Metadata
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Alert Climate
Reference CryoNet Station Information
The site is located on the northeastern tip of Ellesmere Island. Soil composition is a mixture of shale and and clay with sparse vegetation. The surface wind tower is located in a slightly depressed area that is generally 2 metres lower than the location of the main instrument area. The area in the immediate vicinity of the station is gently rolling. The terrain slopes down to Alert Inlet which is 1.5 kilometres south of the instrument area. The terrain slopes upwards to the north where it peaks at approximately 73 metres ASL. This rise in the terrain is the location for Canadian Forces Station (CFS) Alert. A few larger hills that extend 450-600 metres ASL can be found 8 kilometres south of the station. Higher peaks ranging up to 2900 metres are 50 kilometres southwest. Lincoln Sea is the major body of water to the north and east of the station.
Other Networks to Which This CryoNet Station Belongs
- GSN - GCOS Surface Network
- RBCN - Regional Basic Climatological Network
- RBSN - Regional Basic Synoptic Network
- GUAN-WMO Global Upper Air Network
- Stratospheric Ozone Monitoring Network
Measurement Methods Used
- WMO Technical Regulations
- CIMO
Data Information
- Are the data quality controlled? yes
- How are the data accessible? HTTP (web), an existing data center
- Data availability (may depend on the variable measured): in near real-time
Measurements
The measurements made at Alert Climate are listed in the following tables. (Note: If End Year is blank, measurements are ongoing.)
Cryosphere Measurements
| Atmosphere Measurements
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Measurement Notes and Other Measurements
| Category | Description or List |
|---|---|
| Snow | The Radar and Upper Air Division of the Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC) facilitates a bi-monthly ten-point snow survey on the ground, as well as snow depth measurements on freshwater/sea ice. These past manual snow survey data can be found on the Open Government Data Portal, while recent data can be found on DataMart (http://dd.weather.gc.ca/). The following snow data are available on http://weather.gc.ca: 1) automated snow depth measurements, available under the MSC station, "Alert Climate", WMO ID 71355. 2) daily manual snowfall observations, measured by MSC, available under the station name “Alert UA”, WMO ID 71082 and 3) hourly drifting/blowing snow, currently available under the Department of National Defense station, “Alert A”, Climate ID 2400302. |
| Seaice | Sea Ice Thickness is manually measured by the Radar and Upper Air Division of the Meteorological Service of Canada, on behalf of the Canadian Ice Service. Past information is available in the Canadian Ice Service archive. |
| Freshwater ice | Lake Ice Thickness is manually measured by the Radar and Upper Air Division of the Meteorological Service of Canada, on behalf of the Canadian Ice Service. Past information is available in the Canadian Ice Service archive. |
| Atmosphere | Data is delivered to the WMO via the Global Telecommunication System from the Canadian Meteorological Centre and is also made available to the general public at: http//dd.weather.gc.ca/ and https://weather.gc.ca/. For more information, queries may be directed to the operations contact. Environment and Climate Change Canada's (ECCC) Science and Technology Branch (S&T) has a greenhouse gas monitoring station operated by the Climate Research Division with data submitted and available through the GAW World Data Centers. ECCC S&T Branch has an UV monitoring station operated by the Air Quality Research Division with data available through the GAW World Data Centers. |
| Other | ECCC MSC Branch (Radar and Upper Air Division)performs aerological soundings twice daily via radiosonde. Continuous pressure, temperature and humidity data (up to 30+km) are available from 1950 to present courtesy of NOAA at: https://www.esrl.noaa.gov/raobs/ |
