Another UHI Infested Station
21 Apr 2008
This is why you don't put an official NOAA temperature sensor over
concrete
http://wattsupwiththat.wordpress.com:80/2008/04/21/this-is-why-you-dont-put-an-official-noaa-temperature-sensor-over-concrete/
You'd think the answer would be obvious, but here we have a NOAA
operated USHCN climate station of record providing a live experiment. It
always helps to illustrate with photos. Today I surveyed a sewage
treatment plant, one of 4 stations surveyed today (though I tried for 5)
and found that for convenience, they had made a nice concrete walkway to
allow servicing the Fisher-****ter rain gauge, which needs a paper punch
tape replaced one a month.
Here is what you see in visible light:
Here is what the infrared camera sees:
Note that the concrete surface is around 22-24°C, while the grassy areas
are between 12-19°C
This station will be rated a CRN5 by this definition from the NOAA
Climate Reference Network handbook, section 2.2.1:
Class 5 (error >~= 5C) - Temperature sensor located next to/above an
artificial heating source, such a building, roof top, parking lot, or
concrete surface."
Now a caveat: There had just been a light rain, and skies had been
overcast, it had just started to clear and you can see some light
shadows in the visible image. Had this rainfall and overcast not
occurred, the differences between grass and concrete temperatures would
likely be greater. Unfortunately I was unable to wait around for full
sun conditions. The air temperature was 58°F (14.4°C) according to my
thermometer at the time.
Here is another view which shows the NOAA sensor array, the sky, and the
evidence of recent rainfall as evidenced by the wet parking lot:
Why NOAA allows installations like this I'll never understand. And this
station is a USHCN climate station of record, used in who knows how many
climate studies.
I'll tell you more on this station and others I surveyed tomorrow.
--
Warmest Regards
Bonzo
"There is no compelling evidence that carbon dioxide has any significant
control over the direction of global temperature and climate. The
processes that regulate the interannual to decadal fluctuations of
climate are poorly understood and, as yet, unpredictable" William
Kininmonth, Meteorologist, Former Head, National Climate Centre, Bureau
of Meteorology, 1986-1998
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