4.1.17. USDA/NRCS Soil Climate Analysis Network (SCAN)
The SCAN network is administered by NRCS and is intended to be a comprehensive nationwide soil moisture and climate information system to be used in supporting natural resource assessments and other conservation activities. These stations are usually located in the agricultural areas of the U.S. All SCAN sites are automated. The parameters measured at these sites include air temperature, precipitation, humidity, wind, pressure, solar radiation, snow depth, and snow water content.
4.1.18. USDA/NRCS Snowfall Telemetry (SNOTEL) Network
The USDA/NRCS maintains a network of automated snow-monitoring stations known as SNOTEL. The network was implemented originally to measure daily precipitation and snow water content. Many modern SNOTEL sites now record hourly data, with some sites now recording temperature and snow depth. Most data records began during or after the mid-1970s.
4.1.19. Weather For You Network (WX4U)
The WX4U network is a nationwide collection of weather stations run by local observers. Data quality varies with site. Standard meteorological elements are measured and usually include temperature, precipitation, wind, and humidity.
4.1.20. California Data Exchange Center (CDEC)
Some stations are identified in this report as CDEC stations. This is a data repository for a variety of California stations from agencies which include but are not limited to the California Department of Water Resources, BLM, and various power and other utility companies. Despite the variety of agencies involved, these stations are all still referred to as CDEC stations. Measured meteorological elements vary widely depending on agency. Data from CDEC stations are usually hourly.
4.1.21. Weather Bureau Army Navy (WBAN)
Some stations are identified in this report as WBAN stations. This is a station identification system rather than a true weather/climate network. Stations identified with WBAN are largely historical stations that reported meteorological observations on the WBAN weather observation forms that were common during the early and middle parts of the twentieth century. The use of WBAN numbers to identify stations was one of the first attempts in the U.S. to use a coordinated station numbering scheme between several weather station networks, such as the COOP and SAO networks.
4.1.22. Other Networks
In addition to the major networks mentioned above, there are various networks that are operated for specific purposes by specific organizations or governmental agencies or scientific research projects. These networks could be present within KLMN but have not been identified in this report. Some of the commonly used networks include the following:
- NOAA upper-air stations
- Federal and state departments of transportation
- U.S. Department of Energy Surface Radiation Budget Network (Surfrad)
- Park-specific-monitoring networks and stations
- Other research or project networks having many possible owners
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