WegenerNet: A Pioneering High-Resolution Network for Monitoring Weather and Climate

Abstract

The Feldbach region in southeast Austria, characteristic for experiencing a rich variety of weather and climate patterns, has been selected as the focus area for a pioneering weather and climate observation network at very high resolution: The WegenerNet comprises 151 meteorological stations measuring temperature, precipitation, and other parameters, in a tightly spaced grid within an area of about 20 km × 15 km centered near the city of Feldbach (46.93°N, 15.90°E). With its stations about every 2 km2, each with 5-min time sampling, the network provides regular measurements since January 2007, after a pilot phase, until 2010, meanwhile in an operational manner. Quality-controlled station time series and gridded field data (spacing 200 m × 200 m) are available in near–real time (data latency less than 1–2 h) for visualization and download via a data portal (www.wegenernet.org; detailed information is available via www.wegcenter.at/wegenernet). This paper introduces the WegenerNet from its design and setup via its processing system and data products to showing example results. The latter include extreme weather event examples, climate variability over the 5-yr period from 2007 to 2011, and an example of calibration support to coupled climate–hydrology modeling. The network is set to serve as a long-term monitoring and validation facility for weather and climate research and applications. Uses include validation of nonhydrostatic models operated at 1-km-scale resolution and of statistical downscaling techniques (in particular for precipitation), validation of weather radar and satellite data, study of orography–climate relationships, and many others.

Evaluation of high-resolution precipitation analyses using a dense station network

“…In this work, the INCA precipitation analyses are validated against the independent data set of the WegenerNet climate station network (operated by the Wegener Centre for Climate and Global Change, University of Graz, Austria; Kirchengast et al, 2014). Rather than the development of new verification measures, this paper applies well-established verification standards (e.g.…”

“…This brief description of the station network WegenerNet, operated by the Wegener Center for Climate and Global Change of the University of Graz, Austria, is based on Kirchengast et al (2014) and Kabas (2012), wherein detailed further information can be found. The WegenerNet comprises 151 meteorological stations within an area of about 20 km × 15 km in southeastern Styria, Austria (centred near the city of Feldbach, 46.93 • N, 15.90 • E), a region with high weather variability (Kabas et al, 2011a, b).…”

“…In the present study, only such flag 0 data were used. Further details about the QCS and all implemented checks can be found in Kirchengast et al (2014) and Scheidl (2014).…”

“…The WegenerNet provides highly resolved individual station data and regular grids since 1 January 2007 as a new data source for research projects investigating local-scale weather and climate and environmental change. Moreover, the data records serve as information source for various applications in the study region (Kirchengast et al, 2014;Kabas et al, 2011b).…”

Assessment of spatial uncertainty of heavy local rainfall using a dense gauge network

“…In order to contribute to the effort for better assessing the uncertainty of rainfall at fine scales associated with the spatial variability of local rainfall, we employed 10-year rainfall data from WegenerNet Feldbach region (WEGN), a high-density 30 network in southeastern Austria (Kirchengast et al, 2014). The network includes 150 rain gauges deployed over an area of 300 km 2 , approximately corresponding to one gauge per 2 km 2 .…”