On the Availability of High-Resolution Data for Near-Surface Climate Analysis in the Continental U.S.

Increased recognition of potential future climate changes has sparked an urgency in understanding the various linkages among weather, climate and sectors of society. Furthermore, the need for improving climate models is also paramount. Meteorological observations are critical for accomplishing both. A deeper knowledge of the origin, nuances and availability of observation-based climate data can lead to better analyses and validations. In this article, we review the suite of current meteorological observing networks across the continental U.S. In addition, we discuss both the statistical procedures that are used to construct climate data products from observing records, and the climate data products themselves. The focus here is on datasets with daily to hourly time steps, with an emphasis on gridded climate data products of spatial resolutions under 15 km. Ultimately, this paper is geared towards climatologists as well as those outside of the climate field, who need data to empower near-surface atmospheric science research at the local scale. Presently, new observing networks supported by massive volunteer communities are potential game changers, yet the public still lacks both daily precipitation data suitable for high-resolution and/or long-term analyses and rigorous validation of high-resolution gridded climate data products.