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The U.S. Climate Reference Network Program
The U.S. Climate Reference Network (USCRN) is a network of climate stations now being developed as part of a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) initiative. Its primary goal is to provide future long-term homogeneous observations of temperature and precipitation that can be coupled to long-term historical observations for the detection and attribution of present and future climate change. Data from the USCRN will be used in operational climate monitoring activities and for placing current climate anomalies into an historical perspective. The USCRN will also provide the United States with a reference network that meets the requirements of the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS). If fully implemented, the network will consist of about 110 stations nationwide. Implementation of the USCRN is contingent on the availability of funding.
The Climate Reference Network (CRN) Ad Hoc Science Working Group (SWG) is tasked with reviewing the CRN program for adherence to the ten Climate Monitoring Principles as articulated in the 1999 National Research Council report (Members of the Ad Hoc Science Working Group).
The group is planned to meet annually to review the CRN program and provides individual recommendations regarding the science goals and activities of the program. The SWG venue for review includes, but is not limited to, station siting requirements, instrumentation, observational methodologies, quality control methods, interactions with other observing networks, metadata, and archiving and dissemination of the data.
Furthermore, the SWG examines the CRN as its activities relate to other observing networks, both within and outside of NOAA, to help ensure the full and efficient integration of the CRN with other candidate networks such as the Modernized Cooperative Network.
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