The Oklahoma Climatological Survey & The Oklahoma Mesonet Mark Shafer Director of Climate Information Oklahoma Climatological Survey February 20, 2004

Overview of the Oklahoma Climatological Survey Established in 1980 as State Climate Office Legislative mandate to acquire, process, and disseminate climate and weather data and information for use by the state’s citizens Extensive archive of climate information Operates the Oklahoma Mesonet Actively supports climate and mesoscale research and outreach programs

Overview of the Oklahoma Mesonet Statewide network of 115 automated weather stations At least one site in every county in Oklahoma Data updated every 15 minutes, around-the- clock Developed through a partnership between OSU and OU Network became operational on 1 Jan 1994 Recognized for by the research community as the premier state network in the nation

The Oklahoma Mesonet (Average Spacing is ~30 km)

What OCS can do to aid Economic Development in Oklahoma

OCS/Mesonet Software Visualization software for the desktop PC Software and databases to manage the flow of data from Mesonet sites to the customer Dynamic web pages Adaptable to other purposes: Province of Quebec, Jazz Hall of Fame Opportunities: licensing and content development

Interactive Mapping of Weather — Including Overlays of Warnings, Radar, and Surface Conditions Relative to Roadways and Other Assets.

Outreach Programs OK-FIRST: Emergency managers, Innovations in American Government award- winner Earthstorm: K-12 classrooms Electric Utilities: developed for rural coops AgWeather: custom decision-support system for agricultural applications Opportunities: developing decision-support systems, training materials, and workshops for other states or municipalities

Climate Services Packaging historical information to meet particular needs Blending data with expert judgment Applied research and climate studies Risk and vulnerability assessments Opportunities: Emphasize positive aspects of Oklahoma climate; dispel perceptions

OCS / ODOC Collaboration Boeing concerned about threat of tornadoes in Tulsa. OCS shows that significant tornadoes occur about once every years at any location in NE Oklahoma. Many competitor cities see hurricane-strength tropical storms every ten years … or more often !

Recap Licensing software Developing dynamic web pages and decision- support systems Training and course materials Helping Economic Development Coalitions “sell” Oklahoma

QUESTIONS? Copyright © 2004, Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma. All Rights Reserved.

A joint effort between - Oklahoma State University and University of Oklahoma The Oklahoma Mesonet 115 environmental monitoring stations statewide

A standard Mesonet tower and its Instruments

Measurements at a Mesonet Site Every Five Minutes: –Air Temperature — 1.5 m and 9 m –Relative Humidity — 1.5 m –Rainfall (tipping bucket) –Barometric Pressure –Solar Radiation — 1.8 m –Wind Speed/Direction — 10 m [+speed at 2 m] Plus Std Dev of 10 m wind speed and direction

Measurements at a Mesonet Site Every Fifteen Minutes: –5 cm soil temperature — bare soil/natural sod –10 cm soil temperature — bare soil/natural sod –30 cm soil temperature — natural sod Every Thirty Minutes: –5 cm soil moisture –25 cm soil moisture –60 cm soil moisture –75 cm soil moisture

OLETS and the Oklahoma Mesonet: Delivering Products and Information to Decision Officials at the Sub-County Level © 2003 Oklahoma Climatological Survey