KNMI-mast Cabauw

The KNMI-mast Cabauw is a 213-metre (699 ft) high guyed mast for meteorological measurements at Cabauw, the Netherlands. In 1972 at Cabauw (06348) a 213 metres (699 ft) high mast was specifically built for meteorological research to establish relations between the state of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL), land surface conditions and the general weather situation for all seasons. The Cabauw mast is located in the western part of the Netherlands (51.971 °N, 4.927 °E) in a polder 0.7 metres (28") below average sealevel. This site was chosen, because it is rather representative for this part of the Netherlands and because only minor landscape developments were planned in this region. However, significant changes are the removal of the trees along a road east of the mast in 1975, and the building of houses in the village of Lopik east of the mast in more recent years. The North Sea is more than 50 km (31 mi) away to the WNW. The nearby region is agricultural, and surface elevation changes are at most a few metres (yards) over 20 km (12 mi). Within 40 km (25 mi) radius there are four major synoptic weather stations, among which is the regular radiosonde station at De Bilt (06260), ensuring a permanent supporting mesoscale network.