Abstract
The Global Historical Climatology Network version 2 temperature database was released in May 1997. This century-scale dataset consists of monthly surface observations from ~7000 stations from around the world. This archive breaks considerable new ground in the field of global climate databases. The enhancements include 1) data for additional stations to improve regional-scale analyses, particularly in previously data-sparse areas; 2) the addition of maximum–minimum temperature data to provide climate information not available in mean temperature data alone; 3) detailed assessments of data quality to increase the confidence in research results; 4) rigorous and objective homogeneity adjustments to decrease the effect of nonclimatic factors on the time series; 5) detailed metadata (e.g., population, vegetation, topography) that allow more detailed analyses to be conducted; and 6) an infrastructure for updating the archive at regular intervals so that current climatic conditions can constantly be put into historical perspective. This paper describes these enhancements in detail.
Keywords
MetadataDatabaseScale (ratio)Homogeneity (statistics)ClimatologyPopulationEnvironmental scienceComputer scienceGeographyCartographyGeology
Affiliated Institutions
Related Publications
Canadian historical and homogeneous temperature datasets for climate change analyses
The Canadian Historical Temperature Database (CHTD) was developed to meet the need for detailed individual station datasets and to produce an improved historical climate change ...
A new look at maximum and minimum temperature trends for the globe
A number of recent studies have established that differential changes in daily maximum and minimum temperatures are occurring, resulting in changes in the diurnal temperature ra...
Global historical climatology network (GHCN) quality control of monthly temperature data
All geophysical data bases need some form of quality assurance. Otherwise, erroneous data points may produce faulty analyses. However, simplistic quality control procedures have...
First difference method: Maximizing station density for the calculation of long‐term global temperature change
The calculation of global land surface air temperature trends using the instrumental record has been based primarily upon two methods of maximizing the availability of station r...
Interannual Variability of Temperature at a Depth of 125 Meters in the North Atlantic Ocean
Analyses of historical ocean temperature data at a depth of 125 meters in the North Atlantic Ocean indicate that from 1950 to 1990 the subtropical and subarctic gyres exhibited ...
Publication Info
- Year
- 1997
- Type
- article
- Volume
- 78
- Issue
- 12
- Pages
- 2837-2849
- Citations
- 925
- Access
- Closed
External Links
Social Impact
Altmetric
PlumX Metrics
Social media, news, blog, policy document mentions
Citation Metrics
925
OpenAlex
Cite This
Thomas C. Peterson,
Russell S. Vose
(1997).
An Overview of the Global Historical Climatology Network Temperature Database.
Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society
, 78
(12)
, 2837-2849.
https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0477(1997)078<2837:aootgh>2.0.co;2
Identifiers
- DOI
- 10.1175/1520-0477(1997)078<2837:aootgh>2.0.co;2