2006b]. The recent work of Rose et al. [2013] illustrates how essential understanding of performance parameters for new instruments is to avoid confusion over the capabilities and meaning of the output. In the case of DTS, spatial resolution, temporal resolution, accuracy, and repeatability of reported temperatures are intimately related [Tyler et al., 2009]. Put into proper context we will show that the work of Rose et al. verified the published instrument specifications of the DTS they employed rather than showing accuracy ‘‘critically declining with decreasing signal size’’ as stated in Rose et al. [2013].