ARL-Managed U.S. Climate Reference Network Program Releases Fifteenth Annual Report

May 2018

The U.S. Climate Reference Network (USCRN) released its Fiscal Year 2017 Annual Report documenting the program’s continued progress and accomplishments. Managed by ARL’s Atmospheric Turbulence and Diffusion Division in collaboration with NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, the USCRN program monitors select climate variables including air temperature, precipitation, and soil temperature and moisture. These monitoring efforts, documented via annual reports for the last 15 years, allow scientists to observe and examine climate change in the U.S., and to gather and record high-quality climate datasets that will enable future generations of scientists to look back and see climate changes from a reference network perspective.

Data from USCRN stations, such as real-time precipitation data, is also utilized by Weather Forecast Offices nationwide in developing their warnings and forecasts aimed at reducing extreme weather impacts. This data is critical to extreme weather monitoring in states like Alaska, where both the population and monitoring stations are widely-dispersed and seasonal weather can be harsh.

Part of the report focuses on scientific journal articles that utilized USCRN data to address societal issues; further highlighting that breadth of impact that climate change has on our daily lives. For more information, please visit https://www.atdd.noaa.gov/crn/.

Front cover of the report
Credit: NOAA