Specifications

TEAM Climate Monitoring Protocol 3.0
9
Variable
Range
Resolution
Mode of
measurement
/observation
Required measurement
uncertainty
Output
averaging
time
Air
temperature
-80 – +60°C
0.1 K
Instantaneous
0.1 K (> -40°C and ! +40°C)
1 min
Relative
Humidity
0 – 100%
1 %
Instantaneous
1%
1 min
Precipitation
(daily)
0 – 500 mm
0.1 mm
Totals
0.1 mm (! 5 mm)
2% (> 5 mm)
n/a
Solar net
radiation
(daily)
Not specified 1 J m
-2
Totals 0.4 MJ m
-2
(! 8 MJ m
-2
)
5% (> 8 MJ m
-2
)
n/a
Table 1. Range, resolution, mode of observation, required uncertainty and typical output averaging time for
air temperature, relative humidity, precipitation and solar net radiation. Table is modified from Annex 1.B
Operational Measurement Uncertainty Requirements and Instrument Performance (WMO 2008).
4 CLIMATE STATION SITING PROTOCOL
4.1 Basic Siting Requirements
It is crucial to carefully choose the location where the climate station will be installed to ensure
the highest reliability and quality of the data. Listed below are the basic minimum siting
requirements for a ground-based climate station. We follow here the general guidelines from the
World Meteorological Organization (WMO 2008) and the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA 1995):
• The climate station (3 m base tower with the instrumentation and the precipitation gage)
should be located within a cleared and level piece of ground, no smaller than 65-70 m
2
.
• The station should NOT be located in the following areas:
o Sloping ground
o Hollows or valleys
o Rooftops
o Permanently shaded areas
o Swamps
o Low places that hold water after rain
• A fence to exclude unauthorized personnel should enclose this area.
• The ground should be covered with short grass or a surface representative of the site (not
asphalt or cement).