A multi-year DAILY weather file for the Toolik Field Station at Toolik Lake, Alaska starting 1988 to present.

Abstract: 

A multi-year DAILY weather file for the Arctic Tundra Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) site at Toolik Lake, AK. Included are daily averages and/or maximums and minimums of air, wind speed, soil temperature, and sum of global radiation and precipitation.
In 2008 Toolik Field Station took over maintenance of the main weather station. See http://toolik.alaska.edu/edc/index.php for current weather data. In addition to the main weather station the Arctic LTER maintains several stations that collect data on the experimental plots.

Project Keywords: 

Data set ID: 

1489

EML revision ID: 

5
Published on EDI/LTER Data Portal

Citation: 

Laundre, J. A., Shaver, G. 2022. A multi-year DAILY weather file for the Toolik Field Station at Toolik Lake, Alaska starting 1988 to present. Environmental Data Initiative. http://dx.doi.org/10.6073/pasta/3b74363b40f858a2dcbe1b83790aee77
People

Owner/Creator: 

Contact: 

Additional People: 

Associated Researcher
Dates

Date Range: 

Wednesday, June 1, 1988 to Thursday, December 31, 2020

Publication Date: 

2022

Collection Status: 

Yearly

Methods: 

Experimental Design/Sampling Description:
Daily data from the Arctic LTER Toolik Field Station weather station.  Where possible two nearby stations were used to fill in missing data using regressions to estimate the missing values.  The Arctic LTER tussock station is 700 meters away and has the best regression fit.  The Imnavait weather station is 12 kilometers away and 200 meters higher.  There are good summer air temp regressions with Toolik but during the winter months the variability is greater (Larry Hinzman and Doug Kane Water Research Center; University of Alaska Fairbanks; Fairbanks, AK  99775-5860). From 1989 to 1998 summer only precipitation was collected at Toolik. Winter precipitation data from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Alaska Imnavait weather station was used to fill in the winter data.  This precipitation gage has a Wyoming windshield installed.  In fall of 1998 year round precipitation at Toolik was started.

Weather data has been collected at Toolik Lake by the Arctic LTER since June 1988.  Sensors that are measured every minute and averaged or totaled every hour include: air temperature and relative humidity at 1 and 5 meters, wind speed at 1 and 5 meters, wind direction at 5 meters, global solar radiation, photosynthetically active radiation, barometric pressure, and unfrozen precipitation.  Sensors measured every 10 minutes and averaged every three hours include: soil temperatures, lake temperature, lake depth, and evaporation pan depth and pan water temperature.   In the fall of 1998 a Campbell CS705 Snowfall adapter was added for snowfall measurements.  In 1999 a Wyoming windshield was added 30Aug99.  In August 2006 a OTT Pluvio Precipitation Gauge. (Standard with a heating ring.  Resolution: 0.01/0.1; Collecting area 200 cm2; Total quantity 250 mm) replaced the tipping rain gauge/CS705 adapter. 

 In 2008 Toolik Field Station took over maintenance of the main weather station. See http://toolik.alaska.edu/edc/index.php for current weather data. In addition to the main weather station the Arctic LTER maintains several stations that collect data on the experimental plots.

Wind Speeds less than .447 are considered calm.  For the global solar radiation and photosynthetically active radiation sensors no attempt is made to correct for frost or snow on the sensors during the winter months.   Therefore winter radiation data should be view as suspect and used only qualitatively.  

See additional notes under Comments variable.

Version Changes: 

10 May07 entered the metadata in the excel meatadata sheet. Checked data and documentation. Data now are through end of 2006. Jiml
Version 2.3: Update LTERNET Data Access server proxy link for Excel and comma delimited data files. Changed from knb to das in url.
Version2.4: Added 2007 and 2007 data Jim L Apr2010
Version 2.5: Metadata updated to newer form (with sites sheet). Units updated to current standards. CH April 2013.
Version 2.6: Corrected Distribution URL. It had xlsfiles in the path. Jim L 19Jun14
Version 2.7: Changed Distribution URL since the LTER network DAS system is being discontinued. JimL 9Apr2015
Version 4: Updated to 2015 except for 2015 precipitation, wind and soil. Still needs more QAC. Jim L Mar 2016
Version 5: Updated to 2020 except for global radiation. JimL Mar2022

Sites sampled.

Full Metadata and data files (either comma delimited (csv) or Excel) - Environmental Data Initiative repository.

Use of the data requires acceptance of the data use policy --> Arctic LTER Data Use Policy