Surfacestations update – help needed for the final stretch

O/T
This news just in:
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20090622/tuk-green-campaigners-board-freighter-6323e80.html
Apparently the goal of Greenpeace is to “beat climate change”. The person quoted is allegedly a scientist? And they call realists deluded?
Isn’t boarding and taking over a ship an act of piracy?

i would be interested to see a google earth link (if it exists). of all the surface stations the ones found to date. i am interested in seeing where they are..
any chance of putting the link on a side bar.. if it is there i apologise.. but cant find it

I got snipped for getting angry about the UK Met Office and our Chief Scientific Officer. Fair enough, ranting does not enhance this superb site, however I have self snipped my feelings about Greenpeace protestors and
Kings Norton power station……..
[snip]

More O/T? Record low high temps for Arizona?
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/06/19/20090619junelovely0619.html
I take it these records are being set using flawed stations. Might the low temps be even lower than stated in this article? I cant help but sense the “The Cat is out of the bag” aspect of this story.

Clicking on this link gives a security violation. I reported it to you months ago.
The .xls file disappeared some time ago also.
Google Earth Station Rating Map with links to images now available – download here http://gallery.surfacestations.org/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=57980&g2_GALLERYSID=52cba207ad6177f2520058712c2c5a63 Date: 02/05/09
Sincere thanks to Gary Boden and Barry Wise for this contribution!
REPLY: There’s a reason. I haven’t edited the main page yet with current updates, probably tonight. – Anthony

Anthony,
I will get Goldsboro NC next week on my way to the beach.
By the way, you listed Rocky Mount, VA as a remaining site – it was surveyed a few months ago!
Several sites are listed in SC. If they are still un-surveyed by fall, I will do a swing thru SC and see how many I can get.
REPLY: Goldsboro is on the Air Force Base. Doubtful that you’ll get in without some previous arrangement. – Anthony

There is a what looks like a Stephenson’s Screen at the Mississquoi National Wildlife Refuge in Swanton, VT, but I don’t see it on any list. Do they just disappear off the records? I drive by it a couple times a week and would be happy to survey it if I thought it would accomplish anything.

Anthony, How do you want to account for stations that are no longer active? Kingstree SC and Georgetown, SC would fall into that category.
REPLY: We’ll mark them in the database as such. No worries unless you think you can figure out enough info on previous placement to allow us to make a rating- Anthony

what towns are the 3 in southeastern Idaho in? I’m going to be running in that area all summer and fall.

“There will be another important post tomorrow or the next day on a related subject that needs addressing, stay tuned.”
Will it, by any chance, have to do with the “missing” stations? And would it be reasonable to assume that the “missing” stations are primarily in rural areas?
Do you plan an effort to try and track them down to add their data back into the climate data base?
Inquiring minds want to know. 8^)

paulID (06:09:32) :
“what towns are the 3 in southeastern Idaho in? I’m going to be running in that area all summer and fall.”
I think you are referring to Malad City and Lifton Pumping station, apparently in a rural location east of Malad City. Probably also to Border, although that is technically in Wyoming. I’ve been contemplating those sites myself as the terminus of a whole string of unsurveyed stations from Kanab, Utah, northward. (Looks to me like a good excuse to see some new country during vacation time.) At any rate, no use getting in each other’s way. Let me know of your progress.
juanslayton@dslextreme.com

Przemysław Pawełczyk (05:32:57) :

OT but urgent!
From ICECAP
The Wong-Fielding Meeting On Global Warming Original
http://joannenova.com.au/2009/06/19/the-wong-fielding-meeting-on-global-warming/

Hopefully this tax on all consumption and job destroying piece of legislation will be burned in the senate,
This will force Rudd and Wong to go to the people on this issue alone. By then the opposition may be able to find a leader with some spine. Peter Costello is gone. 🙁

The blurb says “Earth’s atmosphere comprises many gases, collectively called Greenhouse gases”. As you know, many atmospheric gases are not GHGs – if the summary contains this sort of inaccuracy, what will the rest of the book be like?
Such inaccuracies are not helpful in the great global warming debate..Cormac

Er, sorry, found it….
–t

I’m in NE Iowa not far from a number of the IA and southwest WI stations. Any other Hawkeyes reading this blog and wanting to make a field trip can contact me at therooster40@yahoo.com (email or message is ok)

I’ll be passing near the Hart, MI station over the Independence Day weekend, so I may be able to snap some pics for the project. Are there particular items to take note of, or include in whatever I am able to collect on this station?
REPLY: We need at least 6 pictures of the station one from each compass point showing the thermometer in the foreground, plus two wider overall veiws showing proximity to buildings, asphalt etc. See http://www.surfacesttaions.org for how to and examples. – Anthony

OT, but does anyone know if there has been any effort by the NIPCC to send it’s full report to congress and the president of the U.S.?

Another weather isn’t climate story. Arizona has longest string of consecutive June days below 100 since 1913.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/06/19/20090619junelovely0619.html

Anthony-the coords listed for the Sciotoville, Ohio site would place it about 90 miles north, just south of Columbus. There is a WWTP near the coords listed. Can you check and see if the site is actually in Sciotoville or near South Bloomfield and Ashville, Ohio?

Had intended to go by the Gainesville, TX station in the database, but looks like it is not needed. I can probably do the Dublin and Brownwood stations in a day trip sometime soon.

It’s been my experience that the coordinates may not be precisely at the equipment location. Sometimes it helps to check with the NCDC station locator at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/stationlocator.html
Find the station history link and click the map tab to show the several location the station may have been at. The current one should be blue.
Also, on the Google Earth .kml map, a click on the icon will pop up a balloon of information including a link back to the surfacestations database. If you see only air photos, the station was surveyed by internet. Ground photos are still needed.

So – over 75% now. What does it look like if you do an analysis using only the CRN 1,2 stations? How does the temp trend look compared to GISS, HadCRU, and the Satellite records? If you include or leave out the non-environment based corrections, such at tobs?
REPLY: All of that is being analyzed now. However, I’m not ready to release it here yet until I have finished a proper publication. – Anthony

Anthony,
as far as I have followed debate about those station ratings here an over at Climate Audit, difference in trends between CR1 and CR4 and 5 station in USA was minuscule (I don’t know to what extent that was a result of adjustments). Wouldn’t be far more productive for exploring anthropogenic local warming effect on the final trend to try to collect data from, say, 100 or so rural stations all over USA (whatever their CR be), and compare their trend with overall reported trend or with that in urban stations? Is such a project underway?
REPLY: Yes such a project is well underway, and a publication will be written for the results and full data and methods disclosed so that it is reproducible. I’m not ready to publish it here, because the publication has not been completed. I reserve the right to publish first. – Anthony

evamjones, thanks.
If those Adirondack ones are still open later in the summer, when I get a free weekend, I can check ’em all out in a day. If someone else can get them before that, mores the better.

Anthony,
If my memory serves me, there are two reporting weather stations is Wallowa. One is at the old Service station and has not been moved. The other is at a private residence and has been moved once. The one at the forest service station may have had a name change. Here is information about a bill that was signed into law that transferred the property to the City.
(3) WALLOWA FOREST SERVICE COMPOUND- The term `Wallowa Forest Service Compound’ means the Wallowa Ranger Station that is–
(A) located at 602 West First Street, Wallowa, Oregon; and
(B) under the jurisdiction of the Secretary.
(b) Duty of Secretary- As soon as practicable after the date of enactment of this Act, subject to valid existing rights, the Secretary shall convey to the City, without consideration and by quitclaim deed, all right, title, and interest of the United States, except as provided in subsections (c) and (d), in and to the Wallowa Forest Service Compound.
(c) Use of Wallowa Forest Service Compound- As a condition of the conveyance under subsection (b), the City shall–
(1) use the Wallowa Forest Service Compound as an interpretive center;
(2) ensure that the Wallowa Forest Service Compound is managed by a nonprofit entity; and
(3) agree to manage the Wallowa Forest Service Compound–
(A) with due consideration and protection for the historic values of the Wallowa Forest Service Compound; and
(B) in accordance with such terms and conditions as are agreed to by the Secretary and the City.
(d) Reversion- In the quitclaim deed to the City, the Secretary shall provide that the Wallowa Forest Service Compound shall revert to the Secretary, at the election of the Secretary, if the Wallowa Forest Service Compound is–
(1) used for a purpose other than the purposes described in subsection (c)(1); or
(2) managed by the City in a manner that is inconsistent with subsection (c)(3).

I didn’t run Google Earth, but I found a database on the site of all the stations, as well as the albums of various sites.
There are different numbers being reported in different part of the site as to how many stations are covered. Plus, there are 0s in the table under surveyed, but then they are in the album with a form filled out by Evan, but with only Google Earth overhead views, and a description of the location.
I assume that such sites still need to be photographed? I drove by one such location a few months ago, but had no idea it was there.
For some of these sites, you can also use Google street view to get another pic or two.

I’ve got dibs on Portage Wisconsin and Watertown, Wisconsin. I’ll be running by them in early July.
Love your site Anthony! Keep up the good work.

Crow Agency is closed.

Evan
Thanks for the info and tip about the Wis sites.
– LTL

Quick question: Is it acceptable to hot link these images on another forum? I’m hoping to stir up some support if possible.

We are headed to Glacier National Park the second week of July. Looks like the Haugan and Fortine Montana stations are on our way to or near. Will plan on making the side trips to pick them up unless someone else gets there first.

If the stations are nearish to a road that finds its way to the Anchorage area, then I might be able to.
REPLY: After posting the story about what may become the coolest summer on record in Anchorage, AK, I got to wondering where they might measure the temperature in Anchorage.
The station that appears to have the longest record is the Anchorage airport, Hansen uses it in GISTEMP. There also appears to be one at the NWS office there. How about those? Let me know and I’ll locate them for you.
– Anthony

Rockwell City: 42.3969, -94.6291
RESIDENCE WITHIN AND 0.4 MI NE OF PO AT ROCKWELL CITY, IA
Storm Lake: 42.6347, -95.1694
RESIDENCE OUTSIDE AND 2 MILES E OF PO AT STORM LAKE IA
Le Mars: 42.7816 -96.1458
RESIDENCE WITHIN AND 1 MILES SSE OF PO AT LE MARS IA
I’ll stop by within the next couple of weeks; I have a meeting in Sioux City and at least Le Mars is on the road to it.

evanmjones– I would have done Mora for you months ago if I realized it was needed. The survey list page lists it as surveyed, and that’s what I was using to determine if anything around me was open (Anthony explained the oops that didn’t get corrected). Hallock does not show as surveyed on the master list. Apparently you guys have moved more to using the galleries as the master list rather than the master list. . .
Any rate, I’ll get Mora and Grand Meadow.

evanmjones — I can’t help with Storm lake, unfortunately.
OK, got that one recorded and will hit LeMars on the way as promised. Re the station at Storm Lake I’ll poke about and see what I can do. Any instructions or addresses for Rockwell City?
Thx…

do you need any more in eastern idaho? i don’t see too many there…

Hmm, there is a group of five or so (maybe) in my reach in Ohio. Cinci/Dayton area is where I am. I can’t use Google Earth on my machine. It is old, and I want to baby it a little further before I have to do the Old Yeller thing to it. :'( So, I would need addresses, but if you can cough those up, I’ll see what I can do for you.

evanmjones (22:37:51) :
<I’ve been contemplating those sites myself as the terminus of a whole string of <unsurveyed stations from Kanab, Utah, northward.
<We have Kanab, courtesy of David Anderson.
<Be sure to check the gallery when planning, just in case.
Got it. I count 12 more open stations up to the Idaho border. Any way to contact David Anderson (or anyone else who might be working on it) to coordinate our efforts?
Juan

No, no GPS. Do you have addresses? If not, I will see what I can do about a GPS, well I will anyway.

Evan–
Do you have a template of that survey form you can point at? .doc .rtf .xls or something like that?
The wife has given me permission to go on walkabout this weekend. I’ve got a Garmin Nuvi 650 GPS with the 2010 North America map.
I’m thinking Mora, MN (about 1.5 hrs north) on Friday evening (before dark, of course), and stay overnight somewhere in north central MN. Then Baudette, Roseau, Hallock (MN) and Pembina, ND on Saturday. Then on Sunday, Grand Forks University and Hillsboro, ND on the way home.
I’ll also have my laptop with the google earth .kml saved on it, but no live internet (other than evenings).
Any advice?

Thanks, Evan. I’m thinking of taking a Little Giant ladder with me. Not to climb over any fences (I wouldn’t), but possibly to get me high enough above one to take a picture without the fence screwing up the photo. It’s going to be the weekend, so unless there’s a guard to sweet-talk what I find is likely to be what I find. I will not trespass, no worries about that. Tho I will make a couple calls tomorrow. I’ve got two 5mp cameras, one with 3x optical zoom and one with 5x optical zoom.

Greetings from Grand Forks, ND, where the NWS got a giggle by ordering up a downpour and lightning while I took pictures behind their building. 🙂
Y’all will have to tell me what I saw at Pembina and NWS. I was prepared for MMTS, Stevenson screens and rain gauges. This was, uhh, a solar-powered milk can. Anthony probably has one behind his garage.
Got Baudette (in front of Police Dept building in the general vacinity), Hallock (big gorgeous lawn. . .and there it was up close to the building and shaded against the afternoon sun –only sunny pics I got today). Pembina, and Grand Forks today. Hillsboro tomorrow, hopefully.
Roseau was no joy, as Evan warned might be the case. But I have some pics and a story that may or may not be worth something. Back later after I eat and upload my pics.
I will do survey forms when I get back home.

Anthony:
The station that appears to have the longest record is the Anchorage airport, Hansen uses it in GISTEMP. There also appears to be one at the NWS office there. How about those? Let me know and I’ll locate them for you.
– Anthony
Send me an email — I’ll be more than happy check them out.
Also, in a couple weeks I’ll be in Palmer and Valdez. Are there stations in those places also?

Rain gauge, eh? So there was a MMTS somewhere at Pembina and I missed it? Bugger.

I’ll have to go back thru all my Pembina pictures and see if maybe I caught it accidentally. I don’t think so tho. Behind the building maybe. All the electronics, doors, and stickers on the other thing (plus ignorance) bit me.
Anyway, I’m home again. No Grand Meadow this trip, as it is significantly in the opposite direction of the others from my starting point. I’ll go down there later in the summer if no one else does.
I have pics of Hillsboro, ND to upload. Security guard called her boss and got permission. Also got a short interview with her, tho she’s not the main climate station person there. Stevenson screen, but no MMTS (she was quite firm on that). She also said the thermometer in the shelter developed “a bubble” some (indefinite) time ago and they requested a new one but one was not forthcoming. So they went out and got an indoor/outdoor wireless thermometer and placed the outdoor sensor in the shelter “about six months ago” (i.e. dead of North Dakota winter) and read it from the security post nearby on an hourly basis and use that to report.
She showed me the sheet/clipboard where they note the temps, and the hand unit for the readout. No model number on it, but said “LaCrosse Technology” on the bottom of the face. I know the typical home market indoor/outdoor wireless units are not very good for cold climates, at least in part because batteries don’t like cold. I have not tried to look for specs on the LaCrosse unit yet –maybe there are commercial grade indoor/outdoor ones that are more hardy.
Anyway, off to cut the grass at home. I’ll upload Hillsboro this evening.

Btw, are you guys aware that on the main page of surfacestations.org that when you click on the stations rated graphic at the top of the page that instead of getting a larger image as promised you get a 404? And that when you try to download the googleearth rating map of 2/05/2009 just below that you get a security violation?
Tried it in both IE8 and Firefox 3, same result. Comcast is my ISP.

I think I’m going to try a little gentle begging with the city fathers of Pembina to see if that situation can be retrieved remotely.