Collecting weather data to tackle climate change, a mission for Arantec’s weather stations


Island regions are considered particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

And the Canary archipelago is no stranger to this circumstance. In fact, it is already suffering its consequences, with an increase in sea level of almost 8 centimeters in the last 27 years (1) and an increase in temperature of 0.3 ºC per decade in the Teide National Park.

Thus, weather data collection, an essential activity for monitoring climate change, has become a priority for many organizations, including governments, companies, universities and research centers.

And capturing that weather information is a task in which Arantec is demonstrating the value of its weather monitoring solutions.

Challenges and solutions for weather data collection

Data from weather stations are a fundamental resource for modeling and analyzing climate patterns and, therefore, for tracking the evolution of climate change.

But, on many occasions, gathering this information, having accurate and detailed meteorological data can become a handicap.

What are the main challenges faced by entities and organizations that need to collect weather data as part of their research?

  • Problems in collecting accurate and reliable data, essential for proper climate research.
  • Delay in obtaining data, especially in the case of manual observations. This situation becomes especially problematic when these meteorological data are also used for the issuance of warnings and the mobilization of teams in the event of extreme weather events.
  • Absence of data for key locations, as in the case of Tenerife.
  • Lack of trained personnel to operate and maintain advanced weather data collection equipment.
  • High costs derived from the acquisition and maintenance with own means of equipment for the collection of meteorological information.

The solution: deploying automatic weather stations to strengthen climate change monitoring

The automatic weather stations that Arantec will install in Tenerife will help to solve these problems.

An Automated Weather Station (AMS) is a stand-alone, automated version of a traditional weather station. It is designed to save labor and perform measurements in remote and isolated areas.

It is composed of a support structure and a set of sensors in charge of collecting meteorological data, such as

  • wind speed and direction;
  • atmospheric pressure;
  • temperature;
  • relative humidity;
  • solar radiation, or
  • precipitation

which are sent in real time via satellite or communication protocols such as LoRaWAN.

In the case of projects analyzing the evolution of climate change, these devices complement observations obtained by other means (satellites, for example), filling in information “gaps”. They also make it possible,

  • The availability of accurate and reliable data improves the quality of the climate models and the client’s ability to envisage possible future scenarios;
  • contribute to the advancement of climate research by helping to better understand the consequences of climate change and making new studies possible, especially when meteorological data are freely available;
  • employ innovative and reliable technologies that reduce the potential failures of manual data transcription;
  • reduce long-term costs derived from the outsourcing of system maintenance services.

Meteorological monitoring to understand how climate change affects Tenerife

In February 2023, Arantec was awarded a project for the supply, installation and commissioning of three climate data collection points using sensors to monitor climate change in Tenerife.

As you can see in the image, all the points are located around the Teide peak (3715 meters).

Location of the stations to be installed. Cartographic source: SDI viewer of the Territorial Information System of the Government of Canary Islands.

The three locations are located in the altitude range between 800 and 2000 meters, an area for which, to date, no quality meteorological information is available.

This weather data collection is part of the MAC-Clima project, an initiative whose purpose is to develop a weather and ocean monitoring system to promote resilience and adaptation to climate change.

What sensors will these stations be equipped with? The meteorological data to be collected require, in particular, the installation of sensors:

  • Temperature and humidity.
  • Wind speed and direction.
  • Soil water content (at 12 cm depth), soil temperature, soil conductivity and dielectric permittivity.
  • Precipitation (rain gauge).
  • Net radiation (albedometer) of short wavelength.
  • Ultraviolet B radiation (UVB).
  • Atmospheric pressure.

Conclusion

The collection of accurate and detailed weather data is essential for analyzing possible climate scenarios. And especially in Tenerife, a vulnerable island territory where tourism is an important source of economic income.

Arantec’s weather data collection solutions, which, as you can see, are customizable, are going to demonstrate once again how using the most innovative technologies accurate and real-time weather information can be collected.

Whether to better understand the threat posed by climate change, to obtain reliable information, to expand scientific knowledge or to create a warning network, Arantec’s solutions are therefore the best solution.

If you need to take your research to the next level, Arantec is your answer.

Sources consulted

  • Marrero-Betancort, Nerea, Javier Marcello, Dionisio Rodríguez-Esparragón, and Santiago Hernández-León. 2022. “Sea Level Change in the Canary Current System during the Satellite Era” Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 10, no. 7: 936. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse10070936.

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