# Data Sources for Global Temperatures (Primary & Secondary) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 22, 2009, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/data-sources-for-global-temperatures-primary-secondary/500588 "2009-06-22T15:27:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/data-sources-for-global-temperatures-primary-secondary/500588/1 "2009-06-22T15:27:46Z")
Dear SDMB, The most prominent science-related issue in today’s political discourse is likely the temperature of earth’s environment(s), and how human behavior may be affecting the temperature. In an attempt to better familiarize myself with this subject, I’m trying to learn what data are being used by members of the scientific community. I want to learn more about any “major” data sets that are cited a lot, but all other data sets as well, including lesser cited ones. So far my understanding of existing data sources is the following: 1. [Remote Sensing Systems](http://www.ssmi.com/) (RSS) has a twenty year data set of satellite data. This measures reflected wavelengths of various light in the atmosphere, and these data are then analyzed to calculate temperature data. Thus, the data collected by the RSS satellites is secondary data with respect to earth temperature. 2. The [University of Alabama–Huntsville](http://www.uah.edu/News/climatebackground.php) (UAH) collects satellite microwave data from NOAA satellites, which is interpreted in a manner similar to RSS data. The UAH data are also secondary. The UAH also has cross-checked its data against ground data and found a strong correlation. (Is the UAH data from a different set of satellites than the RSS data?) 3. NASA’s [Goddard Institute for Space Studies](http://data.giss.nasa.gov/) (GISS) collects ground based temperature data from 1000-2000(?) land and sea(?) based climate stations. This is primary data. Questions: - What other groups and/or data collection devices are being used? I realize the answers to this question are myriad but all (accurate) information is appreciated. - Can anyone shed more light or detail on these data and how they are collected, and the degree of transparency that exists within the organizations modeling the data? E.g., I understand that sometimes processing is done on the data to ameliorate the effect of inconsistencies in the collection process, such as an orbital satellite moving closer to the ground. Do these groups release “raw” data as well as “corrected” data, and/or do they explain all their corrections? - Am I drawing a useless or false dichotomy between “primary” measurements of actual temperature and secondary measurements? see also > **[Satellite temperature measurements](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satellite_temperature_measurements)** > > Satellite temperature measurements are inferences of the temperature of the atmosphere at various altitudes as well as sea and land surface temperatures obtained from radiometric measurements by satellites. These measurements can be used to locate weather fronts, monitor the El Niño-Southern Oscillation, determine the strength of tropical cyclones, study urban heat islands and monitor the global climate. Wildfires, volcanos, and industrial hot spots can also be found via thermal imaging from we... Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/data-sources-for-global-temperatures-primary-secondary/500588/2 "2009-06-23T03:44:56Z")
All right so this isn’t sexy, but surely someone out there knows more about temperature data / “climate change” data than I do. Anyone? ---
**Author:** ![intention](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e95f7d/32.png) [@intention](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/intention)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2009, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/data-sources-for-global-temperatures-primary-secondary/500588/3 "2009-06-23T07:06:46Z")
Hadley centre maintains the [HadCRUT](http://www.cru.uea.ac.uk/cru/data/temperature/) dataset There’s an excellent interface at [KNMI](http://climexp.knmi.nl/start.cgi?someone@somewhere) for a host of data. There’s a searchable dataset at [CO2Science](http://co2science.org/) GISS station data is available [here](http://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/station_data/). Don’t forget [http://climateaudit.org](http://climateaudit.org) and [http://wattsupwiththat.com/](http://wattsupwiththat.com/) Look around at those two sites for a number of discussions of the GISS, HadCRUT, UAH, RSS, and other datasets. HTH