Abstract:
Climate Reference Network (CRN) is digital data set DSI-3286, archived at the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). This data set contains hourly observations, made by an automated instrument package, of US surface meteorological data at stations that are specifically included for their representation of the climate of the United States of America. Observations are made by an automated instrument
... package, transmitted to a GOES satellite which in turn transmits the data to Wallops Island, VA. NCDC retrieves the data from Wallops Island using Local Readout Ground Station (LRGS) software. Wallops Island also sends the CRN data to the National Weather Service Telecommunications Gateway (NWSTG), which posts the data on the NWS Gateway. Each CRN station will measure temperature and precipitation. In addition, wind speed at thermometer height and solar radiation will be measured to establish rigorous transfer functions relating the CRN measurements to historical temperature data recorded at nearby stations in other networks that have long-term records. Soil moisture and soil temperature will be measured using sensors provided by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). 
