Climate Change Monitoring and Detection
NOAA/NWS/OST – Systems Integration and Prototype COOP Operations Management
Funding Type: CIMMS Task III
Objectives
Research the integration of climate observing stations and communications
systems for the NWS COOP Modernization with a prototype operations
and monitoring component; investigate solutions to problems or limitations
in previous climate observing networks so as to provide advice to the
NWS regarding the state-of-the-art in observing systems technologies.
Accomplishments
Documentation and training. NERON technical plan documents have
been completed, including (1) the Plan Functional Requirements document,
which adjusted requirements based on a comparison of requirements and
measurement practices recommended or in use by the US Climate Reference
Network, NWS climate and aviation directives, the WMO, and state-run
mesonets; (2) the addition of a procedure for installing 10-meter wind
direction and speed sensors to the Site Installation Plan; (3) a major
revision of the Site Installation Plan with Short and Associates to reflect
the new site configuration agreed upon by NWS and NESDIS for the modernization
of the Historical Climate Network (HCN); and (4) a revision of the Site
Maintenance Plan. To improve maintenance technician training, we developed
an updated NERON technician training course, including a reference manual
for field use. To aid in budget planning and future acquisition should
NERON continue, we specified and developed a detailed list of parts necessary
to install a modernized HCN station, including cost and vendor information.
New deployments. The project staff participated in several new deployments and system improvements. We worked with the Oklahoma Climatological Survey (OCS), the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and the National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System to coordinate the setup and equipment installation for network and radio telemetry links between the NERON Operations and Monitoring System and three stations of the Georgia Automated Environmental Monitoring Network as a test bed for communication in the Georgia Mesonet. For the New England network, we wrote and released new versions of the data logger software, which update the data report formats for uniformity across logger manufacturers, allow algorithm processing after ingest, and add redundant data transmission at sites with GOES transmitters. In addition, we developed and revised detailed procedures for uploading the new programs. Working with OCS, we developed requirements to improve the metadata database and the associated web-based interface for technicians to track NERON equipment locations and enter trouble ticket problems and fixes, rather than submitting separate electronic documents to an FTP site.
This pilot project is completed.
Publications
Fiebrich, C. A., D. L. Grimsley, R. A. McPherson, K. A. Kesler, and G. R.
Essenberg, 2006: The value of routine site visits in managing and maintaining
quality data from the Oklahoma Mesonet. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 23,
406-416.
Crawford, K. and G. Essenberg, 2006: COOP Modernization: NOAA’s Environmental Real-time Observation Network in New England, the Southeast, and addressing NIDIS in the West. 10th Conf. on Integrated Observing and Assimilation Systems for the Atmosphere, Oceans, and Land Surface, Atlanta, GA, Amer. Meteor. Soc., CD-ROM J5.9.
Meteogram showing one-minute resolution data collected from the Cape Cod National Seashore NERON station during the passage of tropical storm Beryl on July 20, 2006. The top panel shows 1-minute average air temperature, the middle panel shows one-minute average wind direction, wind speed, and one-minute maximum wind speed, and the bottom panel shows the precipitation bucket depths measured independently by the three vibrating wire sensors in the Geonor precipitation gauge. The new data logger code loaded in the loggers in 2006 made the collection of one-minute data during interesting weather events possible at NERON sites with two-way cellular communication.