WMRS Weather and Climate Monitoring Project

The three principle WMRS weather/climate stations, located on the Summit Hut, Barcroft Station, and Crooked Creek Station, are jointly maintained and operated with the Western Regional Climate Center (WRCC), associated with the Desert Research Institute (DRI) and the University of Nevada in Reno. The Owens Valley Laboratories host a weather station owned and maintained by the Regional Air Quality Control District. In addition, data from the Bishop Airport station, only 2 miles away, are very comnparable. WMRS is also collaborating with other high altitude research facilities at Niwot Ridge, Storm Peak Laboratory, Center for Snow and Avalanche Studiesn , and others, to set up comparable montioring equipment to facilitate comparison among sites. WMRS is also part of the newly formed Mountain Climate Network (Monet) working group, part of the WMRS-sponsored Consortium for Integrated Climare Research in Western Mountains (CIRMOUNT).

Measurements include air temperature and relative humidity, solar radiation, barometric pressure, wind speed and wind direction. There is also a snow depth gauge at Barcroft. We are preparing to set up instrumentation for long term measurement of soil moisture at Barcroft and Crooked Creek. Note: WMRS maintains "climate" stations which are relatively permanent, and for which long-term records are maintained, analyzed and interpreted. The WMRS weather page contains links to WMRS legacy data sets.

Barcroft backup weather station. We have installed a backup station which will hopefully reduce the number of gaps caused when the primary climate station goes off-line. Data is recorded hourly and must be downloaded as complete files (see web page)

West Paute Ridge transect WMRS has teamed up with collaborators from the Climate Research Division, Scripps Institute of Oceanography, and the Water Resources Division of the US Geological Survey to set up a transect of weather monitoring stations climbing up into the White Mountains from the Owens Valley. The 8-station transect runs from the Owens Valley Floor at Fish Slough, just north of Bishop, up Piute Ridge to the saddle between Piute Mountain and Mt. Barcroft.

TREX network near Independence Aset of 16 stations was installed on the Owens Valley floor near Independence CA as part of the TREX project.

Map showing WMRS current and planned Weather Stations: