Introduction to CEH Wallingford Meteorological Station

Katie Muchan, Site Manager

Royal Meteorological Society Visit - 25th July 2014

Photo: K

atie Muchan

Outline

• Site and record history

• Current monitoring

• Analysis of the record• Extremes in the record• Ground level vs. Standard gauge• Surface – groundwater interactions

• Data use

Site History

Starting in 1962, the site now has 52 complete years of record for some variables (sunshine, max and min air temperature)

Mean Temperature

Tem

pera

ture

(°C

Site History

Since the last RMS visit in 2007, the site has moved twice

1962 – 2007 location

2007 – 2011 location

2011 – current location Source: Bing Maps

Current site instrumentationManual Site

Wind vane and anemometer

Stevenson screen (4 x air temperature)

Soil thermometers (10cm, 30cm, 100cm)

Ground temperature (concrete and grass)

Campbell-Stokes sunshine recorder

Storage raingauges (standard and ground-

level)

AWS

Didcot AWS (air temperatures, wind

direction, wind speed, solar radiation,

sunshine)

Tipping bucket raingauges (standard and

ground-level)

Equipment Testing Area

Snowdon raingauge

Radiometers

Soil moisture probes

Analysis: Site Records

• Extremes recorded at the site over the last 53 years

• Most recently, the wettest winter on record (2013/2014)

Record Day / Month Figure

Wettest month August 1977 163.6mm

Driest month April 2007 1.0mm

Warmest day 19th July 2006 35.2°C

Coldest night 14th January 1982 -21.0°C

‘Sunniest’ month June 1975 291.5 hours

‘Cloudiest’ month December 2010 12.7 hours

The winter of 2013/2014

• Three months of above average rainfall

December 2013

January 2014

February 2014

Winter 2013/2014

Total rainfall in mm 97.9 148.4 112.9 359.2Maximum monthly rainfall total in mm (Year*)

131.2(1989)

118.7(1995)

103.3(1990)

311.5(1989/1990)

Average monthly rainfall total in mm 57.7 54.6 37.5 148.8% of monthly average 170 272 302 241

Photo: Katie Muchan

Photo: Katie Muchan

The winter of 2013/2014

• Three months of above average rainfall

• Total rainfall: 359.2mm• Annual average of

595.4mm• Previous maximum:

311.5mm

Photo: Katie Muchan

Photo: Katie Muchan

The winter of 2013/2014

• Three months of above average rainfall

• Total rainfall: 359.2mm• Annual average of

595.4mm• Previous maximum:

311.5mm

• Widespread and persistent flooding

Photo: Katie Muchan

Photo: Katie Muchan

Analysis: Raingauge height

• ‘Undercatch’ in standard raingauges from several sources

• Exposure (wind) thought to cause the largest difference

Photo: Harry Dixon

Rodda and Dixon (2012) Rainfall Measurement Revisited,

Weather, 67. 5. 131-136. DOI: 10.1002/wea.875

Analysis: Raingauge height

• ‘Undercatch’ in standard raingauges from several sources

• Exposure (wind) thought to cause the largest difference

• Extensive tests in 1960s

• Both still in use on the site today

Photo: Harry DixonPhoto: Harry Dixon

Rodda and Dixon (2012) Rainfall Measurement Revisited,

Weather, 67. 5. 131-136. DOI: 10.1002/wea.875

Analysis: Raingauge height

• Tests in the 1970-80s showed up to 16% ‘undercatch’ at exposed sites

• Wallingford site: average annual difference in catch was 5.6% (1969-2006)

Rodda and Dixon (2012) Rainfall Measurement Revisited, Weather, 67. 5. 131-136. DOI: 10.1002/wea.875

Analysis: Rainfall, Rivers & Groundwater

• Rainfall, groundwater level and river level monitoring with BGS

Analysis: Rainfall, Rivers & Groundwater

• Rainfall, groundwater level and river level monitoring with BGS

• How do groundwater levels in a shallow aquifer interact with rainfall events?

• Aquifer and river show quick response to rainfall

Outreach and Data Uses

• Part of the Met Office National climate network• Site 5558

Outreach and Data Uses

• Part of the Met Office National climate network• Site 5558

• Support National Hydrological Monitoring Programme

Outreach and Data Uses

• Part of the Met Office National climate network• Site 5558

• Support National Hydrological Monitoring Programme

Outreach and Data Uses

• Part of the Met Office National climate network• Site 5558

• Support National Hydrological Monitoring Programme

• Small information pieces• CEH blog post on winter rainfall• Data included in BHS Circulation bulletins

Outreach and Data Uses

• Part of the Met Office National climate network• Site 5558

• Support National Hydrological Monitoring Programme

• Small information pieces• CEH blog post on winter rainfall• Data included in BHS Circulation bulletins

• Support CEH research• Instrument testing

• Site visits

http://cehsciencenews.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/winter-rainfall-record-wallingford-met-site.html

Outreach and Data Uses

• Part of the Met Office National climate network• Site 5558

• Support National Hydrological Monitoring Programme

• Small information pieces• CEH blog post on winter rainfall• Data included in BHS Circulation bulletins

• Support CEH research• Instrument testing

• Site visits

Outreach and Data Uses

• Part of the Met Office National climate network• Site 5558

• Support National Hydrological Monitoring Programme

• Small information pieces• CEH blog post on winter rainfall• Data included in BHS Circulation bulletins

• Support CEH research• Instrument testing

• Site visits

Outreach and Data Uses

• Part of the Met Office National climate network• Site 5558

• Support National Hydrological Monitoring Programme

• Small information pieces• CEH blog post on winter rainfall• Data included in BHS Circulation bulletins

• Support CEH research• Instrument testing

• Site visits

Website

• Launched in December 2012

• Near real-time daily data

• Future plans to add AWS data

http://www.ceh.ac.uk/data/metsite/wallingfordmetsite.html

CEH Monitoring

• Wider meteorological monitoring network

• Other CEH monitoring networks• Ecological• Soils• Vegetation• Water• Air Chemistry

COSMOS-UK

Chalk Rivers Biosphere-Atmosphere Interactions

Soils

Thank You

Photo: H

arry Dixon