BOREAS AES Campbell Scientific Surface Meteorological Data Summary: Canadian AES personnel collected data related to surface and atmospheric meteorological conditions over the BOREAS Region. This data set contains 15 minute meteorological data from 14 automated meteorology stations located across the BOREAS region. Included in this data are parameters of date, time, mean sea level pressure, station pressure, temperature, dewpoint, wind speed, resultant wind speed, resultant wind direction, peak wind, precipitation, maximum temperature in the last hour, minimum temperature in the last hour, pressure tendency, liquid precipitation in the last hour, relative humidity, precipitation from a weighing gauge, and snow depth. Temporally, the data cover the period of August 1993 to December 1996. The data are provided in tabular ASCII files. Table of Contents * 1 Data Set Overview * 2 Investigator(s) * 3 Theory of Measurements * 4 Equipment * 5 Data Acquisition Methods * 6 Observations * 7 Data Description * 8 Data Organization * 9 Data Manipulations * 10 Errors * 11 Notes * 12 Application of the Data Set * 13 Future Modifications and Plans * 14 Software * 15 Data Access * 16 Output Products and Availability * 17 References * 18 Glossary of Terms * 19 List of Acronyms * 20 Document Information 1. Data Set Overview 1.1 Data set identification. BOREAS AES Campbell Scientific Surface Meteorological Data 1.2 Data Set Introduction This data set contains 15 minute data from 14 automated meteorology stations across the BOREAS region in Canada. Included in this data are parameters of day, time, mean sea level pressure, station pressure, temperature, dewpoint, wind speed, resultant wind speed, resultant wind direction, peak wind, precipitation, maximum temperature in the last hour, minimum temperature in the last hour, pressure tendency, liquid precipitation in the last hour, relative humidity, precipitation from a weighing gauge, and snow depth. 1.3 Objective/Purpose These monitoring sites were established by the Atmospheric and Environment Service (AES) of Canada to provide hourly weather reports, input to the operational program of forecasts and warnings, input to operational weather prediction models, and climate data. The frequency of observations was increased to 15 minutes at the request of BOREAS. Data collection for BOREAS began in August, 1993. 1.4 Summary of the parameters. Parameters include: day, time, mean sea level pressure, station pressure, temperature, dewpoint, wind speed, resultant wind speed, resultant wind direction, peak wind, precipitation, maximum temperature in the last hour, minimum temperature in the last hour, pressure tendency, liquid precipitation in the last hour, relative humidity, precipitation from a weighing gauge, and snow depth. 1.5 Discussion. Generally these stations were installed before BOREAS began, and conform to Environment Canada's criteria for accuracy and exposure. Only stations Southend, Saskatoon (SK) and Waskesiu Lake, SK have a Fisher and Porter weighing precipitation gauge. Only Waskesiu Lake, SK measures snow depth. 1.6 Related Data Sets. BOREAS AFM-07 SRC Surface Meteorological and Radiation Data BOREAS AES MARSII Surface Meteorological Data BOREAS AES READAC Surface Meteorological Data 2. Investigator(s) 2.1 Investigator(s) Name and Title G. Barrie Atkinson BOREAS AES Project Scientist 2.2 Title of Investigation. Environment Canada 15 minute autostation data. 2.3 Contact Information Contact 1 G. Barrie Atkinson (Retired) BOREAS AES Project Scientist Environment Canada Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada Phone: 204-983-6059 Fax: (204) 983-4884 Contact 2 Barry Funk Supervisor, Special Programs Environment Canada Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada Phone: (204) 983-2018 Fax: (204) 984-2072 Contact 3 Jeffrey Newcomer Raytheon STX Corporation NASA/GSFC Greenbelt Maryland Phone: (301) 286-0544 Fax: (301) 286-0239 E-mail: Jeffrey.Newcomer@gsfc.nasa.gov 3. Theory of Measurements None given. 4. Equipment 4.1 Sensor/Instrument Description No specific descriptions were given of the various types of instruments. See Section 4.1.6 for information regarding the kinds of instruments that were at each site. 4.1.1 Collection Environment The data was collected continuously in all types of weather. 4.1.2 Source/Platform. The various instruments were mounted on towers at the sites. 4.1.3 Source/Platform Mission Objectives None Given. 4.1.4 Key Variables The parameters are date, time, mean sea level pressure and station pressure, temperature, dewpoint, wind speed and direction, peak wind, precipitation, maximum and minimum temperature in the last hour, pressure tendency. 4.1.5 Principles of Operation None given. 4.1.6 Sensor/Instrument Measurement Geometry Additional information about the local environment in which the instruments were positioned may be given in Section 7. Data Logger A CR10 H CR21X Pressure B Setra 270 Hydro Thermistor C CS 207F Radiation shield D Gill type I wooden Stevenson screen, pipe stand J wooden Stevenson screen, wooden stand Precipitation Tipping Bucket E AES TBRG (Tipping Bucket Rain Gauge) Weighing gauge K Fisher and Porter with Nipher shield L Fisher and Porter with alter shield Snow Depth sensor M UDG01 ultrasonic depth gauge Anemometer F RM Young Tower G Hossick Tilting N Hossick non-tilting The following is a list of instruments used at the various sites. The following table indicates (by the letter) which instruments are present at each site. (FFN) STATION WBL WWC WFO WGX WHH WLE WLJ WFF WBU WRJ WJH WSR WLV WIW Data Logger A H H H A A A A H A H A H A Pressure sensor B B B B B B B B B B B B B B Hydro Thermistor C C C C C C C C C C C C C C height (cm) 200 120 115 115 280 120 120 120 122 137 120 115 120 134 Radiation shield D I I I D J J J I J J J J J Precipitation Tipping Bucket E E E E E E E E E E E E E E rim height (cm) 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 Weighing gauge K K rim height (cm) 200 200 Snow depth M sensor height (mm) 2140 Anemometer F F F F F F F F F F F F F F cup height (m) 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 20 10 tower G G G G G G G G G G G G N G ID Name --- -------------------- WBL Bachelors Island MB WFO (FFN) Flin Flon MB WGX Gillam MB WHH Hunters Point MB WWC Collins Bay SK WLE Lucky Lake SK WLJ Meadow Lake SK WFF Melfort SK WBU Nipawin SK WRJ Rosetown East SK WJH Southend SK WSR Spiritwood West SK WLV Waskesiu Lake SK WIW Watrous East SK 4.1.7 Manufacturer of Sensor/Instrument None given. 4.2 Calibration 4.2.1 Specifications None given. 4.2.1.1 Tolerance None given. 4.2.2 Frequency of Calibration See Section 6.2 for information regarding site visits and instrument maintenance. 4.2.3 Other Calibration Information None given. 5. Data Acquisition Methods During normal operation, the data were stored in the datalogger, and downloaded once per month. For Environment Canada's purposes, the autostations were called hourly, and only the latest observation was retrieved. 6. Observations 6.1 Data Notes None given. 6.2 Field Notes The following was obtained from the inspection books. This is only a partial list of maintenance. Contact Environment Canada for any maintenance information after 1994. Questions should be directed to Environment Canada. Normal practice is to disable the tipping bucket rain gauge (TBRG) for the winter and to disable the weighing gauge for the summer. WBL Bachelors Island Manitoba (MB) Inspection Jun. 18, 1993 The 207f Temperature/Relative Humidity (T/RH) sensor was replaced. A newly- calibrated TBRG bridge was installed and tested. The pressure offset was adjusted to 80.07 to bring the station pressure reading into closer agreement with the inspection aneroid barometer. All exposed equipment was cleaned of cobwebs, bugs and bird droppings. Several comparisons between station and inspection parameters yielded very close results. WFO (FFN) Flin Flon MB Inspection Jun 16, 1993 Barometer comparison difference was 0.44. The offset was not adjusted. New T/RH probes installed. All other comparisons between station and inspection parameters yielded very close results. Visit Oct 29, 1993 Installation of base for BOREAS instruments. Inspection Mar 21, 1994 New bearings were installed in the Anemometer. The Stevenson Screen was releveled. The TBRG bridge was cleaned, calibrated and leveled. All normal autostation comparisons were completed, and were OK. WGX Gillam MB Inspection May 26, 1993 Anemometer replaced; T/RH probes replaced; TBRG bridge and bucket assembly replaced. All normal autostation comparisons, including barometer, were completed, and were OK. Inspection May 12, 1994 A new bridge was installed on the TBRG, and the gauge was cleaned and leveled. All normal autostation comparisons, including barometer, were completed, and were OK. WHH Hunters Point MB Inspection Jun 17, 1993 All the normal checks of the instrumentation were performed. All were OK, however the barometer gave an average difference of +0.49 mb which is approaching the limit. Inspection Nov 3, 1994 A new bridge was installed on the TBRG, and the gauge was cleaned and leveled. A new anemometer, both speed and direction, was installed. A new RH grid was installed. All the normal checks of the instrumentation were performed. All were OK, but the barometer gave a difference of 0.7 mb from the standard, humidity showed a 1.0 degree difference, and temperature showed a 0.2 degree difference. WWC Collins Bay SK Inspection Jun 9, 1993 Newly calibrated TBRG bridge installed. Bucket cleaned and leveled. The speed head was replaced complete with new bearings. All checks with direction OK. A new hydristor was installed and all comparisons were within acceptable limits. Pressure comparisons OK. Inspection Sep 14, 1994 TBRG bridge cleaned, leveled and calibrated. New hydristor installed. All comparisons OK. Pressure comparisons OK. Wind speed head changed. All checks OK. WLE Lucky Lake SK Inspection Apr 13, 1993 A new TBRG bridge installed, and the gauge leveled. A new pressure sensor was installed. A new hydristor was installed. A new anemometer head and new bearings were installed. All normal autostation comparisons, including barometer, were completed, and were OK. Inspection Apr 13, 1994 A new TBRG bridge installed, and the gauge leveled. A new hydristor was installed. A replacement anemometer head was installed. A number of comparisons between the Standard Barometer and the Setra pressure sensor revealed a pressure difference of between 0.6 and 0.7 mb. The pressure offset was adjusted to 80.08. The following comparisons showed differences between 0.05 and 0.1 mb. All other normal autostation comparisons were completed, and were OK. WLJ Meadow Lake SK Inspection Mar 4, 1993 The anemometer was replaced with a rebuilt unit; the 207F humidity transducers was replaced; and the TBRG was leveled. All normal autostation comparisons, including barometer, were completed, and were OK. Visit May 28, 1993 The inspection office was notified by the Meadow Lake Weather Station that the wind direction at the auto-site was not the same as the U2A wind direction. Upon inspection, it was found that the RM Young wind detector was putting out a direction number 30 degrees off the true wind direction. The wind system was repointed, and passed all subsequent tests. Inspection Aug 9, 1994 The anemometer speed head was replaced; a new hydristor was installed; and the TBRG bridge was cleaned, leveled and calibrated. All normal autostation comparisons were completed, and were OK. The Stevenson screen and stand was painted. WFF Melfort SK Visit Jun 28, 1993 A quick visit was made to the Melfort autostation while en route to Hudson Bay. A calibrated TBRG bridge was installed, and checks made. It was noticed that the psychrometer was dead, so a new motor was installed. Inspection Sep 22, 1993 The anemometer speed head was replaced; a new hydristor was installed and the TBRG bridge was cleaned and leveled. Inspection Jul 30, 1994 The TBRG bridge was cleaned and leveled. A new hydristor was installed. The anemometer speed head was changed. All normal autostation comparisons were completed, and were OK. WBU Nipawin SK Inspection Sep 21, 1993 TBRG bridge was cleaned, leveled and calibrated. A new hydristor was installed. A new anemometer head (speed and direction) was installed as a magnet was loose on the speed shaft and the direction was not set on the alignment pin. All normal autostation comparisons were completed, and were OK. Inspection Jul 26, 1994 TBRG bridge was cleaned, leveled and calibrated. A new hydristor was installed. A new anemometer speed head was installed. All normal autostation comparisons were completed, and were OK. WRJ Rosetown East SK Inspection Apr 14, 1993 TBRG bridge was calibrated. A new hydristor was installed. A new anemometer speed head and bearings was installed. All normal autostation comparisons were completed, and were OK. Inspection Mar 31, 1994 A new TBRG bridge was installed. The relative humidity grid was replaced. The anemometer speed head was replaced. The average difference between the inspection barometer and the station pressure was found to be 0.35 mb. An adjustment was made to the station pressure offset of 0.06, and subsequent comparisons showed an average difference of 0.1 mb. All other normal autostation comparisons were completed, and were OK. WJH Southend SK Inspection Jun 8, 1993 A new TBRG bridge was installed, and the instrument leveled. The anemometer speed head was replaced complete with new bearings. A new hydristor was installed. The holding tank of the Fisher & Porter was cleaned, and a new charge added. Maximum reading was 500.1 mm. All normal autostation comparisons were completed, and were OK. Inspection Jun 23, 1994 A new TBRG bridge was installed, and the instrument leveled. The anemometer speed head was replaced complete with new bearings. A new hydristor was installed. The Fisher & Porter was cleaned, calibrated, the potentiometer was changed, and a new charge added. Maximum reading was 600.9 mm. All normal autostation comparisons were completed, and were OK. WSR Spiritwood West SK Inspection Oct 6, 1993 TBRG bridge was cleaned and leveled. A new hydristor was installed. The anemometer speed head was changed. All normal autostation comparisons were completed, and were OK. Inspection May 27, 1994 Inside the TBRG a nest with 8 young mice was found. One mouse was found running along the base of the bridge itself. These rodents were probably the cause of discrepancies identified by the Saskatoon Forecast Office. The gauge was cleaned of nest and mice. A calibrated bridge was installed, and the gauge leveled. A new hydristor was installed. The anemometer speed head was changed. All normal autostation comparisons were completed, and were OK. WLV Waskesiu Lake SK Inspection Jul 28, 1993 The TBRG was cleaned, calibrated and leveled. The anemometer was replaced with a rebuilt unit. Station pressure was checked against the calibration barometer, and over 8 readings the average difference was 0.49 mb with a range of 0.29 to 0.60, but no change was made to the pressure offset. The Fisher and Porter was cleaned, calibrated and recharged with glycol/oil. All other normal autostation comparisons were completed, and were OK. Visit Nov 17, 1993 The alter shield was removed from the Fisher and Porter, and replaced with a Nipher shield. The sonic transducer was replaced with a new retrofit for the snow depth sensor. Visit Mar 9, 1994 Precipitation amounts reported from the Fisher and Porter gauge had become suspect over the past several weeks, and in conjunction with George Davies, it was decided that the problem might be a malfunctioning shaft encoder. A new shaft encoder was installed, and appears to be operating normally, but time will tell. It should be noted that a significant amount of snow had accumulated on the shield of the Fisher and Porter gauge, which very likely had a significant impact on air flow over the gauge. No such accumulation was observed on the snow gauge Nipher shield. Inspection Sep 23, 1994 During the period Sep 21 to 23, 1994, a 60 foot tilting tower from Downsview was installed, replacing the 60 foot Hossick tower. The TBRG was cleaned and calibrated. The anemometer speed head was replaced, and the unit installed on the new tower. The hydristor was changed. The Fisher and Porter was recharged. All normal autostation comparisons, including the snow depth sensor and the Fisher and Porter, were completed, and were OK. WIW Watrous East SK Visit Apr 15, 1993 The TBRG bridge was replaced. Inspection Oct 8, 1993 The RH grid was replaced. The anemometer wind speed detector was replaced. After, all normal autostation comparisons were completed, and were OK. Inspection Apr 20, 1994 The TBRG bridge was replaced and the gauge leveled. A new hydristor was installed. The anemometer speed head was replaced. After, all normal autostation comparisons were completed, and were OK. 7. Data Description 7.1 Spatial Characteristics 7.1.1 Spatial Coverage The following are tables containing the latitude and longitude coordinates for each station, the elevation above sea level, and the data base site names. Below the tables is a detailed description of each site. (Latitude and longitude are given in degrees and minutes) ID Name Latitude Longitude Elevation ----------------------------------------------------------------------- WBL Bachelors Island MB 51° 45’ N 99° 54’ W 255.9 (m) WFO (FFN) Flin Flon MB 54° 41’ N 101° 41’ W 303.9 WGX Gillam MB 56° 22’ N 94° 42’ W 145.3 WHH Hunters Point MB 53° 02’ N 100° 56’ W 256.1 WWC Collins Bay SK 58° 11’ N 103° 42’ W 492.1 WLE Lucky Lake SK 50° 57’ N 107° 09’ W 664.7 WLJ Meadow Lake SK 54° 08’ N 108° 31’ W 481.0 WFF Melfort SK 52° 49’ N 104° 36’ W 490.0 WBU Nipawin SK 53° 20’ N 104° 00’ W 371.9 WRJ Rosetown East SK 51° 34’ N 107° 55’ W 586.0 WJH Southend SK 56° 20’ N 103° 17’ W 344.1 WSR Spiritwood West SK 53° 22’ N 107° 33’ W 584.3 WLV Waskesiu Lake SK 53° 55’ N 106° 04’ W 569.4 WIW Watrous East SK 51° 40’ N 105° 24’ W 525.6 SITE_NAME (from Database) Common Name ------------------------- ---------------- REG-999-WBL01 Bachelors Island TRN-999-FFN01 Flin Flon REG-999-WGX01 Gillam REG-999-WHH01 Hunters Point REG-999-WWC01 Collins Bay REG-999-WLE01 Lucky Lake REG-999-WLJ01 Meadow Lake REG-999-WFF01 Melfort SSA-999-WBU01 Nipawin REG-999-WRJ01 Rosetown East REG-999-WJH01 Southend REG-999-WSR01 Spiritwood West SSA-999-WLV01 Waskesiu Lake REG-999-WIW01 Watrous East WBL Bachelors Island MB The weather station is located on an island at the south end of Lake Winnipegosis. The nearest community is the village of Winnipegosis, which is 10 km straight south of the island. Instrument exposure is excellent in all directions. The station is situated on a flat open area of the island. It is high enough off the lake shore to prevent damage from ice in the spring, but is close enough that it will be ideal for its primary purpose as an aid to marine forecasting for this lake. It is located on a narrow spit of land which is about 35 m across. The site is 1.4 m in elevation from the lake. The surrounding terrain is sand and gravel, with only a couple of 2 m dead tree skeletons approximately 6 m to the south. Otherwise, the surrounding area is lake. The nearest mainland is 2.5 km to the west. WFO (FFN) Flin Flon MB The instrument area is located on the airport property, adjacent to the U2A tower and ceiling projector, about 150 m northwest of the airport terminal building. Exposure is excellent in all directions, with no obstructions present. The surrounding countryside is Precambrian Shield with numerous lakes, rock outcrops, and heavily forested areas. The station is located on a 1 km square peninsula at the midpoint of Lake Athapapuskow, a 20 km long, 2 km wide body of water running south-southwest to north-northeast. A rocky ridge, rising some 30 m, lies 1 km southwest to northwest of the station. The BOREAS AFM-7 automated meteorological station is co-located with this autostation. WGX Gillam MB The autostation instrument area, located northeast of the aircraft ramp and adjacent to the existing U2A tower, has excellent exposure. The area is about 175 m northeast of the airport terminal building and 250 m northeast of the manned instrument area. The immediate terrain is ungrassed natural ground, recently cleared of brush, and will need an annual brush clearing to maintain this exposure. Gillam airport is located 1 km northeast of the town of Gillam on a flat open area beside Stephen's Lake. This reservoir lies to the west- northwest of the instrument area and is responsible for low stratus and fog in the spring and fall at this site. Because the runway and airport roads are gravel, there is a great deal of dust. WHH Hunters Point MB The weather station is located on a long point of land at the north end of Lake Winnipegosis. The point extends 4 km northeastward into the lake and divides it into two bays; Overflow Bay to the north, and Dawson Bay to the south. The nearest settlement is Dawson Bay, which is near Highway 10 at the beginning of the point. Because the site is at the end of the point, almost surrounded by water, instrument exposure is excellent in all directions, except to the southwest, down the length of the point. The point was heavily wooded almost to the tip, and a significant amount of clearing was required in order to improve the exposure. The southwest quadrant has some very tall trees which will affect the wind flow from this direction. The surrounding countryside is heavily wooded with some open areas of marsh, and a fringe of tall grasses adjacent to the lake WWC Collins Bay SK The instrument area is located at the northwest edge of the Eldor Mines Collins Bay staff accommodation complex. The automatic weather station is co-located with the manned observing program, sharing the same instrument area. The exposure is open to the south, west and north, offering good air flow. To the east, there is some sheltering due to the 42 by 8 by 4 m office trailer. The mine site and the 30 by 30 m instrument area are located on a large plateau that rises about 60 m above the surrounding countryside. Trees extend around the perimeter of the complex. The wind equipment is mounted atop a 13 m tower in order to clear local obstructions, and is located in the instrument area. The RM Young anemometer is co-mounted with the U2A anemometer on the same mast at 10 m. The Collins Bay mine site is situated 4 km west of Wollaston Lake, and approximately 6 km south of Collins Creek. The terrain is rough and rolling, covered with 5 to 10 m evergreens. Numerous small lakes, muskeg, swamp, rock outcrops and rivers extend to the north and west. WLE Lucky Lake SK The station is located approximately 3.5 km south-southwest of the town of Lucky Lake. From the intersection of #45 and #42, travel 0.5 km west on #42, cross the railway tracks, and then 3 km south on grid road #646. The station is established on relatively flat, open farmland. Lake Diefenbaker is situated 18 km south and curves to also be 15 km east as it winds its way northwards. To the east and south, the topography is more undulating with a significant number of sloughs (usually dry) dotting the landscape. Tree growth is at a minimum here, with only some planned shelterbelts breaking the otherwise void prairie landscape. The observing site provides excellent exposure to all sectors. WLJ Meadow Lake SK The station is located on the Meadow Lake airport property, 5 km west of the town of Meadow Lake, and approximately 7 km west of Meadow Lake. The topography to the east, north and west of the airport is fairly flat, while to the south it rises from 480 m at the airport to 730 m 30 km south of the airport. This hilly area is well forested, while mixed farmland surrounds the airport for a radius of 15-25 km in the other directions. The instrument compound is located north of the terminal building, with cultivated farmland next to the site on the east, north and west sides, and a trimmed grass area to the south. The exposure of the instruments is excellent, with no obstructions to airflow in any direction. The surface is grassed, and the compound is identified by a post and chain fence. The automatic weather station is co-located with the manned observing program. WFF Melfort SK The Melfort autostation is located at the Melfort CDA Experimental Farm some 200 m southeast of the existing CDA climate station. The topography is generally flat farmland, with some shelterbelts. There appears to be no serious restrictive forces at play to hamper representative data collection. WBU Nipawin SK The Nipawin automatic station is co-located with the manned program, in a fenced, protected yard, to the east of the aircraft parking and maintenance area. The station sensors share a common instrument area exposure, on a protected 39 x 39 m site, identified by a chain and post fence. The site is grassed and has excellent exposure in all directions. Air flow is unrestricted from all quadrants, and in the immediate vicinity the only source of heat might be the taxiway and apron, some 50 m to the south. To the east and south the surrounding countryside is flat, open farmland, with only the occasional natural bluff or planned shelterbelt. The Saskatchewan River Valley lies to the west, approximately 1.5 km distant, and runs north-south. To the north is farmland, with the outskirts of the town of Nipawin starting at a distance of 1.0 km. There is no sheltering of the instruments from any direction. WRJ Rosetown East SK The station is located at the Rosetown Municipal Airport, located 4.2 km NE of the town of Rosetown in Highway #7. The instruments are located on a level, grassed area with open exposure in all directions. Some effect may be noticeable from the airport hangers located 50 m to the north. These hangers range from 3.9 to 5.7 m in height. A 56 m high grain elevator is located 445 m to the NE of the instrument area. Local pilots have reported wind effects extending for up to 0.5 km downwind of this obstruction. The surrounding countryside is flat, open cropland. WJH Southend SK The station is situated in the northeast portion of Central Saskatchewan. The site is 180 km northeast of the town of La Ronge, and approximately 5 km west of the village of Southend. The immediate surrounding area is generally evergreen forest with some small areas of mixed deciduous growth. Topography is best described as a series of forest covered ridges and hills interspersed with rivers and lakes. The site lies approximately 0.5 km to the south and west of the southern end of Numabin Bay of Reindeer Lake. Under a northeast wind, one may expect the water body to exert some minor influence on "normal" data. A tree covered ridge running east to west lies approximately 1.0 km to the south. Ten meter high evergreens begin about 20 m south of the site. Short brush and bush predominate to the immediate east, slowly giving way to the evergreens father east. WSR Spiritwood West SK The station is located 2.6 km west of the town of Spiritwood, SK. The instruments are located on a level grassed area adjacent to Highway #3. Exposure is open in all directions, with the only obstruction being a bluff of 8 m trees 120 m to the southwest. The surrounding countryside is open, flat cropland with frequent bluffs of trees. Witchekon Lake lies 3 km to the north. WLV Waskesiu Lake SK The station is located on the grounds of the Parks Canada Maintenance compound. The instruments are located on a 22 by 12 m conditioned plot, open to the west, south and east. To the north sheltering can be expected due to large fir trees 15 to 17 m high. The Parks building and paved equipment yard are situated to the southeast about 50 m. Open areas to the west and south are slightly lower in elevation. With the exception of the north quadrant, exposure is fair to good. General topography is rolling forest country. Waskesiu Lake lies 1.4 km to the northwest. WIW Watrous East SK The station is located approximately 4 km east of the town of Watrous, SK, at the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool Product Development Farm. To locate the station, travel north 1.3 km from the junction of Highways #2 and #365 to Grid road 668. Go east on 668 3.2 km to a small white church and the Product Development Farm sign. Travel south 1.2 km, drive through the farm yard, and the station is approximately 200 m east of the office complex. The instruments are located on a level grassed area with open exposure in all directions. A low area of ground which may hold water in the spring or during wet periods is just to the west of the instruments. The surrounding countryside is flat, open cropland. Little Manitou Lake lies in a valley approximately 4.5 km north. 7.1.2 Spatial Coverage Map Not available. 7.1.3 Spatial Resolution The data represent point measurements of the various parameters at the locations given. 7.1.4 Projection Not applicable. 7.1.5 Grid Description Not applicable. 7.2 Temporal Characteristics 7.2.1 Temporal Coverage WBL Bachelors Island 03-AUG-93 through 31-DEC-96 WFO (FFN) Flin Flon 03-AUG-93 through 31-DEC-96 WGX Gillam 03-AUG-93 through 31-DEC-96 WHH Hunters Point 03-AUG-93 through 31-DEC-96 WWC Collins Bay 03-AUG-93 through 31-DEC-96 WLE Lucky Lake 03-AUG-93 through 28-AUG-96 ** WLJ Meadow Lake 03-AUG-93 through 31-DEC-96 WFF Melfort 03-AUG-93 through 31-DEC-96 WBU Nipawin 03-AUG-93 through 31-DEC-96 WRJ Rosetown East 03-AUG-93 through 19-AUG-96 ** WJH Southend 03-AUG-93 through 31-DEC-96 WSR Spiritwood West 03-AUG-93 through 31-DEC-96 WLV Waskesiu Lake 03-AUG-93 through 31-DEC-96 WIW Watrous East 03-AUG-93 through 31-DEC-96 All stations are missing data from 01-MAR-95 through 17-MAR-95. All stations are missing data from 01-FEB-96 into March 96 except for Rosetown East (WRJ) (These dates may vary slightly with each station.) ** Two stations (WLE, Lucky Lake, SK and WJR Rosetown East, SK) do not have data through the end of 1996 because of a raw data format change that occurred in August. It was deemed not necessary to include this reformatted data. 7.2.2 Temporal Coverage Map Not available 7.2.3 Temporal Resolution BOREAS received data recorded at 15 minute intervals from August of 1993 through December of 1996. The only exception to this is WRJ, which began reporting hourly on 28-JUN-95. 7.3 Data Characteristics Data characteristics are defined in the companion data definition files (ams_cs93.def, ams_cs94.def, ams_cs95.def, ams_cs96.def). 7.4 Sample Data Record Sample data format shown in the companion data definition files (ams_cs93.def, ams_cs94.def, ams_cs95.def, ams_cs96.def). 8. Data Organization 8.1 Data Granularity All of the AES Campbell Scientific Surface Meteorological Data are contained in four datasets by year. 8.2 Data Format(s) The data files contain numerical and character fields of varying length separated by commas. The character fields are enclosed with a single apostrophe marks. There are no spaces between the fields. Sample data records are shown in the companion data definition files (ams_cs93.def, ams_cs94.def, ams_cs95.def, ams_cs96.def). 9. Data Manipulations 9.1 Formulae None given. 9.1.1 Derivation Techniques and Algorithms None given. 9.2 Data Processing Sequence 9.2.1 Processing Steps Data was received by BOREAS in raw form with one month’s worth of data per station contained in each raw file. Data was extracted from the files using a C program provided by AES. The output of this program was a tab delimited file that contained one month’s worth of processed data for one station. BOREAS Information System (BORIS) personnel loaded these data into a relational data base and converted the units to match those of other data sets. 9.2.2 Processing Changes None given. 9.3 Calculations 9.3.1 Special Corrections/Adjustments None given. 9.3.2 Calculated Variables None given. 9.4 Graphs and Plots None given. 10. Errors 10.1 Sources of Error None given. 10.2 Quality Assessment None given. 10.2.1 Data Validation by Source None given. 10.2.2 Confidence Level/Accuracy Judgement This data has been quality assessed (see Section 11.2). There are some areas where data is not consistent and/or intuitive. The user should be aware of inconsistencies in the data. 10.2.3 Measurement Error for Parameters None given. 10.2.4 Additional Quality Assessments None given. 10.2.5 Data Verification by Data Center An automated quality assurance program was run on this data set to identify anomalies including sudden jumps or drops (“spikes”) in the data. Some of these problems are identified in Section 11.2. 11. Notes 11.1 Limitations of the Data See section 10.2.2. 11.2 Known Problems with the Data Snow measurements (Fisher & Porter weight gauge and Snow Depth) are known to be poor. Some automated quality assessment was done to identify spikes and other anomalies in the data. These anomalies are also present in the original data and are not due to BORIS processing. Following are a few examples of some anomalies that were detected for the various columns of data. This is not meant to be a comprehensive list. STN_PRESS: In 1993, spikes of 7 or 8 kiloPascals in a 15 minute period were observed in the data. In 1994, some larger spikes were seen, such as the following 13 kPa change: | From | To | Prob |SITE_NAME |SUB_SITE | DATE_OBS | DATE_OBS | Data ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Spike |REG-999-WLE01 |STAFF-AES01 |14-APR-94 |14-APR-94 | 79.613 - 92.99 MSL_PRESS: In the 1994 data, some anomalous values of -99.9 were identified at the WWC site: Low |REG-999-WWC01 |STAFF-AES01 |22-OCT-94 |22-OCT-94 | -99.9 PRESS_TEND: In this data set some spikes of 6 kiloPascals were observed, but in general most values were less than 1. In the 1993 and 1994 data there are some very high values over 97.8 kiloPascals. Most of these problems were with the WJH, WLE, and WWC sites. In 1995 and 1996, some very high spikes were found in the data from the WRJ site. AIR_TEMP_1_5M: In 1993, some spikes of 5 degrees are not uncommon. In addition, some physically impossible values were found. High |TRN-999-FFN01 |STAFF-AES01 |24-NOV-93 |24-NOV-93 | 341.27 DEW_TEMP_1_5M: In 1993, some spikes greater than 700 degrees C were observed. Spike |REG-999-WFF01 |STAFF-AES01 |04-AUG-93 |04-AUG-93 | 16.88 - 716.09 Spike |REG-999-WFF01 |STAFF-AES01 |04-AUG-93 |04-AUG-93 | 716.09 - 15.69 High |REG-999-WFF01 |STAFF-AES01 |04-AUG-93 |04-AUG-93 | 716.09 Spike |REG-999-WFF01 |STAFF-AES01 |10-AUG-93 |10-AUG-93 | 13.21 - 713.37 Spike |REG-999-WFF01 |STAFF-AES01 |10-AUG-93 |10-AUG-93 | 713.37 - 13.37 High |REG-999-WFF01 |STAFF-AES01 |10-AUG-93 |10-AUG-93 | 713.37 These kinds of anomalies were seen at the WFF and WIW sites. Anomalous values were not observed in 1994. Some very large spikes were found in the 1995 data for the FFN site. Spike |TRN-999-FFN01 |STAFF-AES01 |06-SEP-95 |06-SEP-95 | 13.03 - 34.22 Spike |TRN-999-FFN01 |STAFF-AES01 |06-SEP-95 |06-SEP-95 | 34.73 - 38.36 Spike |TRN-999-FFN01 |STAFF-AES01 |06-SEP-95 |06-SEP-95 | 38.42 - 12.94 Spike |TRN-999-FFN01 |STAFF-AES01 |11-SEP-95 |11-SEP-95 | 10.91 - 46.35 Spike |TRN-999-FFN01 |STAFF-AES01 |11-SEP-95 |11-SEP-95 | 46.35 - 10.98 In 1996, there were some extremely low values at the WBL and FFN sites: Spike |REG-999-WBL01 |STAFF-AES01 |30-OCT-96 |30-OCT-96 | -237.3 - .116 Spike |TRN-999-FFN01 |STAFF-AES01 |08-JUL-96 |08-JUL-96 | -237.3 - 12.32 Low |TRN-999-FFN01 |STAFF-AES01 |08-JUL-96 |08-JUL-96 | -237.3 REL_HUM: Very large changes (~20%) in relative humidity were observed in the 1993 and 1994 data, although no values were observed outside of the range of 0 to 100. MEAN_WIND_SPEED_10M_2MIN: In 1993, the wind speed data had some spikes where the wind speed jumped to greater than 400 meters/sec. These particular values are obviously not correct. An example: Spike |REG-999-WFF01 |STAFF-AES01 |20-AUG-93 |20-AUG-93 | 417.648 - 4.491 These kinds of anomalies were seen at the WFF and WIW site. In the 1994 data, some negative wind speeds were identified. RT_MEAN_WIND_SPEED_10M_2MIN: In the 1993 data, large anomalies similar to those seen in the previous column were observed from the WFF and WIW sites. Spike |REG-999-WIW01 |STAFF-AES01 |17-AUG-93 |17-AUG-93 | 7.369 - 467.839 In the 1994 data, no serious anomalies were identified. RT_MEAN_WIND_DIR_10M_2MIN: All values ranged between 0 and 360. No anomalous values were found. SDEV_RT_MEAN_WIND_DIR_10M_2MIN: All values seemed to be within an acceptable range. GUST_10M_10MIN: There were some very high values at the WFF and WIW sites in 1993. Spike |REG-999-WFF01 |STAFF-AES01 |04-AUG-93 |04-AUG-93 | 107.362 - 5.648 RAINFALL_LAST_HOUR: It was difficult to judge spikes because the data in this column accumulate during each hour. There were some negative values in 1993 and 1994 data: Low |REG-999-WWC01 |STAFF-AES01 |26-DEC-93 |26-DEC-93 | -35.72 Low |TRN-999-FFN01 |STAFF-AES01 |29-NOV-93 |29-NOV-93 | -12.1 In 1994, some very high values were recorded, especially for site WLV. High |SSA-999-WLV01 |STAFF-AES01 |06-FEB-94 |06-FEB-94 | 100 SNOW_DEPTH: A number of negative snow depths were observed in 1993 and 1994 at the WLV site: Low |SSA-999-WLV01 |STAFF-AES01 |10-NOV-93 |10-NOV-93 | -5145 Low |SSA-999-WLV01 |STAFF-AES01 |11-NOV-93 |11-NOV-93 | -4588 Spike |SSA-999-WLV01 |STAFF-AES01 |03-NOV-94 |03-NOV-94 | -115.2 - 329.4 Spike |SSA-999-WLV01 |STAFF-AES01 |03-NOV-94 |03-NOV-94 | 326.4 - -108.5 Some very large spikes were also observed: Spike |SSA-999-WLV01 |STAFF-AES01 |17-NOV-93 |17-NOV-93 | 2116 - 106.9 Some large negative values were observed in the 1995 data at the WLV site. Low |SSA-999-WLV01 |STAFF-AES01 |05-JUN-95 |05-JUN-95 | -4234 Spike |SSA-999-WLV01 |STAFF-AES01 |05-JUN-95 |05-JUN-95 | -4234 - -32.63 There were some small negative values in the 1996 data for the WLV site: Spike |SSA-999-WLV01 |STAFF-AES01 |15-APR-96 |15-APR-96 | -11.8 - 2.63 TEMP_MAX_LAST_SYNOPTIC: Some physically unbelievable temperatures were seen at the WFF and WIW sites in the 1993 data: Spike |REG-999-WFF01 |STAFF-AES01 |04-AUG-93 |04-AUG-93 | 420.97 - 20.97 Some very large temperatures were observed at the FFN site in 1995: Spike |TRN-999-FFN01 |STAFF-AES01 |11-SEP-95 |11-SEP-95 | 24.27 - 38.02 Spike |TRN-999-FFN01 |STAFF-AES01 |11-SEP-95 |11-SEP-95 | 38.02 - 46.82 Spike |TRN-999-FFN01 |STAFF-AES01 |11-SEP-95 |11-SEP-95 | 47.34 - 15.65 TEMP_MIN_LAST_SYNOPTIC: In 1993, very large temperatures were seen in this column at the WFF, WIW, and FFN sites: Spike |REG-999-WIW01 |STAFF-AES01 |12-AUG-93 |12-AUG-93 | 512.41 - 12.26 RAINFALL_LAST_SYNOPTIC_HOUR: Large anomalies were seen in the 1993 data from the WFF and WIW sites. High |REG-999-WFF01 |STAFF-AES01 |26-AUG-93 |26-AUG-93 | 90 For 1995, some extremely large values were seen in the WLV data: Spike |SSA-999-WLV01 |STAFF-AES01 |21-SEP-95 |21-SEP-95 | 0 - 285 Spike |SSA-999-WLV01 |STAFF-AES01 |21-SEP-95 |21-SEP-95 | 285 - 0 High |SSA-999-WLV01 |STAFF-AES01 |21-SEP-95 |21-SEP-95 | 285 ACCUM_PRECIP: There is a spike in the 1993 data for the WJH site: Spike |REG-999-WJH01 |STAFF-AES01 |23-OCT-93 |23-OCT-93 | 117.4 - 205.8 Some oddities were noticed in this data in 1994, 1995, and 1996 for the WJH and WLV sites: Prob |SITE_NAME |SUB_SITE | DATE_OBS | DATE_OBS |ACCUM_PRECIP ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Spike |REG-999-WJH01 |STAFF-AES01 |29-MAY-95 |29-MAY-95 | 220.4 - 524.5 Spike |REG-999-WJH01 |STAFF-AES01 |29-MAY-95 |29-MAY-95 | 524.5 - 571.5 Spike |REG-999-WJH01 |STAFF-AES01 |29-MAY-95 |29-MAY-95 | 571.5 - 13.85 Spike |REG-999-WJH01 |STAFF-AES01 |29-MAY-95 |29-MAY-95 | 13.85 - 345.9 Spike |REG-999-WJH01 |STAFF-AES01 |29-MAY-95 |29-MAY-95 | 345.9 - 93.9 Spike |SSA-999-WLV01 |STAFF-AES01 |31-MAY-95 |31-MAY-95 | 431 - 105 High |SSA-999-WLV01 |STAFF-AES01 |22-FEB-94 |22-FEB-94 | 1665 Spike |SSA-999-WLV01 |STAFF-AES01 |22-FEB-94 |22-FEB-94 | 1665 - 20 High |SSA-999-WLV01 |STAFF-AES01 |22-FEB-94 |22-FEB-94 | 1665 Spike |REG-999-WJH01 |STAFF-AES01 |28-MAY-96 |28-MAY-96 | 214.5 - 421.9 Spike |REG-999-WJH01 |STAFF-AES01 |28-MAY-96 |28-MAY-96 | 421.9 - 111 11.3 Usage Guidance Based on the anomalies reported in Section 11.2, users are advised to check the data further before using them. 11.4 Other Relevant Information None given. 12. Application of the Data Set None given. 13. Future Modifications and Plans None given. 14. Software 14.1 Software Description None given. 14.2 Software Access None given. 15. Data Access 15.1 Contact Information Ms. Beth Nelson BOREAS Data Manager NASA GSFC Greenbelt, MD (301) 286-4005 (301) 286-0239 (fax) Elizabeth.Nelson@gsfc.nasa.gov 15.2 Data Center Identification See section 15.1 15.3 Procedures for Obtaining Data Users may place requests by telephone, electronic mail, or FAX. 15.4 Data Center Status/Plans The BOREAS AES Campbell Scientific meteorological data are available from the EOSDIS ORNL DAAC (Earth Observing System Data and Information System) (Oak Ridge National Laboratory) (Distributed Active Archive Center). The BOREAS contact at ORNL is: ORNL DAAC User Services Oak Ridge National Laboratory (865) 241-3952 ornldaac@ornl.gov ornl@eos.nasa.gov 16. Output Products and Availability 16.1 Tape Products None. 16.2 Film Products None. 16.3 Other Products Tabular ASCII files. 17. References 17.1 Platform/Sensor/Instrument/Data Processing Documentation 21X Micrologger Operator's Manual, Revision 8/91, Campbell Scientific Inc. 17.2 Journal Articles and Study Reports Sellers, P. and F. Hall. 1994. Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study: Experiment Plan. Version 1994-3.0, NASA BOREAS Report (EXPLAN 94). Sellers, P. and F. Hall. 1996. Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study: Experiment Plan. Version 1996-2.0, NASA BOREAS Report (EXPLAN 96). Sellers, P.J., F.G. Hall, R.D. Kelly, A. Black, D. Baldocchi, J. Berry, M. Ryan, K.J. Ranson, P.M. Crill, D.P. Lettenmaier, H. Margolis, J. Cihlar, J. Newcomer, D. Fitzjarrald, P.G. Jarvis, S.T. Gower, D. Halliwell, D. Williams, B. Goodison, D.E. Wickland, and F.E. Guertin. (1997). "BOREAS in 1997: Experiment Overview, Scientific Results and Future Directions", Journal of Geophysical Research (JGR), BOREAS Special Issue, 102(D24), Dec. 1997, pp. 28731-28770. Sellers, P., F. Hall, and K.F. Huemmrich. 1996. Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study: 1994 Operations. NASA BOREAS Report (OPS DOC 94). Sellers, P., F. Hall, and K.F. Huemmrich. 1997. Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study: 1996 Operations. NASA BOREAS Report (OPS DOC 96). Sellers, P., F. Hall, H. Margolis, B. Kelly, D. Baldocchi, G. den Hartog, J. Cihlar, M.G. Ryan, B. Goodison, P. Crill, K.J. Ranson, D. Lettenmaier, and D.E. Wickland. 1995. The boreal ecosystem-atmosphere study (BOREAS): an overview and early results from the 1994 field year. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. 76(9):1549-1577. 17.3 Archive/DBMS Usage Documentation None. 18. Glossary of Terms 19. List of Acronyms AES - Atmospheric and Environment Service AFM - Airborne Fluxes and Meteorology BOREAS - BOReal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study BORIS - BOREAS Information System CGR - Certified by Group CPI - Checked by PI CPI-??? - CPI but questionable DAAC - Distributed Active Archive Center EOS - Earth Observing System EOSDIS - EOS Data and Information System GSFC - Goddard Space Flight Center MARSII - Meteorological Automatic Reporting System II MB - Manitoba NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration ORNL - Oak Ridge National Laboratory READAC - Remote Environmental Automated Data Acquisition Concept PI - Principal Investigator PRE - Preliminary SK - Saskatchewan TBRG - Tipping Bucket Rain Gauge T/RH - Temperature / Relative Humidity URL - Uniform Resource Locator 20. Document Information 20.1 Document Revision Date Written: 27-Jul-1995 Last Updated: 05-Jun-1998 20.2 Document Review Date(s) BORIS Review: Science Review: 20.3 Document ID 20.4 Citation These data were collected by the Atmospheric Environment Service (AES) of Canada. 20.5 Document Curator 20.6 Document URL KEYWORDS --------- SURFACE METEOROLOGY TEMPERATURE RELATIVE HUMIDITY WIND SPEED WIND DIRECTION ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE PRECIPITATION DEWPOINT SNOW DEPTH AES_CS.doc 06/11/98