NOAA Regional Surface Data: Hourly Meteorology for FIFE (1989)

Hourly surface meteorological data from 1989 provides a cross-sectional view of weather conditions in and around the FIFE study area. The dataset includes variables such as atmospheric pressure, surface and dew point temperatures, wind speed, and cloud properties. These observations can serve as input or verification data for numerical simulation models of the atmosphere.

Use Cases

• Validating numerical weather prediction models based on observed surface temperature and pressure.
• Analyzing diurnal cycles of atmospheric water vapor using dew point temperature indicators.
• Studying cloud cover frequency and its impact on surface energy balance in the FIFE region.
• Correlating surface wind patterns with other environmental variables for ecological studies.

Strengths

• Data provides an hourly temporal resolution for detailed diurnal analysis of meteorological conditions.
• Cross-platform presence on data.gov and NASA EarthData signals established use and importance for the research community.
• The dataset is explicitly described for use in verifying numerical simulation models, indicating relevance for model validation.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable across all sources.
• The last updated date conflicts between sources (1989 vs. 2026), creating uncertainty about data currency and maintenance.
• Descriptions note that some variables like cloud amount and height are subjective estimates dependent on observer skill and bias.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), hosted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Collection Method

Surface meteorological observations recorded hourly by human observers.

Time Range

1989

Freshness

Conflicting: NASA EarthData lists 1989-10-31, while data.gov lists 2026-04-09. The 1989 date likely reflects data collection, while 2026 may be a platform metadata artifact.

Geography

FIFE (First ISLSCP Field Experiment) study area and its surrounding region.