Abstract:
The INFOCLIMA Data Base of Climate System Data Sets is a collection of
worldwide data center (280) and data set descriptions of
Climate-related data as part of the World Meteorological Organization
(WMO) World Climate Data and Monitoring Program (WCDMP) for the
purpose of being used in national, regional, or global climate
studies. The data base is divided into 8
... categories: upper air;
surface (land) climatological; radiation (surface); maritime and
ocean; cryosphere; atmospheric composition; hydrological; and
proxy. INFOCLIMA references data set inventories for several
international data centers. Data center descriptions include contact
information, available media, data sets archived, group of sets having
similar contents, and an inventory of data sets referring to a special
subject. Data set descriptions include title, attributes, spatial
coverage (global or regional), temporal coverage, elements
(parameters), statistics, data type (observations, derived parameters,
grid point values, contour analyses, model data), brief summary,
quality control, publications, and volume information.
The elements (parameters) listed for each discipline (atmosphere,
ocean, and land) are comprehensive and extensive. Atmospheric
parameters include maximum and minimum temperature, precipitation,
pressure, wind, humidity, weather (cyclones, tornadoes), clouds,
visibility, evaporation, ozone, aerosols, greenhouse gases,
evapotranspiration, air density, solar radiation (direct, diffuse,
reflected, global, downward, and net), and air electricity.
Hydrologic parameters include snow depth and coverage, river
discharge, runoff, soil temperatures, soil moisture, ground water,
droughts, floods, volcanic activity, and surface water. Ocean
parameters include salinity, ocean currents, sea state, waves, swell
spectrum, ocean/bed sediments, sea ice, ice cores, icebergs, ice
thickness, and ice concentration. Other data include tree rings,
pollen, floral and faunal behavior, proxy/narrative archives, and
fossils. 
