The Wacky World of Weather Stations: No. 120- Lucinda (Qld)

Monday 30/09/2019

I have been looking at the siting of weather stations all over Australia for many weeks now.  Some are worse than others, but now and then I see one which makes me scratch my head and wonder, how can the Bureau get away with this?  This is one.

Please refer back to my first post for site specifications and to No. 92- Logan City for 2018 specifications.

Station: Lucinda Point 32141

Opened: 1980

Daily Temperature data from: 1980

Data used to adjust Acorn sites at: Cairns

Location:   Co-ordinates    -18.5203 146.3861

95km north of Townsville, 180km south of Cairns.

BOM site plan 2002:

Being on the roof of the sugar loader 5.6km offshore, not surprisingly the weather station has not had an update to the site plan since 2002.

 2019 Google satellite image:

This wider Google image shows the length of the jetty.

Putting a weather station on a roof is a direct breach of the Bureau of Meteorology’s own guidelines, which state:

3.6.7  “Shelters shall not be installed on the tops of roofs, or near the exhausts or heat exchangers of such equipment as air conditioners, refrigerators and the like.”

This station cannot possibly record meaningful temperatures.  But these temperatures are duly reported on the Bureau’s websites and on TV and radio.  Not only that, but temperatures at Lucinda are used to adjust temperatures at Cairns, and thus contribute to the official climate record of Australia, and also contribute to global climate analyses by the likes of the Goddard Institute of Space Studies (GISS) and the Hadley Climate Research Unit (HadCruT).

This station is non-compliant, with temperatures reported at Latest Weather Observations and used to adjust data at Acorn sites.

FAIL

Percentage of all Australian sites not compliant: 16.57%.

I will be having a break for a few days, so no posts for a little while.

Advertisement

The Wacky World of Weather Stations: No. 119- Woolshed (Qld)

Sunday 29/09/2019

Please refer back to my first post for site specifications and to No. 92- Logan City for 2018 specifications.

Station: Woolshed 33307

Opened: 1998

Daily Temperature data from: 1998

Data used to adjust Acorn sites at: Charters Towers, Townsville.

Location:   Co-ordinates  -19.4168 146.5362

30km south-west of Townsville.

BOM site plan 2018:

 2019 Google satellite image:

The station is less than 10 metres from the treeline and 20 metres from a shed.

This station is non-compliant, with temperatures reported at Latest Weather Observations and used to adjust data at Acorn sites.

FAIL

Percentage of all Australian sites not compliant: 16.44%.

That completes stations in Herbert and Lower Burdekin district.  With 6 out of 7 checkable sites not compliant (85.7%) this is the worst region so far.  More than 51% of Queensland stations don’t meet specifications.  Tomorrow we move to the North Tropical Coast and Tablelands district of FNQ- and stay tuned for worse sites to come.

The Wacky World of Weather Stations: No. 118- Townsville (Qld)

Saturday 28/09/2019

Please refer back to my first post for site specifications and to No. 92- Logan City for 2018 specifications.

Station: Townsville Aero 32040

Opened: 1940

Daily Temperature data from: 1940

Data used to adjust Acorn sites at: Cairns, Charters Towers.

Location:   Co-ordinates -19.2483 146.7661 

BOM site plan 2012:

This is another version:

 2019 Google satellite image:

The station is built on a mound raised 2 metres above surrounding ground level, again to keep it above flood waters I presume.  The site is cluttered with instruments on concrete bases.  Large areas of bitumen carpark and sheds are within 80 metres.

This station is non-compliant, with temperatures reported at Latest Weather Observations and used to adjust data at Acorn sites.

FAIL

Percentage of all Australian sites not compliant: 16.30%.

The Wacky World of Weather Stations: No. 117- Mt Stuart Defence (Qld)

Friday 27/09/2019

Please refer back to my first post for site specifications and to No. 92- Logan City for 2018 specifications.

Station: MT Stuart Defence 32195

Opened: 2017

Daily Temperature data from: 2017

Data used to adjust Acorn sites at: —

Location:   Co-ordinates -19.4082 146.7620

About 17km south of Townville.

BOM site plan 2018:

 2019 Google satellite image:

Like the other defence sites near Townsville, this station is in natural bush close to rocks and trees.   It is also on a steep ridge with the surroundings falling away at 18 degrees- one in five.

This station is non-compliant, with temperatures reported at Latest Weather Observations but too recent to be used to adjust data at Acorn sites.

FAIL

Percentage of all Australian sites not compliant: 16.16%.

The Wacky World of Weather Stations: It’s time to catch my breath

When I started this series on 28 July, I had no idea how many non-compliant sites I would find.  At first I thought there might be a few dozen, perhaps 60 or 70 in total, and that at two per day I would be finished in five or six weeks.  I have now posted 116 and there are another 28 non-compliant Queensland sites to report on, with the Northern Territory and Western Australia still to go- and a swag of stations I plan to have a closer look at.

After two months and possibly as long to go, I am running out of puff.  For the next two weeks at least I plan to slow down my postings to one a day and even have a complete break for a while as life’s demands are starting to catch up with me.

Please have patience while I catch my breath.

 

The Wacky World of Weather Stations: No. 116- Ingham (Qld)

Thursday 26/09/2019

Please refer back to my first post for site specifications and to No. 92- Logan City for 2018 specifications.

Station: Ingham Composite 32078

Opened: 1968

Daily Temperature data from: 1968

Data used to adjust Acorn sites at: Cairns, Charters Towers.

Location:   Co-ordinates    -18.6494 146.1769

About 95km north-west of Townville.

BOM site plan 2017:

 2019 Google satellite image:

 The station is close to a gravel drive, a drain, shrubs, trees, and buildings, and 30 metres from a cane field which can vary from bare soil to cane 4 metres tall.

This station is non-compliant, with temperatures reported at Latest Weather Observations and used to adjust data at Acorn sites.

FAIL

Percentage of all Australian sites not compliant: 16.02%.

The Wacky World of Weather Stations: No. 115- Ayr (Qld)

Wednesday 25/09/2019

Please refer back to my first post for site specifications and to No. 92- Logan City for 2018 specifications.

Station: Ayr DPI 33002

Opened: 1951

Daily Temperature data from: 1951

Data used to adjust Acorn sites at: Charters Towers, Townsville.

Location:   Co-ordinates -19.6169 147.3758

About 70km south-east of Townville.

BOM site plan 2017:

 2019 Google satellite image:

This is a DPI research station,in a rural area, so “should” be OK.  However, apart from the mulch heap and the steel pipe fence and vehicle tracks, it is in a cropping area.  The dominant crop is sugar cane, so the surrounding fields can range from bare soil to thick cane up to 4 metres high.  In May a crop 1 metre high would not be cane but possibly dolichos or some other rotation crop.  It is also irrigated.  To the east are rows of recently planted fruit trees, probably mangoes.  The surroundings constantly change.

This station is non-compliant, with temperatures reported at Latest Weather Observations and used to adjust data at Acorn sites.

FAIL

Percentage of all Australian sites not compliant: 15.88%.

The Wacky World of Weather Stations: No. 114- Collinsville (Qld)

Wednesday 25/09/2019

Please refer back to my first post for site specifications and to No. 92- Logan City for 2018 specifications.

Station: Collinsville PO 33013

Opened: 1939

Daily Temperature data from: 1957

Data used to adjust Acorn sites at: Charters Towers, Townsville.

Location:   Co-ordinates  -20.5533 147.8464

About 175km south-east of Townville.

BOM site plan 2017:

 2019 Google satellite image:

The screen is very close to a crusher dust driveway, a footpath and bitumen street, buildings, and trees.

This station is non-compliant, with temperatures reported at Latest Weather Observations and used to adjust data at Acorn sites.

FAIL

Percentage of all Australian sites not compliant: 15.75%.

 

The Wacky World of Weather Stations: No. 113- Mackay (Qld)

Tuesday 24/09/2019

Please refer back to my first post for site specifications and to No. 92- Logan City for 2018 specifications.

Station: Mackay M.O.  33119

Opened: 1959

Daily Temperature data from: 1959

Data used to adjust Acorn sites at: Charters Towers, Townsville.

Location:   Co-ordinates    -21.1172  149.2169

About 810km north of Brisbane.

BOM site plan 2017:

 2019 Google satellite image:

Google street view 2010:

The screen is on a slope, near a steel fence on a concrete base, close to thick 10 metre tall trees, 18m from a bitumen road, 23m from a bitumen carpark, and 25m from a building.

This station is non-compliant, with temperatures reported at Latest Weather Observations and used to adjust data at Acorn sites.

FAIL

Percentage of all Australian sites not compliant: 15.61%.

 

The Wacky World of Weather Stations: No. 112- Alva Beach (Qld)

Tuesday 24/09/2019

Please refer back to my first post for site specifications and to No. 92- Logan City for 2018 specifications.

Station: Alva Beach 33295

Opened: 1997

Daily Temperature data from: 1997

Data used to adjust Acorn sites at: Charters Towers, Townsville.

Location:   Co-ordinates -19.4569 147.4833

About 75km south-east of Townville.

BOM site plan 2014:

 2019 Google satellite image:

The screen is sheltered by trees and 8 metres from a bitumen road/carpark and 4 metres from a barbecue shelter.  The site has changed over the years- before 2007 the road was dirt.

This station is non-compliant, with temperatures reported at Latest Weather Observations and used to adjust data at Acorn sites.

FAIL

Percentage of all Australian sites not compliant: 15.75%.