Low-Temperature Calibration Facility
The USGS Low-Temperature Calibration Facility, located at the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR) in Boulder Colorado, provides temperature-sensor calibration services for Department of Interior projects, NOAA, and NSF-funded polar projects.
Consisting of an exceptionally stable and uniform fluid bath, a NIST certified Standard Platinum Resistance Thermometer (SPRT), thermistor and RTD sensor scanners, and a computer controller, the fully automated system is capable of calibrating sensors with a standard uncertainty of ~3 mK (traceable to NIST) at temperatures as cold as -60°C. The calibration facility has provided calibration values for sensors that are deployed in Alaska, Greenland, Antarctica, as well as in the continental United States.