1979 Daily Climatology Data for Superior National Forest

1979 weather data was collected by the National Weather Service in International Falls, Minnesota, and is considered representative of the Superior National Forest area. Total solar insolation measurements were made at Fall Lake Dam in Winton, Minnesota, using a Yellow Springs solar cell calibrated against an Eppley Pyranometer. The dataset is hosted by NASA and appears on multiple government data platforms.

Use Cases

• Analyzing daily solar radiation trends using measured insolation values.
• Studying surface air temperature patterns for a specific year in a northern forest climate.
• Correlating precipitation amounts with other atmospheric variables like water vapor indicators.
• Validating satellite-derived atmospheric data with ground-based measurements from 1979.
• Modeling historical microclimate conditions near the Superior National Forest.

Strengths

• Solar insolation data was collected using a Yellow Springs instrument calibrated against a professional-grade Eppley Pyranometer.
• Data is sourced from the National Weather Service and a university soil science department, indicating institutional collection.
• The dataset's presence on multiple official platforms (Data.gov, NASA Earthdata) suggests it has undergone review.

Limitations

• The exact row count, column names, and dataset size are not provided by any source.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date: Data.gov lists March 2026, while NASA Earthdata lists December 1979.
• The license is ambiguously listed as 'other-license-specified' on Data.gov but is 'None' on NASA Earthdata.

Provenance

Source

National Weather Service (International Falls, MN) and Prof. Donald Baker, University of Minnesota Department of Soil Science.

Collection Method

Weather data collected by NWS; solar insolation measured with a calibrated Yellow Springs solar cell at Fall Lake Dam.

Time Range

1979

Freshness

2026-03-12 23:00:19.221017

Geography

International Falls, Minnesota and Fall Lake Dam in Winton, Minnesota; representative of the Superior National Forest area.