Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
1.2. Data quality control and data homogenization in climatology
1.2.1.
The importance of data quality control and homogenization
Data quality control (DQC) is applied to detect errors in the process of
recording, manipulating, formatting, transmitting and archiving data. DQC is not
identical to homogenization as homogenization goes far beyond the aims of DQC.
For homogenization, long-term series of climate data are needed, which enable non-
climatic breaks to be detected in the series resulting from changes of station
location, observer, observation time, sensor type, station surrounding, etc. In fact,
homogenization is a two-step procedure including detection of breaks with
statistical tests and adjustment of breaks.
Country
Data provider
Means calculus
Time
Central Inst. for Meteorology and
Geodynamics
ZAMG
(t
1
+ t
ȝ
+ 2*t
p
)/4
LMT
Austria
Hydrographical Service (yearbooks)
HZB
(t
I
+ t
n
)/2
LMT
Federal Meteorological Inst.
(t
1
+ t
14
+ 2*t
21
)/4
LMT
Bosnia and
Hertzegovina
Meteo
BiH
Federal Meteorological Inst. (historic
Yugoslavian yearbooks)
(t
1
+ t
14
+ 2*t
21
)/4
LMT
Meteorological and Hydrological
Service of Croatia
Croatia
DHMZ
(t
1
+ t
14
+ 2*t
21
)/4
LMT
Czech Republic
Czech Hydrometeorological Inst.
CHMI
(t
1
+ t
14
+ 2*t
21
)/4
LMT
France
Météro-France
(t
I
+ t
n
)/2
-
1961-86:
LMT
1987-90:
CET +30'
Germany
German Meteorological Service
DWD
(t
1
+ t
14
+ 2*t
21
)/4
Hungary
Hungarian Meteorological Service
OMSZ
(t
1
+ t
14
+ 2*t
21
)/4
LMT
Italian National Research Council, Inst.
of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate
ISAC-
CNR
(t
I
+ t
n
)/2
-
University of Milan, Dept. of Physics
UNIMI
(t
I
+ t
n
)/2
-
University of Padua, Treeline Ecology
Research Unit
UNIPD
(t
I
+ t
n
)/2
-
University of Pavia, Dept. of Territorial
Ecology and Terrestrial Environments
UNIPV
(t
I
+ t
n
)/2
-
Italy
University of Turin, Dept. of Agronomy,
Forest and Land Management
UNITO
(t
I
+ t
n
)/2
-
Giancarlo Rossi, private data collection
(t
I
+ t
n
)/2
-
Italian Meteorological Society, Aosta
Valley, Piedmont
SMI
(t
I
+ t
n
)/2
-
University of Turin, Department of Earth
Science, Piedmont
UNITO
(t
I
+ t
n
)/2
-
Environmental Agency of the Republic
of Slovenia, Climatological Dept.
Slovenia
ARSO
(t
1
+ t
14
+ 2*t
21
)/4
LMT
Slovakia
Slovak Hydrometeorological Inst.
SHMU
(t
1
+ t
14
+ 2*t
21
)/4
LMT
Federal Office of Meteorology and
Climatology
Meteo
Swiss
Switzerland
(t
1
+ t
14
+ 2*t
p
)/4
CET +30'
Table 1.2.
Example of the heterogenity of air temperature station networks for the
Greater Alpine Region GAR
used for spatial modeling of climate normal fields
1961-90 (tn=mean daily minimum temperature; tx=mean daily maximum
temperature; TRM=true mean; CET=Central European Time;
LMT=local mean time, adapted from [HIE 09])
