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U.S. Climate Reference Network

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Station in the Great Basin National Park, Nevada.

The US Climate Reference Network (USCRN) is a network of climate stations developed and maintained by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The purpose of the USCRN is to maintain a sustainable high quality network which will detect, with high confidence, signals of climate change in the US. As of 2023 it consists of 137 commissioned stations located in the Contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii.[1]

Purpose

The goal of the USCRN is to provide to the general public, free of charge, long-term high-quality observations of surface air temperature, precipitation, and other climate indicators that can be coupled to past long-term observations for the detection and attribution of present and future climate change.[2] It provides the United States with a reference network that meets the requirements of the Global Climate Observing System.

Locations of CRN stations

Background

It is being implemented and managed by the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) located in Asheville, NC. Scientists and engineers from the Atmospheric Turbulence and Diffusion Division located in Oak Ridge, TN, are assisting the NCDC USCRN program staff. System design, test, implementation, and associated expenses are being provided by the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service's Office of Systems Development.[verification needed]

Stations

Each station is positioned in a pristine site which is expected to remain free from development over coming decades. Each station may include the following sensors: triple redundant air temperature sensors[jargon], precipitation sensors, wind speed sensors, and ground temperature sensors.[3] Stations have been placed in rural environments in order to avoid possible urban microclimate interference. The contiguous U.S. network of 114 stations was completed in 2008. There are two USCRN stations in Hawaii and deployment of a network of 29 stations in Alaska continues. [4]

Components

Essential components of the USCRN are well-documented life cycle maintenance, modernization, and performance histories, as well as a robust science and research component. There are routine maintenance visits to the sites and regular calibration of the sensors. Research effort has focused on continual evaluation of the data, new sensors, and emerging calibration techniques. When a new type of sensor can contribute to improving the quality of the observations, there will be at least a one-year continuity overlap of current and new sensors.

Every USCRN instrument site is being equipped with the following:

  • a standard set of sensors
  • a data logger
  • a satellite communications transmitter attached to a typical 10 foot (3 meter) instrument tower
  • at least one weighing rain gauge, encircled by a windshield

Data from these USCRN sites are used to provide information on long-term changes in air temperature and precipitation, including means and extremes.[jargon] Additional sensors may be added in the future, such as soil moisture and soil temperature.[needs update] USCRN data is intended to be used in operational climate monitoring activities and for placing current climate anomalies into a historical perspective. Data is transmitted hourly via the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite[verification needed] Data Collection System[spam link?] and is immediately distributed by the National Weather Service to their operational sites.[needs update] Observations are accessible through the Internet.[where?]

The future of the project

The USCRN hopes to provide the nation with a long-term (50 to 100 years) observation network that will serve as the Nation's Benchmark Climate Reference Network. When fully implemented, the network will consist of several hundred instrument suites strategically selected to capture climate trends, variations, and change across the nation.[needs update]

References

  1. ^ "Program Overview". National Centers for Climate Information.
  2. ^ Diamond, Howard J; Karl, Thomas R. (1 Apr 2013). "U.S. Climate Reference Network after One Decade of Operations: Status and Assessment". American Meteorological Society.
  3. ^ "U.S. Surface Climate Observing Reference Networks". NOAA. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
  4. ^ "National Center for Environmental Information".
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