Manual Data Rainfall and maximum/minimum air temperature data were manually recorded between 1978 and 1987 at WP, GH (see below)

Early automated stations 1987-1993 (Tandy 102 computers, ADC-1 analog-digital converter and BASIC weather station program C) at WP, GH, HP (see below)

Automated permanent "trimast" stations

1993-1999 Tandy 102 computers, ADC-1 analog-digital converter and BASIC weather station program C)
1999-2003 MacIntosh powerbook 550C computers, ADC-1 analog-digital converter and BASIC weather station program D)

The "trimast" stations were designed to support instruments in triplicate so that each record includes three readings rather than just one. In this way instrument error and other problems could be identified by comparing readings between instruments.The goal of the system is to collect data over a long period from representative sites on the reserve (see map). Made from galvanized pipe, these towers were build to last afor many years.

Habitat represented	location	station abbreviation	UTM zone 10 coordinates	elevation (feet above sea level)	dates of operation
Coastal bluff scrub	GateHouse (Big Creek canyon mouth)	GH	626,280 3,992,519	30'	1987-
Redwood forest	Redwood Camp (Devil's Creek canyon)	RW	626,809 3,993,166	220'	2000-
Ceanothus coastal scrub	Whale Point cabin (Slopes facing ocean)	WP	626,538 3,992,610	600'	1988-
Coastal grassland	midway up Highlands Ridge facing ocean	HR	627,310 3,992,283	1100'	2000-
Pine/oak/chaparral	top of Highlands Peak	HP	629,679 3,991,980	2500'	1994-

 

HOBO Weather Stations 2002 - present

In 2002 we began replacing the 1993 weather stations with newer HOBO weather stations. We plan to continue until all the stations have been replaced with modern equipment. The HOBO stations are programmed to record every 15 minutes, and include Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) readings as well as wind, rain and air temp/humidity.

Unedited Data

1987-2003 Data includes air temperature, rainfall, windspeed, wind direction, and relative humidity. Data are sampled continuously (about once/second) and stored in in computer files here on the reserve, using a "text and tabs" (spreadsheet) format using ASCII text. Data are recorded and summarized in five types of files (filename examples are for GH station, December 2000). Data with these filename formats have not been checked for accuracy, but are available at the reserve upon request.

Type of data recorded in "text and tabs" ASCII file:	new file created:	filename example:
Every fifteen minutes a "15-minute interval" summary is prepared and appended to an "interval" spreadsheet file.	every month	GH0012MN.TXT
Every hour an "hourly" summary is prepared and appended to an "hourly" file.	every month	GH0012.TXT
Every hour summary data is added to an hourly register, which will be averaged over a one month period.	every year	GH00AV.TXT
At midnight a "daily" summary is prepared and appended to a "daily" file.	every year	GH00.TXT
At midnight after the end of the month a "monthly" summary is prepared and appended to a "monthly" file.	one permanent file	GHSUMM.TXT

2002-present HOBO weather station data is stored in excel files, "text and tabs" spreadsheet files, and also in HOBO "Boxcar" files. The data is then summarized into daily summaries, and from those files into monthly summaries. Unedited HOBO data is downloaded periodically and is available on the web page for each individual station (GH, RW, WP, HR, HP)

Metadata "Daily summary" data from the weather stations has been compiled into excel spreadsheets (e.g. "GH daily summaries.xls") and initially checked for validity. Erroneous and questionable data have been flagged orange and yellow, respectively. These files are available at the reserve upon request. These files have also been summarized and documented as metadata, which may be found in the file "daily summary metadata.xls." This file currently has over 250 metadata listings. Each listing corresponds to a single deployment of an individual sensor at a given site.

Corrected long term data sets Each type of daily summary data (e.g. air temp, rainfall, etc.) has also been compiled into files comparing across the different stations. This enables futher cross-checking and error correction. At the present time two such files are available: Big Creek Air Temperatures and Big Creek Rainfall. The Big Creek Wind Speed analysis is in preparation. These files provide the cleanest, most error-free long term weather data for the reserve.

Air temperature We have summarized air temperature data for all five sites in an excel file. We also prepared charts comparing air temperatures between the coastal site (most strongly influenced by the marine inversion layer) and the highest elevation site at Highlands Peak. The daily minimum temperatures also indicate a possible influence of cool air drainage down Big Creek Canyon in the morning hours.

Rainfall We have summarized the rainfall data at all five sites in an excel file. Although there are gaps and measrement problems, the general trend is one of increasing rainfall at higher elevations; about 50% more at 2500' feet as cpompared with sea level.

Windspeed This data has not yet been summarized and compiled, but is available in unprocessed form.