I&M Climate and Weather Project - NPClime

Vision
To provide information on real-time weather, historical climate patterns, and climate-station metadata for any NPS unit to NPS staff, citizens, and scientists from a single, easy-to-use internet portal. To have the climate information system be widely recognized and respected as a model enterprise-level information system that seamlessly accesses information from many sources, that provides data interpretations and raw data that are valuable to casual visitors and sophisticated analysts, and that is intelligently designed to minimize the need for manual revision and maintenance.

Mission
To realize our vision, we will engage subject-matter experts in all aspects of the project, and work to build a system that delivers high value to our clients. Our clients include park staff, citizens, scientists, and other agencies that use and contribute information on weather and climate. As a project, we will be a good partner to cooperating entities, and will form strategic alliances that further the goals of the Park Service and other collaborating agencies. We will provide Inventory and Monitoring network and park-specific products recognized for their high quality and focus on NPS needs and objectives.

What information do you want? Project background and materials Protocols and related reports Meeting and teleconference notes NPClime 1-page fact sheet

 

WRCC Climate Project Web Page

Use this site to obtain completed reports and those under review, climate information and related info. The URL is http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/nps/, All 32 I&M Monitoring Network Climate Inventory Reports are completed and they can be downloaded from the WRCC web site.

 

Next scheduled event

No meetings currently scheduled. Most communications within NPS are coordinated through the NPClime Advisory Committee. Regularly scheduled calls are on the second Wednesday of every month. In addition, NPClime staff host and use an internal SharePoint site for project communication.

Project background and materials

Applied Climate Information System (ACIS) brochure (low resolution - 900 KB) or (moderate resolution - 9 MB)

Network/Park protocols and related reports

Akyuz, F.A. et at. 2000.  Weather Monitoring Protocol for Two Prairie Parks. (1.5 MB)
De Blasi, M. 2005. Weather & Climate Monitoring Protocol The National Park Service  San Francisco Bay Area Network (6.8 MB).
Garman, S.L. 2004. Climate Monitoring Protocol for the Park Units in the Northern  Colorado Plateau Network. (16.6 MB).
Gray, S.T. 2005. Climate Monitoring Protocols for the Greater Yellowstone Network. (1.3 MB).
Redmond, K., and G. McCurdy. 2005. Channel Islands National Park: Design Considerations for Weather and Climate Monitoring. (6.6 MB).
Redmond, K.T., D.B. Simeral, and G.D. McCurdy. 2005. Climate monitoring for southwest Alaska national parks: network design and site selection. (6.0 MB).
Selkowitz, D. 2003. Compilation and Analysis of Climate Data in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem/Bighorn Canyon Area: Completed Products, Problems Encountered, and Recommendations for the Future. (107 KB).
Sousanes, P.J., and G. Adema. 2004. Climate Monitoring Protocol for the Central Alaska Network: Denali National Park and Preserve, Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve, and Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve (Narrative 400 KB).
Sousanes, P.J., and others. Full CAKN climate protocol and SOPs (Big file - 29 MB).
Sousanes, P.J., and others. Full CAKN snowpack protocol and SOPs (Big file - 22 MB).
USGS. 2001.  Summary of Meteorologic and Atmospheric Monitoring Protocols for Cape Cod National Seashore. (400 KB).
Various. 1994-2005 (45 MB)  Compilation of the following manuals in a single (45 MB) file:
1. United States Climate Reference Network (USCRN) Field Site Maintenance Plan November 2003.
2. Climate Reference Network (CRN) Site Information Handbook, December 2002
3. A Review of the Forest Service Remote Automated Weather Station (RAWS) Network, December 2003
4. NWCG National Fire Danger Rating System Weather Station Standards (RAWS standards, Feb. 2005)
5. CASTNet Standard Operating Procedures 1994-1995
6. NWS Cooperative Station Observations Observing Handbook No. 6, September 1993
7. USGS NRCS Snotel Standards and Specifications Precipitation Gauge
8. NADP Site Operationss Manual 1999-01

Protocol Description Summaries - all in one ZIP file (Current 17 November 2005; 500 KB)

Meeting and teleconference agendas, notes and proceedings

Action Items from calls Excel spreadsheet Action items - 1 Feb version.. 

7-8 November 2005 - Notes and decisions from the project meeting in Ft. Collins.  Includes draft report outline and project details.

15 September 2005  - Teleconference notes and "ToDo" list
14 September 2005 - Teleconference agenda
2 September 2005 - Weather project description (emailed to a long recipient list)

Beginning in spring 2007, conference call notes and associated materials are posted on the internal NPS site used by the NPClime Advisory Committee.

 

Weather links

I&M Climate Inventory Page - Climate Atlas

Western Region Climate Center NPS page
Western Region Climate Center home page
RAWS
University of Utah Department of Meteorology Links
Weatherbase.com - good source for monthly mean, min, max temperatures and similar

Comments or suggestions? <>Send these to< John Gross (Ecologist, I&M Program) or Margaret Beer (National Data Manager, I&M Program)

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