Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Fifty years of detailed weather measurements earned the KU Atmospheric Sciences Program recognition from the National Weather Service.
On Monday, representatives from the Topeka office of the National Weather Service presented the Cooperative Observer Award for the University’s longevity in gathering temperature and rainfall data at the weather station near Lindley Hall.
Ken Harding, a meteorologist in charge of weather forecasting in Topeka, said the years of data collection at the weather station were valuable to the region’s climate averages.
“Long, unbroken data sets really get scientists excited,” he said.
The University’s weather station is among the 11,000 NWS stations in the U.S., 300 of which are in Kansas.
Donna Tucker, associate professor of geography, said the data would serve a number of practical purposes. She said information about the first and last days of the frost was useful for farmers and construction workers. Readings from the weather station could also be used in court to substantiate a witness’ testimony, she said.
Johannes Feddema, professor of geography, said long-term data from a variety of locations would help scientists chart climate trends. Data can be interpreted in many different ways, but he said current figures indicate a temperature increase of half a degree per decade during the last 30 years.
The weather station was one of the oldest of Kansas’ stations, Feddema said. It joined the NWS network in 1957, but has been taking measurements at the University for at least 80 years.
The station has two components. One is the 4-foot tall pole with a thermometer attached at the top that sits on the front lawn of Lindley Hall. The other is a rain gauge on the roof of Lindley Hall.
Private citizens can often receive awards for their contributions to weather data collection.
Bill Newman, data manager for the NWS, said one award recipient was a 103-year old man from Clifton, Kan., who recorded data at 7 a.m. every morning for decades.
In addition to the station at the University, a weather station at Kansas State University also received an award from the NWS for 50 years of service.
—Edited by Sasha Roe
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