Global Historical Climatology Network - Monthly (GHCN-M), Version 2
**Please note, the temperature portion of this dataset has been superseded by a newer version. Users should not use this version except in rare cases (e.g., when reproducing previous studies that used this version). The precipitation subset of this dataset is still the latest version available.** The Global Historical Climatology Network Monthly (GHCN-M) Version 2 dataset created by the NCDC contains historical temperature, precipitation, and pressure data for thousands of land stations worldwide. The period of record varies from station to station, with several thousand extending back to 1950 and several hundred being updated monthly. Both historical and near-real-time GHCN-M data undergo rigorous quality assurance reviews. These reviews include pre-processing checks on source data, time series checks that identify spurious changes in the mean and variance, spatial comparisons that verify the accuracy of the climatological mean and the seasonal cycle, and neighbor checks that identify outliers from both a temporal and a spatial perspective. Only one file for the temperature data is available from the archive (file is for period of record ending in 2011), but precipitation data has been archived daily since 2012.
Dataset Citation
- Cite as: Thomas C. Peterson and Russell S. Vose (1997): Global Historical Climatology Network - Monthly (GHCN-M), Version 3. [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. doi:10.7289/V5X34VDR [access date].
Dataset Identifiers
- NCEI DSI 9100_02
- gov.noaa.ncdc:C00835
ISO 19115-2 Metadata
gov.noaa.ncdc:C00835
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Ordering Instructions | Contact NCEI for other distribution options and instructions. |
Distributor |
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information ncei.info@noaa.gov |
Dataset Point of Contact | GHCN-M Product Team DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI > National Centers for Environmental Information, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce +1 (828) 271-4800 ncdc.ghcnm@noaa.gov |
Dataset Point of Contact | Customer Engagement Branch NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information 1-828-271-4800 ncei.orders@noaa.gov |
Time Period | 1701-01-01 to Present |
Spatial Bounding Box Coordinates |
West: -180.0
East: 180.0
South: -90.0
North: 90.0
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Dataset Information |
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Edition | Version 2 |
Data Presentation Form | Digital table - digital representation of facts or figures systematically displayed, especially in columns |
Dataset Progress Status | Complete - production of the data has been completed |
Data Update Frequency | Daily |
Purpose | To monitor long-term trends in temperature and precipitation. |
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Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
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Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Data Center Keywords
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Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Platform Keywords
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Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Instrument Keywords
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Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords
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Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords
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Lineage Statement | GHCN-Monthly Version 2 has significant improvements over version 1: more data (e.g., the precipitation data set has data from over 20,000 stations) from more sources (over 30 different sources including the Colonial Era Archive Project contributed to version 2), more elements (mean monthly maximum and minimum temperature data as well as mean temperature), better Quality Control, homogeneity adjustments, and a wider selection of station metadata. GHCN-Monthly Version 2 currently provides precipitation data that is available from 20,590 stations and sea level pressure data for 2,668 stations. The [now superseded] temperature product contains mean temperature data for 7,280 stations and maximum/minimum temperature data for 4,966 stations (available until 2011). All stations have at least 10 years of data. The archive also contains homogeneity-adjusted data for a subset of this network (5,206 mean temperature stations and 3,647 maximum/minimum temperature stations). The homogeneity-adjusted network is somewhat smaller because at least 20 years of data were required to compute reliable discontinuity adjustments and the homogeneity of some isolated stations could not be adequately assessed. |
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Last Modified: 2023-06-23
For questions about the information on this page, please email: ncei.info@noaa.gov
For questions about the information on this page, please email: ncei.info@noaa.gov