It has been awhile since we’ve looked at stations in the United States Historical Climatology Network. Last night I was doing quality control and updates to the database and came across this photo by Surfacestations.org volunteer John W. Slayton. He’s been surveying dozens of stations this summer and has been adding quite a number of USHCN surveys to the database. We all thank him.
This photo has been retouched to minimize the sun glare. Find the thermometer.
Give up? Here’s the photo labeled to point it out:
Here’s another view showing the rain gauge:
You can see more photos here at the Surfacestations.org gallery server
The tree shade and the junk makes for an interesting combination of exposure factors. This station is in the backyard of a private observer whom I won’t name. Certainly you can’t fault the observer for the measurement environment, people are free to do with and maintain their property however they wish. And as we’ve seen time and again, NOAA/NWS usually does not concern itself with the measurement environment. As long as the station produces data, they are generally satisfied. However, this sort of arrangement doesn’t always yield a controlled measurement environment.
For example the month the photo was taken, the observer missed only 7 days.
So the question in my mind is: how does the albedo of old tires compare to asphalt?
The surfacestations project is approaching the 90% mark now for the nationwide survey. I’ll post an update in a few days. Papers for peer review are still in process, but my goal is to have the first ready for publication by the end of the year. A combination of illnesses, business duties, and another paper by a co-author has slowed the progress.
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Old tyres (proper Queen’s English, don’t you know?) = carbon sequestration.
That looks like Al Gore’s back yard in Tennessee.
Regardless of this sorry picture, I am convinced that the expansion of urban heat islands, where about half of the land-based temp measurements are made, must be creating an upward bias over time. This would be particularly important in the case of suburban locations near major cities where the growth rate is highest.
I wonder — would be feasible to analyze the official temperature records of some fast-growing suburbs that host temp measurement stations and compare this to the growth rates of building permits for those suburbs? Those permits represent new roofs, roads, driveways, etc. that collect solar radiation and warm the surrounding air by convection and re-radiation more than did the farm fields that they have replaced in many cases. More heat is also contributed by more furnaces, kitchens, air conditioners, lights, automobiles, lawnmowers, etc. Could such analysis determine if there is a definable correlation factor between growth of housing permits and rising local temperature measurements made over a period of several years? Could such a correlation factor then be applied as a correction to official temp measurements being made in growing suburban locations?
OceanTwo (06:23:29) :
Although the state of a site is quantified, isn’t that for only a given point in time? Is there a record of changes to any given site? For example, sites which are adequate today, may have been less-than-exemplary 5 years ago, or visa-versa.
Excellent point.
I.e., the San Antonio International Airport station is listed as a Class 1 site by Anthony (the only one in Texas, the last time I checked). But the sensor was moved to an open grassy area (from near a building) fairly recently. In 1942 the site was moved from a rapidly developing downtown site to a (then) rural airport site. That area has since become surrounded by freeways, newer bigger runways, and massive development (hotels, malls, parking lots, etc.).
The pictures remind me of Sanford and Son.
Losing My Mind.
Transplanted Appalachians. You can only get so many miles on… (seven? eight?) sets of tires.
That’s a shocking amount of greenery for western Utah.
Isn’t Millard County next to the Bonneville salt flats?
“tree shade”
but “albedo of old tires”
Hm, you’re really stretching it now, guys.
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STIMULUS BUCKS, do I ever see a need here for STIMULUS BUCKS!!
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I wonder what rating this one gets. From the other shots, it appears the structure is unheated. But I guess it can’t be better than a CRN3 in any case. OTOH, I don’t know if it can be rightly rated as CRN4. It has strange problems that make it somewhat difficult to rate.
I spewed coffee. Photo of the year.
Is there a still in the picture?
jorgekafkazar (22:08:38) :
“So the question in my mind is: how does the albedo of old tires compare to asphalt?”
I think in this case, tire albedo is not as relevant as thermal diffusivity and mass. Tires are good insulators, so they’re not very effective heat sinks, especially given that they are hollow. The trees, completely surrounding the site, are suspect. I wonder how much compost is under all that trash, perking away and giving off heat. And where is the BBQ?
jorgekafkazar
Tires are very good heat sinks, just ask anyone who has ever fought a tire fire or a vehicle fire. You can pour large amounts of water onto a burning tire and it will re-ignite as soon as you remove your hose stream. Once a tire is warm or hot it will hold that heat for a long time.
Well it should be obvious. That’s the station used to compensate for UHI.
jorgekafkazar
Tires are very good heat sinks, just ask anyone who has ever fought a tire fire or a vehicle fire. You can pour large amounts of water onto a burning tire and it will re-ignite as soon as you remove your hose stream. Once a tire is warm or hot it will hold that heat for a long time.
Yes, a burning tire is difficult to extinguish, but flammability does not make it a good heat sink. Maybe the cord belts within make it hard to extinguish, like those trick candles on a birthday cake that reignite themselves as soon a you blow them out. A tire’s surface, resembling a black body unless it sports a wide whitewall, will absorb heat rediation, but because the tire material is somewhat of an insulator, I doubt the surface heat will penetrate easily, nor be released easily after the heat has had time to penetrate.
Sorry, but I think the owner of this property does bear responsibility. If you’re going to volunteer for something like this, you should be responsible enough to maintain a proper environment for the equipment. Does NOAA or whomever just install the thing and walk away? Or do they give some guidelines to the curators? I can’t imagine they don’t give some instruction, like keep all your junk away from this thing.
How about a test and demonstration of a properly sited MMTS VS an improperly sited one?
Setup one per specification for a CRN1 rating.
Setup another one right next to a sidewalk along an asphalt parking lot, with an air conditioner about 9 feet away blowing its warm exhaust at it then pull a car up next to it with a nice and warm engine. Thrown in a BBQ too. Pretty much replicate the conditions of the sensor at that fire station.
That’ll get some simultaneous realtime data from two sensors as close as practical with the perfectly sited one being the control.
I had a neighbor with a yard like that.
Truly a sight for sore eyes.
The images would make a great storyline in the nightly news.
This is prime Copenhagen material.
Or, better yet, How the West was Lost.
jorgekafkazar (22:08:38) :
“So the question in my mind is: how does the albedo of old tires compare to asphalt?”
I think in this case, tire albedo is not as relevant as thermal diffusivity and mass. Tires are good insulators, so they’re not very effective heat sinks, especially given that they are hollow.
Tires are excellent heat sinks. Placing an MRE (Meal, Ready to Eat — “three lies for the price of one”) on a truck tire for ten minutes will get it so hot, you’ll singe your taste buds. Which, if you’re eating an MRE, isn’t necessarily a bad thing…
Greg E. (22:57:47)
I’m with you on the need for actual testing. Curiously, despite its present-day junkyard siting, the Filmore data (available only through 2004) shows no evidence of non-climatic effects in a battery of tests in both the time and frequency domains. It’s really one of the “cleanest” records in Utah! Micro-siting issues can make for shocking photos, but the proof has to be in the pudding.
Betcha the unreleased audio track for this photo, features banjos.
Don’t you see the inherent beauty in this high quality setting? When something brakes on the weather station you can probably find a spare part lying around.
The same can be said of ‘accurate buoy data’ for the NOAA’s National Buoy Data Center.
So many of the buoy sensors are inop. Though due to difficulty in getting manpower out to remote locales to repair/ troubleshoot them – were left with the ‘Good enough for Government work’ mantra.
Lastly, when in Antarctica I volunteered with another person to be flown out to remote weather sites to dig out some of these sensors.
Suffice to say, some of these sensors were ‘insulated’ with snowpack/ ice crystals/ grapple from years of wind and the like. Temperature, wind and other associated data WAS effected.
I was out of state when this thread was started, so I missed it until Dan Murphy called my attention to it today. I think I need to write a few words on behalf of the station observer. It’s been a few months since I talked to him, but my memory and impressions are these: He describes himself as an 80 year old farmer. I don’t think he is in physical shape to maintain the site, which he has had since 1977. Oversight of the station has been bounced around between various NOAA offices, and he has not had the help he has requested; he is currently trying to get rid of it. Notwithstanding this, he was cordial, and readily took time to show me around when I appeared at his front door unannounced.
My personal opinion: NOAA is probably having trouble finding anyone to do what this man has done for many years: spend time and effort, without pay, to perform a public service. If the government is so bold as to arm twist the old-timers into trying to continue what has become an unreasonable charity, they ought at least give some assistence to maintaining the site. The gentleman should be commended, not ridiculed.
I often wonder if the good ole USA has simply Jumped the shark
As a Father of 2 young girls I often ask myself if they & our family wouldn’t be better off growing up in Europe, Holland , France etc ..
In the USA less than 1.5 of americans hold 97 %+ of the wealth & the common thought is Everyone else needs to just shut up & if they get even the stalest of crumbs for life ( Piss poor Education & Little to no medical care ) Well that’s good enough !
Even more amazing is that 25% of the population are either so blinded by hate / cult like religious intollerance , are ill informed to the point of bieng just numb or Just so deeply ignorant ( 4th generation Stupid ) that they have been duped into FIRMLY believing this the best way to run the country & its a Democarcy in which they live !
” Listen here you sineveling pieces of human garbage ,” We are all Better off as Americans when we- The Mega Wealthy control All the Power , All the Information & make 100 % of the decisions for you
& we will Always tell you “The truth” & whats really best for your future
( Its Nothing, btw )
Now rise to the flag & salute ! ( Here is some News & info -That we have approved for you to watch )
& Remember anyone who tells you differently is just a ” Lazy Un patriotic Liberal minded sissy who hates you !
Now go eat shit mmmmmmmm tastes good …Right !