CryoNet Station and Cluster Requirements

In order for a surface station or cluster to be included in the core part of the GCW network, CryoNet, it must meet certain criteria. The minimum requirements are given below. Contributing stations, which are part of the GCW surface network but not part of CryoNet, do not have the same requirements (see the Station-Cluster Types page). If a station or cluster meets these requirements, additional information can be provided for further evaluation through the GCW Station/Cluster Questionnaire. The application process is detailed here.

CryoNet Station Requirements

  1. Core CryoNet measurement requirements: The station shall consistently1 measure at least one variable of one of the cryosphere components (i.e., snow, solid precipitation, lake and river ice, sea ice, glaciers and ice caps, ice sheets and ice shelves, permafrost and seasonally frozen ground)2. The station location is chosen such that cryospheric measurements are representative of the surrounding region, and such representativeness needs to be clearly described3.
  2. Commitment of operational continuity: The station shall be active. The responsible agencies shall be committed, to the extent reasonable, to sustaining long-term observations of at least one cryosphere component. There shall be a commitment to continue measurements for a minimum of four years.
  3. Up-to-date and available metadata: The station metadata, including all metadata describing the station characteristics and observing program, shall be kept up to date and available to the GCW Portal, and to the WIGOS Information Resource – OSCAR/Surface.
  4. Compliance with Agreed Regulatory Practice: The station observational procedures, the instruments and methods of observation, quality control practices, etc., shall follow GCW-endorsed regulations.
  5. Freely available data and ancillary data: Data shall be made freely available and, whenever possible, in (near) real-time. In situ ancillary meteorological observations, as required by CryoNet practices, shall also be available with documented quality.
  6. Competency of Staff: Personnel must be trained in the operation and maintenance of the station.

CryoNet Cluster Requirements

  1. A cluster comprises at least one GCW CryoNet station.
  2. A cluster shall encompass observations over an area larger than a conventional observing station.
  3. Integrated clusters have technical supporting staff.
  4. Integrated clusters have training capability.
  5. There is a long-term financial commitment.
  6. Data are made freely available, and whenever possible in (near) real-time.
1 Measurements must be made consistently but not necessarily continuously. For example, some stations may only be able to make measurements in one season, but can do so consistently year after year.
2 Measuring more than one variable is preferred. Recommended variables are listed on the GCW website.
3 The size of the region depends not only on geography (coastal, alpine, sea ice), but also on the type of station. Mobile stations such as drifting ice buoys may move within a large and variable region.