National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientists have announced the nationwide availability of a new, high-tech climate monitoring network to keep tabs on the nation's temperature and precipitation trends. The U.S. Climate Reference Network (CRN) will improve the ability of America's decision-makers to form policies about programs impacted by climate variability and change.

The CRN currently plans to include 100 automated observing stations throughout the United States that will monitor temperature, precipitation, solar radiation and wind speed. NOAA Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites will transmit the data received from ground-based stations in near real-time to NOAA's National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) in Asheville, N.C. The NCDC will make the observations publicly available online.

"The CRN will give America a first-class observing network for the next 50 to 100 years, and serve as a benchmark for climate monitoring," Gregory W. Withee, assistant administrator for NOAA's Satellite and Information Service, said. Withee added that the network will help government and industry decision-makers shape policies affected by changes in America's climate.

After two years of testing and calibrating sensors, a pair of observing stations was installed in the Asheville area. There are now 45 stations operating in 26 states, with additional deployments for the next two years planned at a rate of about 27 each year. See www.ncdcnoaa.gov/oa/climate/uscrn/.