Skip to main content
Skip to site search

Site Selection Criteria

  1. Program Overview
  2. Why A USCRN is Needed
  3. Who Can Benefit
  4. Site Selection Criteria
  5. What is Measured
  6. Station Instruments
  7. Site Photos

In order to make accurate measurements of climate across multiple decades, many criteria are considered before selecting a site and establishing a USCRN station. The primary criteria include:

A density study was conducted to determine the number of general geographic locations that would provide the best possible coverage in the different U.S. climate regions, given budget constraints. Digital topographic maps and a climatological profile of the locations proposed for stations are examined, and aerial photographs are studied. The need for unchanging physical surroundings, particularly avoiding encroachment by man-made structures, means there is some flexibility in adjusting the optimal geographic location to take advantage of a more stable location near a targeted site.