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The University of Maine is now part of a nationwide program to track weather trends in the 21st century.
A weather station was built at Rogers Farm in Old Town as part of a system developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
“The Climate Reference Network is trying to see what our climate is doing [over the] next 50 to 100 years,” said Dr. Gregory Zielinski, a Maine state climatologist and a research associate professor in the UMaine Institute for Quaternary and Climate Studies.
NOAA is developing the Climate Reference Network and provided the funding for the installation of the weather station at Rogers Farm. Tennessee’s Oakridge Laboratories, a government lab, installed the station in September.
The goal of the project is to obtain a standard record of climate changes across the country.
UMaine officials signed an agreement to be responsible for light maintenance. Individuals in Tennessee can see the data and will call the farm to check the wiring if they notice a problem with readings.
“The individuals who are doing experimentation can apply this information to their studies,” Zielinski said.
According to Zielinski, the station is an excellent representation of our climate because it is not close to crops, trees, housing or an urban center. The Old Town location also chosen because it is an area that is not likely to be developed in the next 30 to 100 years, so the weather station can record accurate readings for an extended period of time without interference, Zielinski said. The trees are far enough away that they don’t block rain or sun.
“That site is really just about ideal,” Zielinski said.
This station represents northern Maine. According to a recent press release, the other weather station is located in the Aroostook Wildlife Refuge in Limestone.
The weather station is about 10 feet wide and consists of a series of steel pipes. Fencing surrounds the rain gauge to help break up wind that could cause inaccurate readings.
There are three thermometers, a wind-speed monitor, a rain gauge and equipment to monitor relative humidity, solar radiation and precipitation. The rain gauge acts as a “tipping bucket,” Zielinski said. The “bucket” tips when one hundredth of an inch of water falls inside, and the amount is then recorded.
“[The station] shows a good cooperation with NOAA,” Zielinski said. “It’s key for the university.”
The readings from the Rogers Farm weather station can be seen at http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/servlets/crnall. The information displayed at this site shows humidity level, temperature and precipitation level, among other readings.
