BOREAS Surface Meteorological and Radiation Data for Northern Canada

Ten measurement sites collected surface meteorological and radiation data across a 1000 km by 1000 km area of northern Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The dataset includes Suite A measurements from all ten sites and Suite B diffuse solar and longwave measurements from five of those sites. Data collection occurred from December 1993 through December 1996 under the BOREAS project managed by the Saskatchewan Research Council and NASA.

Use Cases

• Validating land surface models using measured soil temperature and land surface temperature columns.
• Analyzing surface energy budgets with net radiation, incoming solar radiation, and photosynthetically active radiation measurements.
• Studying regional climate patterns using surface pressure, humidity, surface winds, and precipitation rate/amount data.
• Investigating snowpack dynamics and its insulating effect using snow depth and soil temperature measurements.
• Calibrating remote sensing products for surface temperature and albedo with in-situ radiation and thermal property data.

Strengths

• Data spans a three-year period from December 1993 to December 1996, providing a multi-year seasonal record.
• Measurements were taken at ten distinct sites across a large geographic area, offering spatial representation.
• The dataset includes specialized Suite B radiation components (diffuse solar and longwave) at five sites for detailed energy balance analysis.
• Cross-platform presence on Data.gov and NASA EarthData signals its established use and importance in the research community.

Limitations

• Conflicting metadata exists: one source lists a last updated date of 2026-03 13, while another indicates 1995-12-31, suggesting potential data management inconsistencies.
• The exact row count and file size are not specified in any provided source.
• Column names are inferred from detailed tags but not explicitly listed as a complete schema in the source metadata.

Provenance

Source

Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) for NASA's BOREAS project.

Collection Method

In-situ measurements collected at ten surface stations across northern Canada.

Time Range

1993-12 to 1996-12

Freshness

2026-03-13 07:50:03.840821

Geography

Roughly 1000 km by 1000 km area covering northern Manitoba and northern Saskatchewan, Canada.