Appendix B. Determining True
North and sensor orientation
The orientation of the WindSonic4 north arrow markers is found by reading a magnetic compass
and applying the site-specific correction for magnetic declination; where the magnetic
declination is the number of degrees between true north and magnetic north. Obtain the
magnetic declination for a specific site from a USGS map, local airport, or through a NOAA web
calculator (
Online magnetic declination calculator
(p. 17)). A general map showing magnetic
declination for the Conterminous United States is shown in
FIGURE B-1. Magnetic declination for the conterminous United States (2015)
Declination angles east of True North are considered negative, and are subtracted from 360
degrees to get True North as shown
(p. 16) (0° and 360° are the same point on a
compass). Declination angles west of True North are considered positive, and are added to 0
degrees to get True North as shown in
WindSonic4 Two-Dimensional Sonic Anemometer
15