Projects/parallel
Parallel climate measurements
Long instrumental climate records are usually affected by non-climatic changes (inhomogeneities). The most direct way to study non-climatic biases relies on parallel measurements. This project will search, and gather historical parallel measurements. For more information on the rationale for such a database, please read this announcement.
We ask for your help in developing such a dataset. Currently the main task is to build an inventory of parallel measurements. If you have any information, please add it to the table below. For more information on how you can help, please see this page.
Editing this Wiki
This is a Wiki, thus anyone can help us make the inventory more accurate and more complete. With a double-click on any text or with the menu to the right you will get into the edit mode and can make changes with an easy WYSIWYG editor. To protect against spam, you have to solve a "puzzle" at the top of the screen. If your answer is wrong, your edit is lost. It is thus a good idea to make a local copy of any additional text.
You can also make a new page, for example, to describe a station, network or dataset in more detail. To do so first create a link in the table (in the column location). When you click on the new link, you will be asked whether you want to make a new page and a list of templates will be shown. In case of a new station (network), you can do so using the template stationTemplate (networkTemplate).
Inventory parallel measurements**
| Country | Location | Comparison | Variables | Covariates* |
| Australia | Adelaide | Glaisher stand with Stevenson screen (60 years) | Temp | Unknown |
| Australia | Broadmeadows, Melbourne, Victoria | 10 types of temperature screens (large and small Stevenson and aspirated multiplate cones) | Temp | Wind speed and direction, pressure, rainfall, global irradiance |
| Austria | Kremsmünster | North wall with Stevenson | Temp | Unknown |
| Austria | Various | Campbell-Stockes with Haenni | Sunshine | Unknown |
| Austria | Various | Stevenson screen (tmax, tmin) and AWS | Temp | Unknown |
| Austria | Hohe Warte, Vienna | Hann and Freiland screen (1953 - 1982) | Temp | Unknown |
| Belgium | Uccle | cup anemometer and sonic anemometers | Windspeed and direction | Unknown |
| Canada | Instrument field | USRCH to Canadian equipment | Unknown | Unknown |
| Canada | Unknown | Conventional with AWS | Unknown | Unknown |
| Czech republic | Doksany | Czech-Slovak thermometer screen (open bottom) and the multiplate radiation shield | Temp | Wind speed, cloud cover, solar radiation, precipitation |
| France | Paris | Montsouris & Stevenson screen | Temp | Unknown |
| Germany | Hohenpeissenberg | North wall with standard screen (Stevenson?) | Temp | Unknown |
| Germany | German climate reference network | Stevenson screen (obs 3 per day) and AWS | Tm, Tx, Tn, Tw, Ts, p, rr, rel. humidity, specific humidity, sun shine duration, freezing depth | Precipitation, sun shine duration, ground temperature |
| Greece | Greek network no. 1 | Stevenson screen and AWS | Tm, Tx, Tn, (p, rel. hum., wind) | |
| Greece | Karpathos | Two Stevenson screens | Tm, Tx, Tn, p, rr, wind | |
| Greece | Arta and Souda | Two pairs with two different Stevenson screens, 4 to 5 km apart | Tm, Tx, Tn, (p), rr, wind | |
| Romania | 15 stations | Classical observations and AWS | Tm, Tx, Tn, pressure, rel. hum. | Unknown |
| Romania | 17 stations | Classical observations and AWS | Tm, Tx, Tn | Unknown |
| Samoa | Stevenson screen with a tropical screen (Stevenson with thatched roof) | Temp | Unknown | |
| Slovenia# | Slovenian network | 4 pairs of nearby climatological stations | Temperature, humidity, pressure, cloudiness, precipitation sum, snow depth, wind, state of ground, visibility | Temperature, humidity, pressure, cloudiness, precipitation sum, snow depth, wind, state of ground, visibility |
| Slovenia# | Slovenian network 2 | Manual readings and data logger measurements in the same Stevenson screen, 4 stations | Temperature | Temperature, humidity, pressure, cloudiness, precipitation sum, snow depth, wind, state of ground, visibility |
| South Africa | Cape Town | Window, French and Stevenson screen | Unknown | Unknown |
| Spain | Murcia and La Coruna | Montsouri, with Stevenson obs and Stevenson auto | Temp | Unknown |
| Spain | Various | Classical observations and AWS; nearby stations | Tm, Tx, Tn, rr, wind, rel. hum., sunshine hours | |
| Switzerland | Zurich | Multiple stations in a city (relocation) | Temp | Unknown |
| Switzerland | Basel | Wild and Stevenson screen | Temp | Wind speed, cloud cover, insolation (modelled), precipitation, snow cover (modelled) |
| Switzerland | Various | Transition to new AWS | Various | Various |
| The Netherlands | De Bilt | 10 modern screens; multiplate round screen and Stevenson screens | Temp | Precip, wind speed, global downward radiation, relative humidity (probably more) |
| The Netherlands | Stavoren | Wind at 2 nearby locations | Wind speed and direction | Unknown |
| United Kingdom | Strathfield Turgiss (nowdays: Stratfield Turgis) | Lawson stand and Stevenson screen | Temp | Unknown |
| United Kingdom | Greenwich, London | Glaisher stand with Stevenson screen (boarded bottom) | Temp | Unknown |
| United Kingdom | Croydon | Glaisher stand with Stevenson screen (old-style) | Temp | Unknown |
| United Kingdom | London | Glaisher stand with Stevenson screen | Temp | Unknown |
| United Kingdom | Berkshire | Stevenson screen with Davis VP2 AWS | Temp, rainfall, wind | None |
| United States of America | Fort Collins, Colorado | MMTS and obs. | Temp | Unknown |
| United States of America | Oklahoma Mesonet | Different heights (depths) and technologies | Temp, wind, soil temp, rainfall, soil moisture | Solar radiation, pressure, relative humidity |
| United States of America | US Climate Reference Network (USCRN) | Temperature, precipitation | Solar radiation, wind speed, (soil temperature, soil moisture, relative humidity) | Free |
| United States of America | Phoenix, Arizona | Temperature (70 stations) | Unknown | Unknown |
- Covariates are other climatic elements that may explain the differences found between the parallel measurements. In case of temperature, this could be precipitation, insolation, cloud cover, snow cover. In case of precipitation this could be (wet bulb) temperature or wind speed. In case of wind speed this could be wind direction. Etc. ** If we make a repository out of this inventory, we will first restrict the dataset to the participants to be able to write joint publications on the dataset. It would be good to know the license at the end of this phase. # Dataset in our database.
References
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Gaster. F. Report on experiments made at Strathfield Turgiss in 1869 with stands or screens of various patterns, devised and employed for the exposing of thermometers, in order to determine the temperature of the air. Appendix II to Quarterly Weather Report for 1879, Meteorological Office, London, pp. 13-39, 1882.
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Margary, I. D. Glaisher stand versus stevenson screen. A comparison of forty years' observations of maximum and minimum temperature as recorded in both screens at Camden Square, London. Q.J.R. Meteorol. Soc., 50, pp. 209–226. doi: 10.1002/qj.49705021109, 1924.
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Further reference not yet mentioned in table
Lacombe M., D. Bousri, M. Leroy, M. Mezred 2011: WMO field intercomparison of thermometer screens/shields and humidity measuring instruments. IOM 106, WMO/TD-No. 1579
Goodison B.E., P.Y.T. Louie, D. Yang 1998: WMO solid precipitation measurement intercomparison. Final report. WMO/TD - No. 872.
Groisman P. Ya., Eugene L. Peck, Robert G. Quayle, 1999: Intercomparison of Recording and Standard Nonrecording U.S. Gauges. Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology., 16, -602-609.
Sevruk B., M. Ondrás, B. Chvíla 2009: The WMO precipitation measurement intercomparisons. Atmospheric Research 92 (2009) 376-380. doi: 10.1016/j.atmosres.2009.01.016
van der Meulen J.P. 1992: The WMO Automatic Digital Barometer Intercomparison.IOM REPORT No. 46, WMO/TD No. 474.
Nash J., R. Smout, T. Oakley, B. Pathack, S. Kurnosenko 2006: WMO Intercomparison of radiosonde systems. Instruments and observing methods report No. 83, WMO/TD-No. 1303.
Barnett A., D.B. Hatton and D.W. Jones 1998: Recent Changes in Thermometer Screen Designs and their Impact. IOM 66 WMO/TD 871.
Gregoire P. and G. Oualid 1997: WMO Wind Instrument Intercomparison. IOM 62 WMO/TD 859
More comparisons can be found at the WMO.