Climate monitoring of the land and atmosphere
Global observations of surface and upper air temperature and humidity, surface pressure and precipitation are used to provide advice on global climate variability and change.
Temperature, precipitation and humidity and their extremes can have a major impact on our lives. Observational datasets are used to monitor land and atmospheric climate variables, to understand how the climate has changed over time and to examine the occurrence of extremes in temperature and heat stress.
This area of work also includes coordination of recovery and digitisation of terrestrial and marine meteorological observations and generation of historical re-analyses as part of the Atmospheric Circulation Reconstructions over the Earth (ACRE) project.
Key aims
-
Monitor the climate near the land surface and in the upper air.
-
Provide advice to Government, the media and others.
-
Assist others in using and interpreting the information.
Current activities
Monitoring and developing analyses of:
- Surface air temperature and land surface temperature.
- Precipitation.
- Near-surface humidity.
- Upper tropospheric humidity.
- Near surface wind.
- Heat-stress indicators.
Project management for the ACRE project.
