IMPLEMENTATION OF MOUNTAIN CLIMATE NETWORKS
Point of Departure for MTNCLIM 2005 Working Group Discussion
Kelly T. Redmond Western Regional Climate Center (kelly.redmond@dri.edu)
Mark Losleben Mountain Research Station (mark.losleben@colorado.edu)
This group will make the assumption that the need for mountain climate observations has
already been established. Most of the discussion will center on the following topics,
although it is not limited to them.
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Climate needs versus weather needs – striving for consistency through time
Network organization
Candidate sites
Siting and exposure issues
Degree of standardization
Individual site design
Site selection – is it pertinent to the goal? Is it “permanent” ?
Sensor issues – quality, robustness, design maximum by element
Power issues
Icing survival
Site security, administrative and physical
Communications
One-way or two-way
Reliability
Additional procedures to prevent data loss
Maintenance
This is the key issue !
Who will do this?
Degree of commitment, and motivation for participation
Periodic, on-demand, or other approach
Equipment swap-outs and upgrades
Maintaining programmatic continuity and corporate knowledge
Data flow
Centralized ingest
Centralized access
Quality control of data
Archival
Products
The data themselves
Summaries
Funding
Prototype approaches as proof of concept
Linking and leveraging are essential
Bridging to practical and operational communities
Bridging to counterpart research efforts and initiatives
A strategy to attain the monitoring goals involves these elements:
1. All major mountain ranges should be sampled.
2. Along-axis and cross-axis sampling for major mountain chains.
3. Approximately 5-10 sites per state (1 per 28000 - 56000 km2)
4. Highest sites as high as possible within each state, but at both high relative and
absolute elevations.
5. Free air exposures at higher sites.
6. Utilize existing measurements and networks, and extend existing records, when
possible.
7. AC power to prevent ice/rime when practical.
8. Temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and direction, solar radiation as main
elements, others as feasible.
9. Hourly readings, and real-time communication whenever possible
10. Absence of local artificial influences, site stable for next 5-10 decades.
11. Current and historical measurements accessible via World Wide Web when possible.
12. Hydro measurements (precipitation, snow water content, and depth) not practical at
highest points, so have lower sites in more protected settings to permit these.
13. Maintain stable site characteristics (e.g., vegetation height) needed for measurement
homogeneity.
14. High quality, rugged, durable instrumentation with proven track records greatly
desirable.
15. Site documentation history available and accessible.