Leveraging Decadal Averages of Mesoscale Observations from the Oklahoma Mesonet to Provide Decision-makers Enhanced Tools

The Oklahoma Mesonet is an automated network of 120 remote, meteorological stations across Oklahoma. Each station measures core parameters that include: air temperature and relative humidity at 1.5 m, wind speed and direction at 10 m, atmospheric pressure, downwelling solar radiation, rainfall, and bare and vegetated soil temperatures at 10 cm below ground level. In addition, over 100 sites measure air temperature at 9 m. In an effort to avoid anthropogenic influences, most Oklahoma Mesonet sites are located in rural areas. Mesonet data are collected and transmitted to a central point every 5 minutes where they are quality controlled, distributed and archived. The Oklahoma Mesonet Long Term Averages dataset was developed as the result of various independent grant funded and investigator driven research projects, such as the Oklahoma Water Resources Board and the Oklahoma Water Resources Research Institute, within the Research Group at the Oklahoma Climatological Survey. Many of these research projects, which also involved staff from both the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University, required the decadal analysis of various meteorological variables measured by the Oklahoma Mesonet. The Oklahoma Mesonet Long Term Averages dataset uses observations from the Oklahoma Mesonet from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2011 and has helped provide a launching point for the Oklahoma Mesonet to be utilized not only as a weather observing network, but also as a future climate observing network. Analysis of decadal data has become more prevalent in decision making as advanced monitoring networks, such as the Oklahoma Mesonet, make the data available to the public. The Long Term Averages dataset allows decision makers to utilize unique web-based tools to make informed assessments of conditions based on current data's comparison to the decadal trend.