NOAA’s Climate Reference Network: An Automated Long-Term Climate Monitoring Station for Extreme Climates Tiksi Russia Climate Observatory Planning Meeting.

NOAA’s Climate Reference Network: An Automated Long-Term

Climate Monitoring Station for Extreme Climates

Tiksi Russia Climate Observatory Planning Meeting NOAA – Earth System Research Laboratory

Boulder, Colorado

Michael Helfert1, Tilden Meyers2, Mark Hall2, Grant Goodge1 & Howard Diamond1

NOAA - National Climatic Data Center1

NOAA - Atmospheric Turbulence & Diffusion Division2

Asheville, North Carolina1 and Oak Ridge, Tennessee2

March 7-9, 2007

What’s So Special About Climate Reference Stations?

• Location, location, location!! Pristine areas.• Adhere to WMO Climate Monitoring Standards.• Station Hosts provide site for 50-100 years in

undeveloped or natural state. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

• Layered comms enhance data completeness.• Laboratory-grade, redundant instrumentation.• Emphasis on metadata & data ingest (98%).• Daily monitoring, QA/QC, traceable standards,

systematic maintenance/ calibration pgms

National Climatic Data Center

• Conservative Tiksi Option: Mount the Redundant Climate Reference Network Precision Primary Sensors for P & T# on 10m or 50m towers.

Air Temperature (power-aspirated; radiation-shielded);Precipitation Accumulation (All-Weather/Temperature).

#1.5 mtrs above deepest snowpack

• Other Possible Measurements at 1.5 metersWind Speed (at sensor throat/inlet) - Wv/Wd sensor?Global Solar Radiation – dubious meritGround Surface (Skin) Temperature – dubious merit

-----------------------------------Not Advised----------------------------------- Relative Humidity – Very low end of sensor range. Barometric Pressure – is better instrument available? Soil moisture/temperature – permafrost/muskeg

**WMO Climate Observing Standards

Considering A Proper CRN Precision Sensor Suite for Tiksi**

T1

T2

T3

Primary Instrumentation Only

Four precipitation gauges inside a double windshield,with a single alter as 3rd windfence

Three separately housed, power-aspirated platinum-resistance thermometers

Functionality of Triply Redundant Primary Sensors

Fairbanks, Alaska CRN Station

Power Feed

Central Tower,

Instruments

& Datalogger

8-meter diameter SDFIR surrounds the four precipitation gauges

SDFIR elevated above mean January snow

depth.

An All-Sensor Climate Reference Network StationAn All-Sensor Climate Reference Network Station

Cornell University, New York StateCornell University, New York State

Datalogger

Anemometer

Ground Temperature

Wetness Sensor

Power Control

Three Lab-Grade Thermometers in Individual Ventilated Radiation Housings

Solar Radiation (Pyranometer)

Multi-check precipitation gauge with backup gauge inside a large wind fence

Satellite comms (pre-cover)

Soil Moisture & Soil Temperature

Relative Humidity

Redundant CommunicationsCRN has multiple data communication levelsto assure 98% archival data ingest for POR

A daily status report verifies the condition and availability of all communications networks and station data reports.

1-3. Three separate satellite receiving stations and backups for three GOES satellites.

4-6. Transmissions include previous two hours obs.7. Individual Station Dataloggers (34-month storage).

(8). Local readout desired/required (?).-----------------------------------------------------------------

• There are 96 CRN sites operating, 50+ more planned. • Two stations report via ground communications (test sites). • The other 94 report via the GOES DCS satellite system. • Network data ingest for POR (2000-2007) is 99.7%

March 5, 2007

Antenna icing initially led to low data collection until a slippery fiberglass cover was backfitted in 2005.

Data ingest increased from Barrow Alaska from 72% to 98+% completeness following antenna cover installation.

Fiberglass yagi antenna cover at Barrow, AK

USCRN Data Ingest, 2000-2007

2000 2 stations 89+% 2001 16 stations 92+% 2002 31 stations 97+% 2003 50 stations 98+%**

2004 64 stations 99.1%

2005 78 stations 99.8%

2007 (March) 88 stations 99.7%

**98% data completeness is the Minimum Data Ingest Floor

Typical U.S. CRN Precipitation Gauge in light-to-medium snowfall area (Quinnault WA).

Gauge throat elevation is 1.5 meters to conform to WMO Measurement Standards.

• Barrow Tower Antenna Cover, 03 2005.JPG

Barrow Alaska – Lesson Learned: “Normals” are changing – therefore build the wind fence above the expected (new)

record snowfall ... (March 2004)

Barrow SDFIRNewly Elevated SDFIR at Barrow, Alaska CRN Station

CRN Fairbanks, AK

SDFIR elevated above mean

January snow depth.

Geonor Triple-Transducer Precipitation Gauge

Mass/depth of precipitation is determined by frequency of wire variation. Picture is of single transducer/wire Geonor gauge. CRN site gauges have three transducers/wires around gauge.

transducer/wire

Aspirated shields with solar

radiation sensor and satellite

antenna, Murphy, Idaho

Bent & twisted radiation shield – instrument OK.

Crushed radiation hat – instrument continued functioning nominally

Survival of Barrow, Alaska stationafter polar bear hug(s).No sensor damage and no sensordrifts out of calibration followed.

T1

T2 T3

NOAA Engineer Summer Luncheon: CRN Station Maintenance, Barrow AK

•

Polar beer laying in the grass waiting for a CRN engineer to lunch with: Barrow, Alaska

Primary Outer Rainbands 1 and 2

Newton Mississippi CRN Station

Hurricane Eye

1300 Hours CST August 29, 2005

Hurricane Katrina

127 mph at landfall

Local Time (hrs)

North Storm morphology SouthPeak Wind at 1.5 m = 13 m/s

Phenomena That Have Fooled Us:

St. Mary (Glacier National Park), Montana, Ground Effect Blizzard:

Climate Reference Network (CRN) &

Remote Automated Weather Station (RAWS) Measurements

3 clear days with constant snowfall:

Nov 29- Dec 1, 2006

False Snow Event Winds-Glacier National Park, Montana

• Winds were measured at St. Mary CRN and the nearby (200m) Natl Park Service RAWS,

29 Nov-1 Dec 2006• Instrument elevation differences:

• CRN anemometer 1.5 mtrs; • RAWS anemometer 10 mtrs.

• Winds at both locations in close agreement during event – variance <5%. Max winds 29 mph St. Mary CRN (1.5 m); 31 mph St. Mary RAWS (10M).

• Webcam showed laminar-flow blowing snow with thickness of 15-20 mtrs persisted for 3 days. False precip total estimated at 10 mm.

Reference Stake

Web cam view SW 0920 MST Jan 31, 2007

Temp 19 F (-8 C)

Web cam view SW at 12:17 MST Nov. 29, 2006

Temp. 12 F (-11C)

Reference Stake

Wind Gust SSW 31 mph

CONCLUSIONS

CRN Station Lessons – Alaska; Rocky Mountains; Montana; Maine

• Sturdiest possible equipment to withstand wildlife curiosity & extreme environments.

• Use multiple sensors in case one fails.• Plan for deep snow, & raise station vertically.• Record data locally for comms outages.• Build stations where there is reliable power.• Daily QA/QC (HON) monitoring & analysis.• Goal is highest confidence, irrefutable data.• Adhere to WMO, NAS, NOAA Climate Principles.• Plan to suceed; don’t be arrogant; learn; evolve.

Hi-lat/Hi-elevation monitoring difficulties

• Site stability, access, and security

• Power and maintenance

• Personnel safety is primary – not data.

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• How extreme is the climate environment?

• Are climate normals & extremes shifting?

• What phenomena are we unprepared for?

• What climate phenomena will fool us?

• Rigidity of our mental constructs?

Time is Wasting…

Let’s get to work!!!

Where Can the CRN Data and

Information Be Found???

Internet (Web) Access

USCRN Homepage URL:

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/uscrn/    

or, go directly to the “Index”:  

www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/uscrn/index.html

World Meteorological Organization World Data Center-A (WDC-A)

Asheville, North Carolina

WDC-A is the public-domain archive steward of the Earth’s Climate and Satellite data and information. 11/02

Mike Helfert, CRN Project ManagerGrant GoodgeNOAA-NCDC

PH: (828) [email protected]

Tilden Meyers, DirectorMark Hall, Chief Engineer

NOAA-ATDDPH: (865) 576-1245

[email protected]@noaa.gov

Howard Diamond, NOAA- GCOS Program ManagerPH: (301) 713-1283

[email protected]