UPDATE: A second nearby station has been located, also showing a lower high temperature. See below.
First let me say that the Carefree, AZ Skypark airport, and the airport observer have not done anything wrong. I commend them for their service as a NOAA Cooperative Observer, a volunteer job done for the good of the country. The station was installed by NOAA/NWS Phoenix personnel and it is their responsibility for things like this difference in daytime high temperatures, such as I discovered below.
But after looking at the ground photos of the NOAA climate station, I have only one word to describe it: FUBAR
First some review; read my essay on what I discovered from metadata investigation of the station: A Carefree Record High Temperature in Arizona
I showed a map with all the new records plotted. But, there was a curious red dot record high temperature “anomaly” on it, 109°F in Carefree, AZ on July 8th, the only one for that entire week in the entire state.
From that essay, this image shows the station is surrounded by Asphalt tarmac:
click to enlarge imageAnd thanks to WUWT reader Glen Sheldon, we have photos from the ground (on 07/13/2010) that confirm what I suspected; the station temperature sensor is mounted directly over asphalt at roof level, both of which contribute to anomalously high temperature readings.
I don’t know how often the outdoor fireplace is used, but when it is, I’m sure it helps keep the cold away.
Seasoned surfacestation.org volunteers have seen worse sitings, but this one has severe siting violations worth noting:
- NOAA 100 foot rule ? – pfft!
- Over asphalt plus physically on a building – rates a CRN5 “worst of the worst”
- Wind sheltered on one side due to the beam – southerly wind, not so much
- At roof level – will pick up waste heat from the building when wind blows across the flat roof
- Incorrect height – WMO/NOAA standard is 1.5 meters – this is twice that
- Other heat sources nearby, Pepsi machine – waste heat like an A/C unit, nearby outdoor fireplace
- Nearby tree – listed as an obstruction in the NCDC metadata
- Nearby automobile parking – radiator inward, under the sensor
In case anybody wonders about NOAA rooftop stations that give erroneous high temperature readings, this one should provide an excellent primer because NOAA closed it in 1999 due to similar siting problems.
How not to measure temperature, part 48. NOAA cites errors with Baltimore’s Rooftop USHCN Station
NOAA then wrote an internal technical competency manual on it advising that it is not good practice. I guess WSO Phoenix never read it.
Reference: NOAA Professional Competency Unit 6 (PCU6) manual (PDF)
But the thing that really hit me was the data they compiled, comparing to other nearby stations, and thus proving the case for rooftop bias with this station:
They cite the table with:
The table to its right summarizes a comparison of 12 months of overlapping data that was collected on the rooftop and at the new relocated site (for data continuity), relocated several blocks away at ground level with other nearby standard, ground based stations. A combination of the rooftop and downtown urban siting explain the regular occurrence of extremely warm temperatures. Compared to nearby ground-level instruments and nearby airports and surrounding COOPs, it is clear that a strong warm bias exists, partially because of the rooftop location.
Maximum and minimum temperatures are elevated, especially in the summer. The number of 80 plus minimum temperatures during the one-year of data overlap was 13 on the roof and zero at three surrounding LCD airports, the close by ground-based inner Baltimore harbor site, and all 10 COOPs in the same NCDC climate zone. Eighty-degree minimum are luckily, an extremely rare occurrence in the mid-Atlantic region at standard ground-based stations, urban or otherwise. Temperatures can be elevated on roofs due to the higher solar radiation absorption and re-radiation associated with many roof surfaces including black tar, shingles, stone, and metal. During the colder months, ongoing upward heat transfer through the roof from the heated interior of the building also can contribute to the warm bias although stronger winter winds tend to create better mixing and minimize this impact.
The table shows that the rooftop station has Tmax >90°F more than twice as often as other stations and a Tmax >100°F 13 times where no nearby station achieved it. Similarly we have this station recording a Tmin >80°F where no other stations did.
But here we still find stations just like this in NOAA’s climate monitoring network 11 years after Baltimore’s station was closed for the same reason.
The Carefree Skypark COOP should either be closed, go to rain only, or relocated, as it is not used for airport operations, only for NOAA climate reporting. The station is polluting the climate record. NOAA needs to determine how long this has been going on and if the record is even worth keeping. I doubt it is. Also of note, this station is used to adjust other stations nearby in the “homogenization” process, further polluting the climate record.
I’m looking into doing some longer term data comparisons between the Carefree, AZ AP station and the nearby private observer station. If I’m able to obtaining the data, we’ll have a look in a future post.
Again I close with what I opened with:
The Carefree, AZ Skypark airport, and the airport observer have not done anything wrong. I commend them for their service as a NOAA Cooperative Observer, a volunteer job done for the good of the country. The station was installed by NOAA/NWS Phoenix personnel and it is their responsibility.
UPDATE: A second nearby station has been located, a MESONET station, and it’s high temperature on that day was also considerably lower, 4°F lower than the airport.
Data follows.
08 Jul 7:00 pm 93 49 22 NE 5G13 33 11% OK
08 Jul 6:48 pm % 0.00 OK
08 Jul 6:45 pm 93 49 22 NE 5G15 33 8% OK
08 Jul 6:33 pm % 0.00 OK
08 Jul 6:30 pm 95 49 21 E 4G14 93 20% OK
08 Jul 6:18 pm % 0.00 OK
08 Jul 6:15 pm 99 45 16 E 3G08 93 17% OK
08 Jul 6:03 pm % 0.00 OK
08 Jul 6:00 pm 100 42 14 SW 3G04 99 16% OK
08 Jul 5:48 pm % 0.00 OK
08 Jul 5:45 pm 100 42 14 SW 3G08 99 14% OK
08 Jul 5:33 pm % 0.00 OK
08 Jul 5:30 pm 100 44 15 NNW 3G08 126 16% OK
08 Jul 5:18 pm % 0.00 OK
08 Jul 5:15 pm 99 45 16 SW 4G10 126 15% OK
08 Jul 5:03 pm % 0.00 OK
08 Jul 5:00 pm 101 47 16 SSW 4G09 571 63% OK
08 Jul 4:48 pm % 0.00 OK
08 Jul 4:45 pm 103 45 14 SW 4G15 571 59% OK
08 Jul 4:33 pm % 0.00 OK
08 Jul 4:30 pm 103 38 11 ENE 4G08 659 64% OK
08 Jul 4:18 pm % 0.00 OK
08 Jul 4:15 pm 103 38 11 ENE 3G08 659 60% OK
08 Jul 4:03 pm % 0.00 OK
08 Jul 4:00 pm 100 44 15 SSW 3G13 714 62% OK
08 Jul 3:48 pm % 0.00 OK
08 Jul 3:45 pm 104 44 13 SW 2G08 714 59% OK
08 Jul 3:33 pm % 0.00 OK
08 Jul 3:30 pm 103 43 13 SW 4G14 802 64% OK
08 Jul 3:18 pm % 0.00 OK
08 Jul 3:15 pm 105 42 12 SSW 6G15 802 62% OK
08 Jul 3:03 pm % 0.00 OK
08 Jul 3:00 pm 101 41 13 SE 6G14 852 63% OK
08 Jul 2:48 pm % 0.00 OK
08 Jul 2:45 pm 102 47 16 S 5G10 852 62% OK
08 Jul 2:33 pm % 0.00 OK
08 Jul 2:30 pm 100 42 14 S 5G13 522 37% OK
08 Jul 2:18 pm % 0.00 OK
08 Jul 2:15 pm 102 44 14 SSE 5G15 522 36% OK
08 Jul 2:03 pm % 0.00 OK
08 Jul 2:00 pm 100 46 16 SE 2G14 923 63% OK
08 Jul 1:48 pm % 0.00 OK
08 Jul 1:45 pm 101 48 17 S 2G15 923 62% OK
08 Jul 1:33 pm % 0.00 OK
08 Jul 1:30 pm 100 46 16 SSE 6G17 945 63% OK
08 Jul 1:18 pm % 0.00 OK
08 Jul 1:15 pm 99 45 16 SE 4G19 945 63% OK
08 Jul 1:03 pm % 0.00 OK
08 Jul 1:00 pm 99 45 16 ESE 4G10 951 63% OK
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stephen richards says:
July 14, 2010 at 5:15 am
They certainly were carefree when they installed it ! An unbelieveable lack of professionalism which appears to go to the heart of the whole organisation.
Anthony, had I been head of this organisation (national) I would not have wasted my time trying to prove you and your team wrong. I would not have wasted time trying to prove that poor siting makes no difference. I would have kicked some backsides into action and resited all the badly sited stations this one among them.
Yes, but you see? That would be an admission of guilt and an open invitation to question virtually everything the organization does.
It would also cause a virtual furor in the weather/climate community, which in turn would negate much of the hoopla over CAGW/CC, itself having a knock-on effect to lead all thinking people to ask: Is the science even valid, when the data are so questionable?
From thence, the money for climate research would likely diminish significantly, and heads would surely roll!
So then, well have none of that!!!
The first remarks uttered in any government program quality audit is: What? I don’t understand what you’re saying! Are you sure? Maybe it’s yourself who’s wrong!
Thanks, Anthony, the story about the climate stations just gets more & more ridiculous!
You just can’t make this stuff up…..my jaw continues to hit the floor with every new revelation.
Anthony, if they actually were to fix all these stations, the nation would be sent into the next “Ice Age” by alarmists.
My kid is both an engineer and new grad taking flying lessons. I have told her that ethanol they are trying to push for avgas is running lower reid vapor pressure and 20% lower mjoules per liter. adjust loads accordingly.
Social engineering will make a lot of changes.
Oh yes. The EPA is behind alcohol, and blind when it comes to “endangerment” in certain products.
What came of the warmists claim that even with the “bad” sites excluded, the temperature record continues to show a distinct warming?
It would be useful to also have pictures of the nearby private station for comparison, assuming that this can be done while respecting the privacy of the owner. The commentary assumes that this station is perfectly sited. However this is an unwarranted assumption.
PapyJako noticed the same thing I did. It looked like nice, new, totally black asphalt. I wonder if the day it was laid down is reflected in the temperature record?
Tmax+Tmin/2 … Does the assumption of 2 take into account or overlook variance in the lenghts of day periods and night periods. Are these results of the calculation actually as ‘useful’ as purported, especially when the short nights means less time for the surroundings to cool to a minimum. In the case of this siting, is it possible that nightly lows are being skewed even more than the daily highs, at least part of the year?
Actually, Joe Lalonde, it should have been “hottest” :-))
Neo says:
July 14, 2010 at 10:27 am
Anthony, if they actually were to fix all these stations, the nation would be sent into the next “Ice Age” by alarmists.
As strange as this might sound, there are actually people ‘out there’ who will tell you to your face that if you fix this, it will only make matters worse!
Imagine this: The locations of all sensor stations will become a matter of ‘national security,’ and the unauthorized disclosure of such will become a criminal offense.
Stranger things have happened …
Roger Sowell says:
July 14, 2010 at 11:00 am
What came of the warmists claim that even with the “bad” sites excluded, the temperature record continues to show a distinct warming?
Well, it would appear that the ‘good’ sites were actually the bad sites, but the bad sites are really good sites for the purposes of CAGW/CC propaganda.
Ian L. McQueen says:
July 14, 2010 at 6:46 am
It exists, see http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/crn/
USCRN Overview
The U.S. Climate Reference Network (USCRN) consists of 114 stations developed, deployed, managed, and maintained by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the continental United States for the express purpose of detecting the national signal of climate change.
The siting is considerably better than this one. None at airports. Data online, including near-real time data.
Also http://wattsupwiththat.com/2008/04/29/what-the-modernized-ushcn-will-look-like/
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2008/05/14/ftp-access-for-climate-reference-network-data/
Perhaps a minor issue with this site and others, is the cable connector to the sensor. Notice in the pic that the connection is friction taped. Friction tape dries, hardens and degrades especially when exposed directly to sun and hot objects. It just irks me not to see a boot covering over the connection, and I wonder whether certain weather connections such as humidity may affect the output. When we are looking at fractions of a degree to determine the fate of the world, I expect a little more professionalism then flopping friction tape over a precision electronic instrument connection, holding condensation, corroding terminals.
I suspect the sensors are intended to be placed atop a VERTICAL pole, not mounted any old way, at a 10° angle from vertical. What do the mfr’s specs say?
What is it with the attraction between barbecues (or outdoor fireplaces) and weather stations!?!?!?
Anthony, I think your online store is missing a gold mine; a weather station with a built in barbecue. There is obviously an enormous demand.
REPLY: Tried something like that. I once offered mobile homes with a free tornado, didn’t sell, and was hell on inventory. -A
Glenn says:
July 14, 2010 at 1:40 pm
Perhaps a minor issue with this site and others, is the cable connector to the sensor. Notice in the pic that the connection is friction taped. Friction tape dries, hardens and degrades especially when exposed directly to sun and hot objects. It just irks me not to see a boot covering over the connection, and I wonder whether certain weather connections such as humidity may affect the output. When we are looking at fractions of a degree to determine the fate of the world, I expect a little more professionalism then flopping friction tape over a precision electronic instrument connection, holding condensation, corroding terminals.
You raise a good point: You’d think that such an installation would have employed moisture-proof connectors, or at the very least resorted to a sealant, i.e., RTV.
There are several products available for just that purpose, not the least of which is Coax-seal: http://www.coaxseal.com/
And on that issue there’s that matter of moisture intrusion –which you’ve mentioned– itself which could conceivably affect the measurement by way of setting up a corrosion cell on the contacts, producing a dissimilar metal potential difference, thereby influencing the output of the sensor.
Further –and not to take this to the nth degree– there’s that issue of security: Who’s to say that someone wouldn’t remove the connector, and temporarily insert a modified sensor to cause an intentionally biased reading?
Murphy’s law: If it can happen, it will happen.
So, why no safety wire and security seal on the connectors?
That’s done on commercial aircraft all the time as a matter of course, and for a very good reason: To detect tampering.
If they –the government– demand to tax us on the matter of carbon and temperature, then they should at the very least attempt to ascertain whether their devices are being tampered with.
Finally, I wonder just what the frequency of visitation/inspection is for all those sites?
Arizona CJ says:
July 14, 2010 at 2:17 pm
What is it with the attraction between barbecues (or outdoor fireplaces) and weather stations!?!?!?
Anthony, I think your online store is missing a gold mine; a weather station with a built in barbecue. There is obviously an enormous demand.
REPLY: Tried something like that. I once offered mobile homes with a free tornado, didn’t sell, and was hell on inventory. -A
Well, Anthony, I will consider that you didn’t apply for that NOAA ‘seal of approval.’
😉
REPLY: Tried something like that. I once offered mobile homes with a free tornado, didn’t sell, and was hell on inventory. -A
ROTFL!!! Love your replay! I live in “tornado alley” (Oklahoma City).
I visit your site daily, sometimes more that once.
THANK YOU!!
REPLY: Thanks. If you live in OKC, then you ought to get a copy of my personal radar program: http://www.stormpredator.com rather than wait for NWS to send bulletin. – Anthony
REPLY: Thanks. If you live in OKC, then you ought to get a copy of my personal radar program: http://www.stormpredator.com rather than wait for NWS to send bulletin. – Anthony
I did that some time ago!
I als0 have two USB Dataloggers.
Thanks for all you do/what you have done!
Roger Knights says:
July 14, 2010 at 8:47 am
Let’s say that there were systematic siting problems that resulted in a cooling bias. Activists would have made a stink about it (“I blame Bush”) and the gov’t. would have relocated them in a jiffy. You know it’s true.
Viewed in that light, the station-siting issue reveals a problem larger than a mildly biased temperature record: an untrustworthy climatological establishment. I.e., if they’re willing to overlook systematic bias in this matter, why not in other climatological matters as well? Why should we trust ANY of their data or inferences? We don’t need no stinking weathermen.
_____________________________________________-
Yet most here are willing to believe the “official” CO2 data. As a chemist who worked with an IR in 1972 trying to use it for analytical work, I do not. see: http://www.co2web.info/ESEFVO1.pdf from this web site: http://www.co2web.info/
Strike One: Poor siting … thank you Anthony
Strike Two: Electrician’s tape as the waterproof seal … thank you @Glenn Skankey (July 14, 2010 at 1:40 pm)
Strike Three: Visible tension on the cable, without sign of strain relief
Strike Four: No evidence of a yearly NIST traceable calibration, where is the cal sticker placed?
Boballbud: Your points about hiring installers is correct only to a certain extent. Most Government contract have specific directions on how the job is to be done (I just recently retired from Government contract work) and then the job is inspected after completion before final payment is made. It may be that the contractor and the inspector were in cahoots but I doubt it –probably the contract didn’t specify installation requirements and that is just unprofessional on the part of the contracting team.
REPLY: The COOP manager at each local Weather Service Office is responsible for the installation. To my knowledge, they are not subcontracted. – Anthony
Ricky Martin Frisker FTN says:
July 14, 2010 at 6:54 pm
“Strike One: Poor siting … thank you Anthony
Strike Two: Electrician’s tape as the waterproof seal … thank you @Glenn Skankey (July 14, 2010 at 1:40 pm)
Strike Three: Visible tension on the cable, without sign of strain relief
Strike Four: No evidence of a yearly NIST traceable calibration, where is the cal sticker placed?”
Although I took other pics of the wire going into the building that were not published, I missed your point about tension on the cable at the sensor. The cantilevered all wood 4 x 12 or 16 beam seems to have twisted sometime after installation of the sensor and base, lengthening the distance from the connector to where the cable is stapled on the beam. This leaves at least two places where the cable could be compromised.
If there is a calibration sticker, the place for it would seem to me to be inside on a terminal or computer. I didn’t ask to see the hardware inside. But I doubt there are inspections, for obvious reasons.
pgosselin says:
July 14, 2010 at 4:34 am
Maybe there is precedence PGosselin. Try this from John L Daly
Climate station installed at Badwater purely to reach world record high temperature.
Imagine how much better it would be to have redundancy, e.g. two thermometers at each site from the beginning.