Weather and Climate Inventory, Klamath Network, National Park Service, 2007
Appendix G. Descriptions of weather/climate monitoring networks
G.1. Pacific Northwest Cooperative Agricultural Network (AgriMet)
- Purpose of network: provide weather/climate data for regional crop water use modeling, frost monitoring, and various agricultural research projects in the Pacific Northwest.
- Primary management agency: BLM.
- Data website: http://www.usbr.gov/pn/agrimet/wxdata.html.
- Measured weather/climate elements:
o Air temperature.
o Relative humidity and dew point temperature.
o Precipitation.
o Wind speed.
o Solar radiation.
- Sampling frequency: hourly.
- Reporting frequency: hourly; some stations report every 10 minutes if real-time communications are available.
- Estimated station cost: $12000 with maintenance costs around $2000/year.
- Network strengths:
o AgriMet has near-real-time data.
o Period of record is relatively long.
o Sites are well maintained.
- Network weaknesses:
o Only agricultural sites are sampled.
o AgriMet has a limited geographic extent (Pacific Northwest).
AgriMet is a satellite-based network of automated weather stations operated by the BLM. Stations in AgriMet are located primarily in irrigated agricultural areas throughout the Pacific Northwest.
G.2. California Department of Transportation (CALTRANS) Network
- Purpose of network: provide weather data to support management of California’s transportation network.
- Primary management agency: CALTRANS.
- Data website: http://www.met.utah.edu/jhorel/html/mesonet.
- Measured weather/climate elements:
o Air temperature.
o Relative humidity.
o Pressure.
o Wind speed and direction.
o Wind gust and direction.
