Climate

Mean annual maximum air temperature in March map .

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Authors:

A.N. Afonin, K.L. Lipiyaynen, V.Y. Tsepelev

Compilation date:

30.05.2005.

Scale:

10 km/pix

Map's precision:

The map contains averaged values of mean annual maximum air temperature for fragments of the Earth's surface with the area of 10 x 10 km.

Projection:

Albers equal-area projection for the USSR
ref. system : Alber's Equal Area Conic for Russia
projection : Alber's Equal Area Conic
datum : Pulkovo 1942 (S42)
delta WGS84 : 28 -130 -95
ellipsoid : Krasovsky
major s-ax : 6378245.000
minor s-ax : 6356863.019
origin long : 100
origin lat : 0
origin X : 0
origin Y : 0
scale fac : na
units : m
parameters : 2
stand ln 1 : 44
stand ln 2 : 68

Main content:

A bitmapped map. The map contains mean annual maximum air temperature in March.

Classifier's precision:

Temperature is expressed in degrees Centigrade to a tenth of a degree.

Map's compilation procedure:

The map was compiled on the basis of observations of air temperatures made by a net of weather-stations on the territory of the former USSR. Mean annual monthly maximum air temperatures have been found in climate handbooks (Climate Handbook, Temperature, Part 2, Issues 1-34, 1964-1970). The data from 4,620 weather stations have been used for the map. The bitmapped temperatures' layer was created by the climate simulation technique with some elements of the remainder interpolation (Kriging) (Hart T., Greene S., Afonin A., 1996). The mapping allowed for the influence on air temperature exerted by the seas and other large bodies of water. Thus, it treated separately the coastal and mainland weather-stations. All weather-stations located less that 30 km away from the coast were considered coastal. The main features taken into consideration for the mapping were the station's altitude above sea level, its latitude and longitude and the values of the average air temperature. The multiple regression equation allowed to determine the relation of maximum air temperature to the station's altitude, to the latitude and longitude of its site and to average air temperature. Values for mainland and coastal stations were calculated separately. The difference between actual and calculated values was the remainder which was interpolated over the whole scanned area (ordinary Kriging). Temperature's matrix was calculated with the Idrisi program (Image Calculator module) in accordance with the obtained regression formula where corresponding latitudinal and longitudinal matrices with the station's altitude above sea level in meters and the average air temperature were used as substitutes for latitude and longitude values. The interpolated remainder's layer was added to the calculated layer. Matrix cells' altitude have been determined with the SRTM digital relief model. The resulting field of maximum temperatures have been derived from merging of resulting mainland and coastal fields.

Data sources:

Climate Handbook, Temperature, Part 2, Issues 1-34, 1964-1970
Hart T., Greene S., Afonin A. Mapping for Germplasm Collections: Site Selection and Attribution/ ASPRS Annual meeting in Baltimore, Maryland. Web-paper. April, 1996
SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission) 3 arc second (90 meter) SRTM DTED(r) Level 1 "Finished" data derived from SRTM IFSAR data/ http://edc.usgs.gov/products/elevation.html

Rights and copyrights

All rights to the map and descriptions are reserved for their authors.