U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Techniques and Methods 2–B1

Prepared in cooperation with the National Park Service

Weather and Climate Monitoring Protocol,

Channel Islands National Park, California
Cover photo caption:

Santa Rosa Island, Channel Islands National Park Remote Automated Weather Station 

antenna, view to North. Photograph by Rockne Rudolph, National Park Service, 2006.
Weather and Climate Monitoring Protocol, 

Channel Islands National Park, California

By Kathryn McEachern, Paula Power, Linda Dye, and Rocky Rudolph

Prepared in cooperation with the National Park Service

Techniques and Methods 2–B1

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Chapter 1 of

Section B, Climatological Science

Book 2, Collection of Environmental Data
U.S. Department of the Interior

DIRK KEMPTHORNE, Secretary

U.S. Geological Survey

Mark D. Myers, Director

U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2008

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Suggested citation:

McEachern, Kathryn; Power, Paula; Dye, Linda; and Rudolph, Rocky, 2008, Weather and climate monitoring protocol, 

Channel Islands National Park, California: U.S. Geological Survey Techniques and Methods 2–B1, 16 p. Available at 

http://pubs.usgs.gov/tm/tm2b1/ 
iii

Contents

1.0 Introduction...........................................................................................................................................1

1.1 Background..................................................................................................................................1

1.2 Objectives of Weather and Climate Monitoring.....................................................................3

2.0 Island Weather Stations .....................................................................................................................3

2.1 Anacapa Island Overview..........................................................................................................4

National Park Service Remote Automated Weather Station ..............................................4

Ranger Weather Station .............................................................................................................5

2.2 Santa Cruz Island Overview ......................................................................................................5

National Park Service Remote Automated Weather Station – Main Ranch .....................6

Weather Stations Operated by Others .....................................................................................6

California State University, Northridge ...........................................................................6

Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club – Diablo Peak.......................................................6

University of California, Santa Barbara ..........................................................................7

Ranger Weather Stations ...........................................................................................................7

Scorpion ...............................................................................................................................7

Navy Site ..............................................................................................................................7

Main Ranch Precipitation Data .................................................................................................7

2.3 Santa Rosa Island Overview .....................................................................................................8

National Park Service Remote Automated Weather Station—Black Mountain ..............8

Ranger Weather Station .............................................................................................................8

2.4 Santa Barbara Island Overview................................................................................................9

National Park Service Remote Automated Weather Station ...............................................9

Ranger Weather Station .............................................................................................................9

2.5 San Miguel Island Overview .....................................................................................................9

National Park Service Remote Automated Weather Station ...............................................9

Remote Automated Weather Station Operated by the Navy..............................................10

Ranger Weather Station ...........................................................................................................10

3.0 Weather Station Maintenance and Diagnostics ..........................................................................11

3.1 Remote Automated Weather Station (RAWS) Maintenance.............................................11

3.2 Ranger Weather Station Instrument Maintenance.............................................................11

4.0 Weather and Climate Monitoring Program Tasks and Roles......................................................11

5.0 Reporting..............................................................................................................................................12

6.0 Training Requirements.......................................................................................................................13

7.0 Channel Islands National Park Weather Data Websites.............................................................13

8.0 Acknowledgments..............................................................................................................................13

9.0 References ..........................................................................................................................................13

Appendix A. Channel Islands National Park Remote Automated Weather Stations ...................14

Appendix B. Attributes of Ranger Weather Station............................................................................15
iv

Figures

Figure 1. Map showing the California Channel Islands, California .............................. 2

Figure 2. Map showing location of the Remote Automated Weather Stations (RAWS) 

and Ranger Weather Station on Anacapa Island, Channel Island National Park, 

California .................................................................................... 4

Figure 3. Map showing location of seven Remote Automated Weather Stations (RAWS) 

and two Ranger Weather Stations on Santa Cruz Island, Channel Island National 

Park, California .............................................................................. 5

Figure 4. Map showing location of one Remote Automated Weather Station (RAWS) 

and current and historic Ranger Weather Stations on Santa Rosa Island, 

Channel Island National Park, California ................................................ 8

Figure 5. Map showing location of one Remote Automated Weather Station (RAWS) 

and a Ranger Weather Station on Santa Barbara Island, Channel Islands 

National Park, California .................................................................. 9

Figure 6. Map showing location of a Remote Automated Weather Station (RAWS) 

and a Ranger Weather Station on San Miguel Island, Channel Islands National 

Park, California .............................................................................. 10

Tables

Table 1. Automated Remote Weather Stations operated by other agencies or 

organizations on Santa Cruz Island and San Miguel Islands, Channel Islands 

National Park, California .................................................................. 6

Table 2. Websites with data from Remote Automated Weather Stations located in 

Channel Islands National Park, California ............................................. 12

Appendix A. Channel Islands National Park Remote Automated Weather Stations ......... 14

Appendix B. Attributes of Ranger Stations Weather Stations on the Channel Islands, 

California .................................................................................... 15
1.0 Introduction

Weather and climate are strong drivers of population 

dynamics, plant and animal spatial distributions, community 

interactions, and ecosystem states. Information on local 

weather and climate is crucial in interpreting trends and 

patterns in the natural environment for resource management, 

research, and visitor enjoyment. This document describes 

the weather and climate monitoring program at the Channel 

Islands National Park (fig. 1), initiated in the 1990s. Manual 

and automated stations, which continue to evolve as 

technology changes, are being used for this program. The 

document reviews the history of weather data collection 

on each of the five Channel Islands National Park islands, 

presents program administrative structure, and provides an 

overview of procedures for data collection, archival, retrieval, 

and reporting. This program overview is accompanied by the 

“Channel Islands National Park Remote Automated Weather 

Station Field Handbook” and the “Channel Islands National 

Park Ranger Weather Station Field Handbook.” These 

Handbooks are maintained separately at the Channel Island 

National Park as “live documents” that are updated as needed 

to provide a current working manual of weather and climate 

monitoring procedures. They are available on request from 

the Weather Program Manager (Channel Islands National 

Park, 1901 Spinnaker Dr., Ventura, CA 93001; 805.658.5700). 

The two Field Handbooks describe in detail protocols for 

managing the four remote automated weather stations (RAWS) 

and the seven manual Ranger Weather Stations on the islands, 

including standard operating procedures for equipment 

maintenance and calibration; manufacturer operating manuals; 

data retrieval and archiving; metada collection and archival; 

and local, agency, and vendor contracts. 

1.1 Background

Channel Islands National Park includes the northernmost 

five of the eight offshore California Channel Islands, scattered 

from near Point Conception, California, USA, to the border 

Weather and Climate Monitoring Protocol, Channel 

Islands National Park, California

By Kathryn McEachern1, Paula Power2, Linda Dye2, and Rocky Rudolph2

with Mexico (fig. 1). The Park islands lie 20 to 61 kilometers 

(12 to 38 miles) offshore in the Pacific Ocean. They span 

a major transition in climate that begins at the California 

coastline where the cool waters of the northern Humboldt 

Current mix with the warmer waters of the California Current 

from the south (Redmond and McCurdy, 2005). The Santa 

Barbara Channel separates the northern four islands from the 

mainland and the San Pedro Channel separates the southern 

islands from mainland California. Both channels are major 

shipping lanes for commercial and recreational traffic traveling 

north and south along the California coastline.

The five Park islands include Anacapa Island (AI), Santa 

Cruz Island (SCI), Santa Rosa Island (SRI), and San Miguel 

Island (SMI) in the northern island group and Santa Barbara 

Island (SBI) in the southern group. Ownership of the islands 

varied in the past, ranging from private ranchers to government 

agencies. Anacapa, San Miguel, and Santa Barbara Islands, 

administered by the Department of Defense, were transferred 

to the National Park Service and designated as the Channel 

Islands National Monument in 1938 and re-dedicated as 

Channel Islands National Park in 1980. Santa Rosa Island was 

purchased from private owners in 1986. The eastern 10 percent 

of Santa Cruz Island was transferred to the Channel Islands 

National Park in 1997, and another 14 percent was deeded to 

the NPS by The Nature Conservancy in 2000. All five islands 

are currently administered by the National Park Service, 

although ownership is still shared with others in several 

instances. For example, the U.S. Coast Guard owns the East 

Anacapa lighthouse and surrounding 65 hectares (161 acres), 

the U.S. Navy owns San Miguel Island, and The Nature 

Conservancy owns the western 76 percent of Santa Cruz 

Island. The history of weather data collection for the islands 

varies with the ownership history. Weather records, primarily 

precipitation, were kept by some ranchers and government 

agencies; thus records extend back to the early 1900s for some 

of the islands. Until development of the long-term weather 

monitoring program by the NPS in the mid-1980s, there 

was little consistency among the islands in how weather was 

measured and recorded (Richards, 1997). 

1

 U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, Channel 

Islands Field Station.

2

 National Park Service, Channel Islands National Park.
2 Channel Islands National Park Weather and Climate Monitoring Protocol

For the weather monitoring program, Remote Automated 

Weather Stations (RAWS) were established on four of the 

islands; no RAWS was established on San Miguel Island. 

Daily measurements are made at six additional sites by Park 

staff when they are on the islands (Ranger Weather Station 

data). These measurements supplement the RAWS data. The 

RAWS data are downloaded via satellite and archived by 

the Western Regional Climate Center (WRCC) at the Desert 

Research Institute in Reno, Nevada. The WRCC also archives 

the Ranger Weather Station data for the Park. The weather 

data are available through the WRCC website at http://www.

wrcc.dri.edu/channel_isl. The RAWS parameters measured 

include precipitation, air temperature, relative humidity, 

wind speed and direction, solar radiation, fuel moisture, fuel 

temperature, and barometric pressure.

Redmond and McCurdy (2005) discuss an approach 

to weather and climate monitoring among the Channel 

Islands in the context of nationwide climate monitoring and 

modeling. Their rationale and specific design considerations 

form the basis for the Channel Islands National Park weather 

and climate monitoring program, including the choices of 

parameters to measure, RAWS and Ranger Weather Station 

site selection, considerations for data handling and display, 

and operating procedures for site maintenance. The Channel 

Islands National Park Weather and Climate Monitoring 

Program builds upon their recommendations. This program 

protocol document presents an overview of weather data 

collected on each island, including historic and current 

station locations, historic data available, equipment used and 

maintenance schedules, procedures for data handling and 

display, general staffing and training requirements, annual 

reporting, and program administration. Two additional standalone Field Handbooks presenting operational details on 

station equipment, manufacturer manuals, equipment technical 

support, and station maintenance for the RAWS and Ranger 

Weather Stations are available from the Weather Program 

Manager at Channel Islands National Park. It is anticipated 

that this protocol document and the two Field Handbooks will 

require updating as technology changes; the updates will be 

logged and tracked independently for this protocol document 

120°0'0"W 119°0'0"W 118°0'0"W 117°0'0"W

34°0'0"N

33°0'0"N

The California Channel Islands

Channel Islands

California

National Park Service

U.S. Department of the Interior

S a n t a B a r b a r a C h a n n e

San Miguel l

Santa Rosa

Santa Cruz

Anacapa

San Nicolas

Santa Barbara

San Clemente

Santa Catalina

P a c i f i c

 O c e a n

Santa Barbara

Ventura

Produced by Channel Islands GIS, 2008 | Data courtesy of USGS and NPS

0 20 40 10 Km

P!

P!

P!

P!

Legend

National Park Boundary

S a n P e d r o C h a n n e l

Point Conception

U.S.A.

Mexico

Los Angeles

Oxnard

Figure 1. The California Channel Islands, California.
2.0 Island Weather Stations 3

and each Handbook. Operational changes will be incorporated 

into the Weather and Climate Monitoring Program documents 

as they are made, rather than being compiled annually into a 

single Program report. In this way, operations staff will always 

have current guidelines and contacts for procedures and 

protocols essential for efficient and continuous data collection 

and archival.

1.2 Objectives of Weather and Climate 

Monitoring

The Channel Islands National Park maintains long-term 

monitoring of terrestrial and marine flora and fauna, along 

with visitor-use statistics and interpretive education programs. 

The relative year-to-year variation in winter precipitation 

is greater along the California coast between Los Angeles 

and San Diego than anywhere else in the United States 

(Yoho and others, 1999; Redmond and McCurdy, 2005). In 

the Mediterranean climate of this region, weather patterns 

influence plant and animal abundance, and climate often 

explains the annual patterns and long-term trends seen in the 

monitoring data. Climate also influences the distributions of 

plants and animals across the islands, and it forms the context 

for the development of the unique island ecosystems protected 

by the Park. Evidence is accumulating that California’s 

climate is changing. A major unresolved regional question 

is whether variations in California’s rich marine upwelling 

systems track variations in the mainland’s climate. Owing to 

its extensive monitoring program and offshore location, the 

Channel Islands National Park is well suited to address such 

local, regional, and globally important questions with weather 

and other monitoring data. 

It is crucial that the weather monitoring program be 

conducted in a consistent manner through time to provide a 

continuous and reliable record of weather and climate across 

all of the islands. Weather monitoring includes data acquisition 

and storage, reporting, and careful documentation of station 

locations, maintenance, and performance through time. This 

protocol provides guidelines for consistent, long-term weather 

monitoring for use by the National Park Service (NPS) and 

others. 

The objectives of the Weather and Climate Monitoring 

Program at the Channel Islands National Park and protocol 

follow:

•	 Provide the Channel Islands National Park with hourly 

and daily data on precipitation, air temperature, wind 

direction and speed, solar radiation, fuel moisture and 

fuel temperature, barometric pressure, and dew point. 

Data are digitally accessible via the Internet in nearreal time for a variety of users, including Park staff, 

cooperators, visitors, and the public. 

•	 Provide weather and climate data for a variety of uses, 

such as early warnings of potential hazards to both 

marine and terrestrial systems, for mariner safety, for 

fire planning and management, for visitor inquiries, 

and for climatic, physical and ecological research 

needs. 

•	 Provide data for evaluation of climate patterns and 

long-term trends. Identify trends and patterns over 

periods of 5 to 100 years in surface temperatures, 

wind speed and direction, precipitation, and climate 

extremes on the five islands of the Channel Islands 

National Park.

2.0 Island Weather Stations 

Of the five islands making up the Channel Island 

National Park, all but San Miguel have one or more Remote 

Automated Weather Stations (RAWS). Data from the RAWS 

are supplemented by data collected using weather instruments 

manually operated by island staff (Ranger Weather Station 

data). Collectively, the stations provide data on weather from 

both the marine layer and the terrestrial climate regimes of the 

islands. Redmond and McCurdy (2005) provide an analysis 

of considerations for siting weather stations in the context of 

local and regional climate analysis. In addition to the Park, a 

number of agencies and organizations have also invested in 

island weather stations, including the National Interagency 

Fire Center (NIFC); the U.S. Navy; the county of Santa 

Barbara; the California State University, Northridge (CSUN); 

the University of California, Santa Barbara; and the Santa 

Barbara Amateur Radio Club. Collectively, these stations 

address the needs of Channel Islands National Park operations 

and resource management, fire planning and management, 

Navy operations, mariner safety, and specific research needs. 

Although each station contributes to a holistic view of weather 

and climate across the islands, the Channel Islands National 

Park confines its monitoring program to those RAWS and 

Ranger Weather Stations owned and operated by the Park. The 

stations are discussed in this report, and the data are accessible 

through the WRCC website. 

The following sections describe the history of the 

Park-managed RAWS and Ranger Weather Stations on each 

island, including placement of the stations, parts upgrades, 

maintenance schedules, and funding and maintenance 

responsibilities. Appendixes A and B list station locations, 

data collected, and types of sensors used for the RAWS and 

Ranger Weather Stations. In general, automated weather 

data collection began on the islands in the 1990s. NPS 

staff has recorded weather observations using various 

types of equipment since the early 1990s. Historic weather 

observations were made on most of the islands during the 

last century, however, those records vary in quality and 

consistency. The Park archives these records within the 

Weather and Climate Monitoring Program, but they are not 

included as part of the contemporary island weather record 

available on-line. 
4 Channel Islands National Park Weather and Climate Monitoring Protocol

2.1 Anacapa Island Overview

The Park operates one RAWS and one Ranger Weather 

Station on East Anacapa Island (fig. 2). The U.S. Coast Guard 

collected weather observations prior to National Park Service 

management of the island. However, those records are lost, 

and the earliest weather records date from the 1990s.

National Park Service Remote Automated 

Weather Station 

The Anacapa Island weather program was developed 

in partnership with Santa Barbara County’s Fisheries 

Enhancement Fund, which helps mitigate the adverse 

impacts of offshore oil development on local commercial 

fishing. The California Office of Historic Preservation, the 

Coast Guard, the National Weather Service, and commercial 

fishers supported the installation of a weather stations on 

East Anacapa Island. The weather station was funded by 

the county of Santa Barbara through a Memorandum of 

Agreement between the County and the Park (Agreement 

No. G8120020002). California State University, Northridge 

(CSUN), personnel installed the station in May 2004 

(Appendix A). 

The weather station was placed on the historic fog horn 

building to record unobstructed wind conditions, including 

Santa Ana winds. California’s Office of Historic Preservation 

concurred with the Park’s finding that placing weather 

instrumentation on a platform attached to the building would 

have no adverse effect on the historic building. 

The Anacapa Island RAWS provides near real-time 

weather data for the east end of the Santa Barbara Channel, the 

most heavily traveled section of the channel. These data aid 

mariners by notifying them of potentially dangerous changes 

in wind conditions. The station also provides long-term 

climate data for resource management and fire planning. 

The RAWS is mounted on the historic fog horn building 

at an elevation of 84 meters (m) (277 feet [ft]) above mean 

sea level, latitude 34°00'57", longitude 119°21'35". Because 

the weather station is mounted on the fog horn building, 

sensor cables are custom-made to specific lengths listed in the 

Channel Islands National Park Remote Automated Weather 

Station Field Handbook. Power is supplied with a 20-watt 

solar panel and auxiliary battery. The system is a Handar 555. 

Sensors include wind speed/wind direction, precipitation, 

solar radiation, relative humidity/air temperature, and fuel 

moisture/fuel temperature. For a complete description of 

software and sensors on the Anacapa station see Appendix A. 

Data are transmitted through a Geostationary Operational 

Environmental Satellite (GOES) antenna to a satellite, where 

they are downloaded and posted on the WRCC website, in 

cooperation with NIFC. The data are recorded at 10-minute 

intervals and summarized by hour on the website. Scheduled 

maintenance of the RAWS consists of an annual sensor and an 

as-needed cable swap required because the harsh environment 

quickly corrodes weather station parts. 

Figure 2. Location of the Remote Automated Weather Stations (RAWS) and Ranger Weather Station on Anacapa Island, Channel 

Island National Park, California.

119°26'0"W 119°25'0"W 119°24'0"W 119°23'0"W 119°22'0"W

34°1'0"N

34°0'0"N

Legend

Elevation

800 m

400 m

0 m

TYPE

RANGER STATION

RAWS 0 0.5 1 2 Km

Channel Islands National Park, California

Anacapa Island Weather Stations

Ranger station

Anacapa RAWS

Location

Oxnard

Produced by Channel Islands GIS, 2008 | Data courtesy of USGS and NPS
2.0 Island Weather Stations 5

Ranger Weather Station

Between 1992 and 2000, a standard white wooden 

Forest Service type weather station was used for collection of 

weather observations by island staff. It had open-air slatted 

sides approximately 1.5 m (5 ft) off the ground and was 

located a few feet from the northeast corner of the Ranger’s 

residence. In 1997, the residence basement floor cracked, 

requiring construction of a new foundation. As a result, the 

instrument housing was moved several feet northeast, to a 

location half-way between the Ranger’s and the Maintenance 

Manager’s residences (T. Gottshall, Channel Islands National 

Park, oral commun., 2005). A simple mercury maximumminimum (max/min) thermometer with a magnet reset 

was used in the shelter, and there was no relative humidity 

instrument. Ocean water temperature was taken at the landing 

cove dock each morning using a thermometer that was hung 

from a string at a depth of about 1.5 m (5 ft) below the water 

surface (T. Gottshall, Channel Islands National Park, oral 

commun., 2005).

Before 1997, the anemometer was on top of the 

communications tower on the northeast corner of the Ranger’s 

residence. Because construction of the residence foundation 

destabilized the tower, the anemometer was moved to the 

chimney of the residence where it could be easily reached. 

Data cables were fed into the house so that wind speed could 

be read indoors. A standard 8-inch copper rain gauge has been 

in place since 1997; it is located where the residence walkway 

meets the road (T. Gottshall, Channel Islands National Park, 

oral commun., 2005). 

In 2007, a new shelter was installed about 1.5 m (5 ft) 

north of the rain gauge, near the junction of the Ranger 

residence walkway and the road. This distance prevents 

obstruction of wind flow between the shelter and the rain 

gauge. The shelter houses a max/min thermometer and 

an electronic temperature and relative humidity logger. 

The logger data is downloaded periodically and archived 

at the WRCC (Channel Islands National Park Ranger 

Weather Station Field Handbook). Maximum and minimum 

temperatures, current air temperature, relative humidity, 

precipitation, wind speed, wind direction, and horizontal 

visibility are reported each morning to Park Dispatch by island 

staff (Appendix B). These data are archived at Channel Islands 

National Park headquarters.

2.2 Santa Cruz Island Overview

Channel Islands National Park installed a RAWS on 

Santa Cruz Island in 1990 (fig. 3). It is located on the slope 

above the Main Ranch house in the Central Valley on The 

Nature Conservancy property. Additionally, there are five 

RAWS owned and maintained by CSUN (Boyle and Laughrin, 

1999) and one RAWS owned and operated by the Santa 

Barbara Amateur Radio Club on Diablo Peak. The University 

of California, Santa Barbara, operates remote weather stations 

at several locations on the island for research purposes (C. 

Still, University of California Santa Barbara Department of 

Geography, written commun., 2007). These stations are not 

part of the NPS network, although they may provide important 

data over the short-term of record. 

The Park maintains two Ranger Stations for weather 

data collection on Santa Cruz Island, one at the Scorpion 

Anchorage employee housing and the second at the U.S. Navy 

site on the isthmus. Additionally, precipitation data have been 

recorded at the Main Ranch from 1904 to the present; the data 

Figure 3. Location of seven Remote Automated Weather Stations (RAWS) and two Ranger Weather Stations on Santa Cruz Island, 

Channel Island National Park, California.

119°55'0"W 119°50'0"W 119°45'0"W 119°40'0"W 119°35'0"W

34°5'0"N

34°0'0"N

Legend

Elevation

800 m

400 m

0 m

Weather Sites

TYPE

CSUN

UCSB

HISTORIC

RANGER STATION

RAWS NPS

RAWS SBARC

0 2 4 6 1 Km

Channel Islands National Park, California

Santa Cruz Island Weather Stations

Christy

Airport Pine Forest

Diablo Peak

Willows

Main Ranch

Prisoners

Del Norte

Scorpion

Smugglers

Location

Oxnard

Sauces

Embudo

Navy Site

Main Ranch RAWS

Produced by Channel Islands GIS, 2008 | Data courtesy of USGS and NPS
6 Channel Islands National Park Weather and Climate Monitoring Protocol

are maintained by the University of California, Santa Cruz 

Island Reserve (L. Laughrin, Director, University of California 

Santa Cruz Island Reserve, oral commun., 2006).

National Park Service Remote Automated 

Weather Station – Main Ranch

The RAWS at the Main Ranch is maintained by National 

Park Service personnel. The station was originally installed in 

April 1990 at La Centinella (approximately 366 m (1,200 ft) 

elevation), but was moved out of that uncommonly cold valley 

in October 1994 to a more representative locale on a hill 

above the Main Ranch (122 m (400 ft) elevation) at latitude 

33o59'45", longitude 119°43'20". This station is equipped with 

a Handar 555. Sensors include temperature, relative humidity, 

wind speed, wind direction, precipitation, and solar radiation. 

The weather station is solar powered but has an auxiliary 

battery. Data are transmitted through a GOES antenna to a 

satellite, where they are downloaded and posted on the WRCC 

website, in cooperation with NIFC. The data are recorded at 

10-minute intervals and summarized by hour on the website. 

Weather station sensors are replaced two times per year and 

cables annually. For a complete description of software and 

sensors on the Santa Cruz Island–Main Ranch Station see 

Appendix A. 

Weather Stations Operated by Others

Several organizations operate additional weather stations 

on Santa Cruz Island to fill research and recreational needs. 

Although not maintained by Channel Islands National Park, 

these data are available on request from these organizations, 

and they extend the Park’s program with valuable weather 

observations from other locations on Santa Cruz Island.

California State University, Northridge

CSUN owns and maintains five weather stations on Santa 

Cruz Island. The stations were installed between 1995 and 

1999 (fig. 3, table 1). They all are equipped with Campbell 

Scientific data loggers with the exception of Del Norte, which 

is equipped with a Handar 555. The Del Norte station is of 

particular interest because the data are archived and reported 

by the WRCC, along with the Channel Islands National Park 

data for Santa Cruz Island. The equipment is identical to the 

Main Ranch RAWS, except that solar radiation is not recorded 

(Appendix A). This station is located at latitude 34o00'33", 

longitude 119o39'15", at an elevation of 244 m (800 ft) above 

mean sea level on a nearshore marine terrace approximately 

2 kilometers (1.5 miles) east of the pier at Prisoners Harbor. 

Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club – Diablo Peak

The Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club, Inc. (SBARC) 

funded and installed a RAWS on Diablo Peak at an elevation 

of 742 m ( 2,434 ft) above mean sea level on 15 January 

2004 as a public service. The Santa Barbara Amateur Radio 

Club is a non-profit 501(c)3 charitable and educational 

corporation founded in 1920 (B. Talanian, Santa Barbara 

Amateur Radio Club, written commun., 2005). The weather 

station monitors and reports data to the mainland every 5 

minutes via VHF radio. The data are collected by the Civilian 

Weather Observer Program (CWOP). The station reports 

wind speed, wind direction, temperature, barometric pressure, 

humidity, dew point, and precipitation. A full description of 

this weather system data is explained on links at the following 

webpage: http://www.met.utah.edu/cgi-bin/roman/meso_base.

cgi?stn=AR320.

Table 1. Automated Remote Weather Stations operated by other agencies or organizations on Santa Cruz Island and San Miguel 

Islands, Channel Islands National Park, California.

[SBARC, Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club; CSUN, California State University, Northridge; UCSB, University of California, Santa Barbara]

Site Location 

(latitude/longitude) Data logger

Elevation, 

in meters (feet) 

above mean 

sea level

Period of record Operator

Santa Cruz Diablo Peak 34°01′45′′ N/119°47′09′′ W Peet Bros. 742 (2,434) Jan. 2004–present SBARC

Santa Cruz Prisoners 34°00′59′′ N/119°40′37′′ W Campbell Scientific CR10X 126 (414) June 1995–present CSUN

Santa Cruz Christy Airport 34°01′04′′ N/119°51′21′′ W Campbell Scientific CR10X 63 (208) Dec. 1996–present CSUN

Santa Cruz Willows 33°58′47′′ N/119°45′46′′ W Campbell Scientific CR10X 308 (1,012) Nov. 1999–present CSUN

Santa Cruz Pine Forest 34°00′46′′ N/119°48′07′′ W Campbell Scientific CR10X 442 (1,450) Dec. 1996–present CSUN

Santa Cruz Del Norte1 34°00′33′′ N/119°39′15′′ W Handar 555 244 (800) Dec. 1999–present CSUN

San Miguel Navy 34°01′58′′ N/120°21′51′′ W Handar 555 255 (835) intermittent U.S. Navy

Santa Cruz Sauces 34°0′3.88′′ N/119°49′4.48′′ W Campbell Scientific 290 (951) Dec. 2003–present UCSB

Santa Cruz Embudo 34°0′47.20′′ N/119°48′11.12′′ W Campbell Scientific 420 (1,378) Sept. 2005–present UCSB

 1Santa Cruz Island Del Norte station is owned and maintained by CSUN, but the data are collected and archived by Western Regional Climate Center. This 

station is part of the Remote Automated Weather Station (RAWS) program.
2.0 Island Weather Stations 7

The SBARC weather system equipment is manufactured 

by Peet Bros and is a low-end system costing less than $1,000. 

Systems of this type are not tested annually for precision or 

accuracy. There is no periodic method or instruction by the 

manufacturer to perform calibration of any sensors as there is 

with the high-end systems operated by the National Weather 

Service (NWS). However, this type of system has improved 

immensely in the past several years because of refinements in 

miniature sensor accuracy and micro-processors. The readings 

from thousands of similar stations provide specific readings in 

micro climates not otherwise covered by the National Weather 

Service (B. Talanian, Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club, 

written commun., 2005).

University of California, Santa Barbara

The University of California, Santa Barbara, operates 

two Campbell Scientific weather stations on Santa Cruz 

Island associated with fog and climate research conducted 

by Dr. Christopher Still in the Department of Geography (C. 

Still, University of California, Santa Barbara Department 

of Geography, written commun., 2007). The Sauces station 

was installed in December 2003. It logs the following 

measurements at 15-minute intervals: air temperature and 

relative humidity inside and outside the adjacent Bishop pine 

canopy, dewpoint temperature, photosynthetically active 

radiation (PAR, 400–700 nanometer (nm) wavelengths), solar 

radiation (400–111 nm), wind speed and direction, and vertical 

precipitation (rain) and horizontal precipitation (fog). These 

measurements are supplemented with numerous measurements 

of soil moisture and temperature at multiple depths beneath 

the pine canopy and beneath an adjacent grassy area. Both 

relative humidity and temperature sensors (Vaisala HMP45C) are calibrated annually by Campbell Scientific. The 

weather station is solar powered and has an auxiliary battery. 

The data are archived on a Campbell CR10x datalogger 

and downloaded several times a year by members of the 

Still Laboratory (table 1). This station is located at latitude 

34°0'3.88"N and longitude 119°49'4.48"W at an elevation of 

290 m (951 ft) above mean sea level.

The upper Embudo Canyon station was installed in 

September 2005. The following measurements are logged at 

15-minute intervals: air temperature and relative humidity, 

dewpoint temperature, photosynthetically active radiation 

(PAR), solar radiation (400–111 nm), net radiation (net 

of downwelling and upwelling radiation from 0–100 um 

wavelengths), wind speed and direction, vertical precipitation 

(rain), and horizontal precipitation (fog). The relative humidity 

and temperature sensor (Vaisala HMP-45C) is calibrated 

annually by Campbell Scientific. The weather station is solar 

powered and has an auxiliary battery. The data are archived on 

a Campbell CR1000 datalogger and downloaded several times 

a year by members of the Still Laboratory. This site also has a 

webcam accessible through the Santa Barbara Amateur Radio 

Club, with on-line data access to the datalogger via the Club’s 

wireless connections to the mainland. This station is located 

at latitude 34°0'47.20"N and longitude 119°48'11.12"W at an 

elevation of 420 m (1,378 ft) above mean sea level.

Ranger Weather Stations

Weather data are collected and reported daily to Park 

Dispatch by Channel Islands National Park staff at two 

locations on Santa Cruz Island: at the Scorpion housing 

complex on the east end of the island and at the U.S. Navy site 

on the isthmus (Appendix B). 

Scorpion

A standard Forest Service type instrument shelter with 

non-standard temperature and humidity equipment was used 

to collect weather observations at the NPS Scorpion housing 

complex beginning in 2002. Upgraded weather equipment 

including a max/min thermometer, a relative humidity and 

temperature logger, and a precipitation gauge were installed 

there in February 2006 (Appendix B). 

Navy Site

From 2002 until 2007, a Davis Vantage PRO all-in-one 

wireless digital readout display was the primary source for 

Ranger Weather Station information at the U.S. Navy site. The 

sensors were mounted on the roof of an outbuilding upslope 

from employee housing. The unit displayed temperature 

(inside, outside), humidity (inside, outside), wind chill, 

barometric pressure, and precipitation. In 2007, the Davis 

Vantage PRO was replaced with a standard Forest Service 

type shelter located near the north parking lot of the Navy 

site housing. The shelter houses a max/min thermometer, an 

electronic temperature and humidity logger, and instruments 

similar to those on Anacapa Island. The logger data are 

periodically downloaded and archived at the WRCC. 

Main Ranch Precipitation Data

Currently, the Director of the Santa Cruz Island Reserve, 

part of the University of California Natural Reserve System, 

collects precipitation and max/min temperature data in the 

Central Valley. These data have been collected at the Reserve 

Director’s house approximately 1.0 kilometers (0.62 miles) 

west of the Main Ranch from 1976 to the present. This extends 

the historic record for the Central Valley from 1903 to the 

present. Precipitation data collected in the Central Valley are 

archived with the Weather and Climate Monitoring Program 

data files on the Channel Islands National Park computer 

network. 
8 Channel Islands National Park Weather and Climate Monitoring Protocol

2.3 Santa Rosa Island Overview

The Channel Islands National Park maintains one RAWS 

and one Ranger Weather Station on Santa Rosa Island (fig. 4). 

The Ranger Weather Station has been moved several times 

since NPS acquired the island in 1987. Data are no longer 

collected at past Ranger Weather Station locations.

National Park Service Remote Automated 

Weather Station—Black Mountain

The Santa Rosa Island RAWS was installed on Black 

Mountain in April 1990 at 396 m (1,298 ft) elevation, latitude 

33o58'40", longitude 120o04'40. The weather station is solar 

powered and has an auxiliary battery. The system is a Handar 

555. Sensors include air temperature, relative humidity, wind 

speed, wind direction, precipitation, solar radiation, and fuel 

moisture/fuel temperature. The sensors and cables are replaced 

annually. Data are transmitted through a GOES antenna to a 

satellite, where they are downloaded and posted on the WRCC 

website, in cooperation with NIFC. The data are recorded at 

10-minute intervals and summarized by hour on the website. 

For a complete description of system and sensors, see 

Appendix A. 

Ranger Weather Station

Ranger Weather Station observations were collected from 

April 1987 through January 1992 at the historic NPS housing 

at Johnson’s Lee located on the south side of the island (fig. 4). 

This station was equipped with a max/min thermometer; a 

battery powered digital wind speed instrument, a relative 

humidity sling psychrometer, and a standard rain gauge. In 

January 1992, the Park employee housing was moved to 

Bechers Bay where an instrument shelter and rain gauge were 

installed. In fall of 1998, the instruments were moved to the 

new Park employee housing on the bluff between Windmill 

and Cherry Canyons (M. Senning, Channel Islands National 

Park, written commun., 2000). The shelter and instruments, 

but not the rain gauge, were destroyed by high winds in 2002. 

From 2002 until 2007, island staff used a hand-held device 

that measured temperature, relative humidity, barometric 

pressure, and wind speed (M. Senning, Channel Islands 

National Park, oral commun. 2006). A small weather station 

housing a max/min thermometer and an electronic temperature 

and relative humidity logger was installed in 2007. The logger 

data are downloaded periodically and archived at the WRCC 

(Channel Islands National Park Ranger Weather Station Field 

Handbook). Maximum and minimum temperatures, current air 

temperature, relative humidity, precipitation, wind speed, wind 

direction, and horizontal visibility are reported each morning 

to Park Dispatch by island staff (Appendix B). These data are 

archived at Channel Islands National Park headquarters and 

reported on the WRCC web site.

Figure 4. Location of one Remote Automated Weather Station (RAWS) and current and historic Ranger Weather Stations on Santa 

Rosa Island, Channel Island National Park, California.

120°15'0"W 120°10'0"W 120°5'0"W 120°0'0"W 119°55'0"W

34°0'0"N

33°55'0"N

Legend

Elevation

800 m

400 m

0 m

TYPE

HISTORIC

RANGER STATION

RAWS

0 2 4 6 1 Km

Channel Islands National Park, California

Santa Rosa Island Weather Stations

Bechers Bay

Black Mountain

NPS Housing

Johnson's Lee

Location

Oxnard

Produced by Channel Islands GIS, 2008 | Data courtesy of USGS and NPS
2.0 Island Weather Stations 9

2.4 Santa Barbara Island Overview

Channel Islands National Park operates one RAWS and 

one Ranger Weather Station on Santa Barbara Island (fig. 5). 

Data were not collected on the island historically.

National Park Service Remote Automated 

Weather Station

The Santa Barbara Island RAWS was installed in April 

1995 at Arch Point, elevation 54 m (176 ft) above mean sea 

level, latitude 33o29'00", longitude 119o02'00". The station is 

equipped with a Handar 555. Sensors include air temperature, 

relative humidity, precipitation gauge, wind speed, wind 

direction, and solar radiation. The system is solar powered 

and has an auxiliary battery; sensors must be swapped two 

times per year. Data are transmitted via satellite to the WRCC 

and posted on the Internet. In June 1998, the station was 

transported to the mainland for servicing and returned to Santa 

Barbara Island. See Appendix A for details on the system and 

sensors. 

Ranger Weather Station

A rain gauge and a thermometer were installed on 

Santa Barbara Island in 1992 when a shop and house were 

constructed near Landing Cove. They were installed on a 

post between the shop and employee housing. The weather 

equipment was upgraded in 2007 with an air temperature 

sensor, a maximum-minimum thermometer, and relative 

humidity data logger housed near the residence in a small 

U.S. Forest Service type instrument shelter identical to other 

island Ranger Weather Stations. The older rain gauge was 

replaced in its original location with a new, standard rain 

gauge. Maximum and minimum temperatures, current air 

temperature, relative humidity, precipitation, wind speed, 

wind direction, and horizontal visibility are reported to Park 

Dispatch when Park personnel are present on the island. 

These data are archived at Channel Islands National Park 

headquarters and reported on the WRCC web site.

2.5 San Miguel Island Overview

The most reliable weather data for San Miguel comes 

from Ranger Weather Station observations. There have been 

several remote stations on the island since the early 1990s 

(fig. 6), but they have not been maintained, and the automated 

record has been inconsistent through time.

National Park Service Remote Automated 

Weather Station

In 1997, the NPS installed a Met One weather data logger 

and instruments. The station was placed near wind generators 

south of the current Ranger Station. The station functioned 

properly for a brief period, but individual component failures 

resulted in inconsistent data. Funds were not available to 

maintain the station and it was eventually removed.

Figure 5. Location of one Remote Automated Weather Station (RAWS) and a Ranger Weather Station on Santa Barbara Island, 

Channel Islands National Park, California.

!

G

119°4'0"W 119°3'30"W 119°3'0"W 119°2'30"W 119°2'0"W 119°1'30"W 119°1'0"W 119°0'30"W 119°0'0"W

33°29'30"N

33°29'0"N

33°28'30"N

33°28'0"N

±

Legend

TYPE

! RANGER STATION

G RAWS

0 0.5 1 Km

Channel Islands National Park, California

Santa Barbara Island Weather Stations

Landing Cove

SBI RAWS

Location

Oxnard

Produced by Channel Islands GIS, 2008 | Data courtesy of USGS and NPS
10 Channel Islands National Park Weather and Climate Monitoring Protocol

Remote Automated Weather Station Operated by 

the Navy

The U.S. Navy RAWS is located on San Miguel Hill, 

elevation 253 m (831 ft) above mean sea level, the highest 

point on the island. The current structure replaced a white 

metal tower. The abandoned tower was removed by the Island 

Ranger in 1992, the same year the U.S. Navy removed the 

4,000-pound radioactive nuclear generator that powered the 

station. The station is now powered by two solar panels and 

runs a Handar 555B datalogger. The power supply at this 

station is one of the most common causes for station failure. 

Maintenance by the Navy and performance of this station has 

been inconsistent. 

Ranger Weather Station

Weather observations have been recorded at four different 

locations on San Miguel Island over the years. The National 

Weather Service in Los Angeles hired Herbert Lester, former 

island ranch manager, to record and radio weather information 

to Santa Barbara, California, twice a day. He did this from the 

mid-1930s until the outbreak of World War II; these data are 

not available to the Park. Rangers and other Park staff have 

been collecting morning weather observations on San Miguel 

for the past several decades, but there are gaps in the data 

because the island is not always staffed. 

Weather data were collected at the Ranger Weather 

Station in Nidever Canyon from 1977 until February of 1997. 

At that point, the station was moved to its present location 

near an airstrip. Early in the period of record, vibration 

from the wind would cause the min/max needles to creep 

downward, understating the readings. In October 1994, the 

San Miguel Island Ranger moved the thermometer to a more 

solid surface on the retaining wall in front of the station. At 

the time, the rain gauge was moved farther away from the 

roofline to prevent shadowing. Since 1994, temperature data 

at the Ranger Weather Station have been collected nearly 

continuously using a HOBO temperature logger provided by 

the Channel Islands National Park Kelp Forest Monitoring 

Program.

A new station housing and equipment were installed 

between the Ranger residence and the wind generators in 

2007 (Appendix B). Particular care was taken to ensure 

that the shelter could withstand vibrations from high 

winds. Equipment was standardized with that on the other 

islands, and includes a maximum-minimum thermometer, a 

temperature and relative humidity data recorder, and standard 

rain gauge. 

Figure 6. Location of a Remote Automated Weather Station (RAWS) and a Ranger Weather Station on San Miguel Island, Channel 

Islands National Park, California.

120°28'0"W 120°26'0"W 120°24'0"W 120°22'0"W 120°20'0"W 120°18'0"W

34°4'0"N

34°2'0"N

34°0'0"N

Legend

Elevation

800 m

400 m

0 m

TYPE

HISTORIC

RANGER STATION

NAVY RAWS

0 1 2 0.5 Km

Channel Islands National Park, California

San Miguel Island Weather Stations

Nidever Canyon

San Miguel Hill

Lester Ranch

Airstrip Ranger Station

Location

Oxnard

Produced by Channel Islands GIS, 2008 | Data courtesy of USGS and NPS
4.0 Weather and Climate Monitoring Program Tasks and Roles 11

3.0 Weather Station Maintenance 

and Diagnostics

3.1 Remote Automated Weather Station 

(RAWS) Maintenance

The Channel Islands National Park Remote Automated 

Weather Station Field Handbook describes station 

maintenance requirements, provides equipment operating 

schematics and instructions, and gives manufacturer technical 

support contacts. This Handbook is maintained as a reference 

available on request from the Weather Program Manager 

at Channel Islands National Park; it is updated with new 

technical information on an as-needed basis. 

The National Park Service RAWS weather stations for 

Anacapa Island, Santa Barbara Island, Santa Cruz Island 

Main Ranch, and Santa Rosa Island are maintained annually 

through a national RAWS Maintenance Depot Contract with 

the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) at NIFC in Boise, 

Idaho. The Depot Contract allows the Park to exchange RAWS 

equipment and sensors with the Depot for a flat rate. Used 

parts are repaired and calibrated for return to the field on a 

rotating basis among RAWS nationwide. Sensors are replaced 

once per year; cables, tipping bucket, solar panel, auxiliary 

battery, and the barometric pressure senor are replaced on 

an as-needed basis. The Data Collection Platform (DCP) is 

replaced approximately every 5 years or when needed. After 

weather station parts are replaced, the used parts should be 

returned promptly to NIFC. 

The Depot services stations nationwide and requires a 

quick turn-around of parts from the field, especially during the 

fire season. A 30-day turnaround is generally acceptable for 

weather station parts. Normally sensors are received from the 

Depot within 3 to 5 days of a request. Detailed instructions for 

Ordering and Returning Weather Station Parts are presented in 

the RAWS Field Handbook. 

The Annual Preventative Maintenance Checklist 

provided in the RAWS Field Handbook should be followed 

for each island RAWS. Maintenance should be scheduled to 

accommodate field schedules and to avoid predictably bad 

weather. April/May and October/November are good months 

for maintenance. RAWS maintenance records are archived in 

paper form with the Channel Islands National Park Weather 

Program Manager as maintenance is performed. 

3.2 Ranger Weather Station Instrument 

Maintenance

The Channel Islands National Park Ranger Weather 

Station Field Handbook includes detailed instructions for 

data downloads and equipment and shelter maintenance. 

The Handbook includes Standard Operating Procedures 

(SOPs) for each piece of equipment, along with excerpts from 

manufacturer’s manuals, web-site information, and contacts 

for equipment operation and calibration. This Handbook 

is maintained as a reference available on request from the 

Weather Program Manager at Channel Islands National Park; 

it is updated with new technical information on an as-needed 

basis. The Ranger Weather Station maintenance records are 

written on paper forms as maintenance is performed, as are the 

RAWS maintenance records. These records are kept in looseleaf notebooks, organized by year, at the desk of the Channel 

Islands National Park Weather Program Manager. 

4.0 Weather and Climate Monitoring 

Program Tasks and Roles

The Channel Islands National Park Weather and Climate 

Monitoring Program requires cooperative effort among many 

partners. It is somewhat atypical of weather monitoring 

programs at mainland sites because stations are spread across 

five islands with individual staff and limited access. Thus, 

it is not efficient for a core staff of technicians to service 

all the stations. Instead, island and mainland personnel, 

cooperators, and contractors are tasked with various aspects 

of station maintenance, data handling, reporting, and program 

coordination. The Weather and Climate Monitoring Program 

is administered by a Weather Program Manager located on 

the mainland, who coordinates with a multitude of partners 

to ensure that the stations are maintained and that the data are 

collected and reported consistently. Partners and their roles 

and responsibilities are listed below. 

•	 Island staff, including Park Rangers and others on site, 

verbally report weather observations to Park Dispatch 

each morning during Morning Report. They also 

record the weather observations on National Oceanic 

and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) “Form 72-5: 

A Marine Coastal Weather Log - Coastal Station”. A 

copy of the Log is filed at the Ranger Weather Station; 

the original is brought to the mainland monthly.

•	 Park Dispatch records the daily observations during 

Morning Report when island staff reports weather 

conditions and makes the observations available to 

others needing daily weather for boating and other 

operations.

•	 The Natural Resources Management Division 

Administrative Assistant collects the monthly Ranger 

Weather Station observation logs, archives a copy, and 

forwards them to the WRCC in Reno, Nevada, for offsite archival.

•	 WRCC staff enters the Ranger Weather Station 

temperature and precipitation data and posts it to their 

website.
12 Channel Islands National Park Weather and Climate Monitoring Protocol

•	 The Weather Program Manager coordinates the 

efforts of Island staff, cooperating researchers from 

other agencies, and Mediterranean Coast Network 

Fire Management Program staff for RAWS parts 

replacement for specific stations on the required 

replacement schedule. 

•	 The Weather Program Manager manages parts swaps 

under the Depot Contract with BLM and NIFC, 

including coordinating and overseeing the parts 

order, field replacement, and return shipment for each 

RAWS.

•	 WRCC receives the RAWS data feed via satellite, 

conducts automated quality assurance and qualitycontrol data checks, and posts the data to their website.

•	 The Program Manager, Island staff, and WRCC staff 

inspect the data display hosted by WRCC daily to look 

for missing data or apparent errors that may indicate 

equipment failure. 

•	 Island staff work with the Program Manager to 

troubleshoot and repair equipment malfunctions.

•	 The Channel Islands National Park database manager, 

a private consultant, and WRCC staff assist with data 

handling, quality control and quality assurance, and 

reporting.

•	 The Weather Program Manager conducts program 

oversight, protocol and Handbook review and program 

outreach.

•	 The Weather Program Manager maintains RAWS and 

Ranger Weather Station maintenance and replacement 

records in a loose-leaf notebook continuously as 

maintenance is performed.

•	 The Weather Program Manager updates and revises the 

Field Handbooks and the Weather Protocol document 

as needed.

•	 The Weather Program Manager downloads and 

archives the RAWS and Ranger Weather Station data 

on a local network periodically.

5.0 Reporting

Weather data are collected and reported continuously, 

unlike other Channel Islands National Park monitoring 

programs. Therefore, a traditional “annual report” 

summarizing the data is not prepared as part of the program. 

Instead, users are able to access and download data and site 

metadata from the WRCC website (table 2) at any time for 

summarization over the period of interest to them. Metadata 

on RAWS and Ranger Weather Station parts replacements, 

repairs, and upgrades are likewise kept as they occur as a 

continuous record. Maintenance records are kept in hard copy 

binders by the Program Manager at Channel Islands National 

Park. 

Table 2. Websites with data from Remote Automated Weather Stations located in Channel Islands National Park, California. 

Website Description

http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/channel_isl Maintained by the Western Regional Climate Center (WRCC), this 

website displays data from the Channel Islands Remote Automated 

Weather Stations (RAWS). Ranger weather data is also stored on this 

site. See SOP#16 in the Field Handbook for Ranger Station Weather 

Data Collection for instructions on accessing this website.

http://www.csun.edu/~hfgeg010/santacruz.html California State University, Northridge (CSUN) weather data.

http://www.navair.navy.mil/nawcwd/weather/muguhandar.html San Miguel Island U.S. Navy site weather data.

http://www.channelislandsrestoration.com/weather Channel Islands Restoration specialized in invasive species 

management. This webpage compiles weather data from many 

locations into one.

http://www.met.utah.edu/cgi-bin/roman/meso_base.cgi?stn=AR320 Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club, Inc. (SBARC) RAWS on Diablo 

Peak.

http://www.geog.ucsb.edu/~cstill This site is maintained by the Still Laboratory at the University of 

California Santa Barbara; it describes the equipment used for fog 

and climate research.
9.0 References 13

6.0 Training Requirements

The weather observations collected by Channel Islands 

National Park need to be made consistently and continuously 

through time. Otherwise, they will not be useful for short- or 

long-term weather and climate information needs. To ensure 

consistent data collection, it is essential that each individual 

participating in the program be trained in the maintenance 

and operation of the equipment they use. Additionally, all 

cooperators need to be aware of and trained in the routines 

for data recording, handling, archival, and retrieval. Finally, 

the Weather Program Manager needs to be experienced with 

coordination of multiple cooperators, trained in National Park 

Service contract management, and trained with the specific 

procedures for parts exchange with the BLM - NIFC RAWS 

equipment Depot. A list of training requirements and training 

sites is detailed in each of the Field Handbooks for RAWS 

and Ranger Weather Station operation. At a minimum, the 

following training is required for efficient program operation:

•	 RAWS certification through NIFC for all personnel 

calibrating, removing, and installing automated station 

parts;

•	 Manufacturer training via technical manuals and 

on-line website instructions for each of the pieces of 

equipment used at the island Ranger Weather Stations;

•	 Experience in accessing and retrieving weather 

data from the WRCC website for all cooperators 

participating in the Weather and Climate Monitoring 

Program;

•	 Training in Depot contract administration and BLM 

and NIFC programmatic expectations for the Weather 

Program Manager.

7.0 Channel Islands National Park 

Weather Data Websites

Several agencies acquire and display data from the 

island RAWS. The data are reported in various formats on 

their websites (table 2). The WRCC is the official contracted 

archive for NIFC data nationwide, including data for the 

National Park Service sites; therefore, the WRCC site should 

be used for archival of weather data from the RAWS and 

Ranger Weather Stations owned and operated by the Channel 

Islands National Park. 

8.0 Acknowledgments

We thank the staff of Channel Islands National Park 

for their assistance with information on program history; 

Island Managers Ian Williams, Mark Senning, and Randy 

Nelson provided essential information on station history 

and other site metadata. Kelly Redmond and Greg McCurdy 

provided guidance on station siting and installation and 

data acquisition and handling procedures. Ian Williams, 

John Gross, Chris Peltz, Dessa Emch, Christpher Still, and 

Lyndal Laughrin provided valuable reviews of this document. 

Numerous Channel Islands staff have managed the Program 

over the years, including most recently Greg Austin, Catherin 

Schwemm, and Steve Ortega.

9.0 References

Boyle, T., and Laughrin, L., 1999, California’s Santa Cruz 

Island Weather, in David R. Browne, ed., Proceedings 

of the Fifth California Islands Symposium, OCS Study 

MMS-99-0038: U.S. Department of the Interior, Minerals 

Management Service, Pacific OCS Region, Washington, 

D.C., p. 93-99.

Redmond, K., and McCurdy, G., 2005, Channel Islands 

National Park: Design considerations for weather and 

climate monitoring: Reno, Nevada, Western regional 

Climate Center Desert Research Institute, WRCC Report 

05-02 July 2005, 111 p.

Richards, R., 1997, Channel Islands National Park 

meteorological data sources for research applications: 

Helena, Montana, R.G. Richards Engineering, Progress 

report to Channel Island National Park, 64 p.

Yoho, D., Boyle, T., and McIntire, E., 1999, The climate of 

the Channel Islands, California, in David R. Browne, ed., 

Proceedings of the Fifth California Islands Symposium, 

OCS Study MMS-99-0038: Washington, D.C., U.S. 

Department of the Interior, Minerals Management Service, 

Pacific OCS Region, P.. 81–88.

Williams, I., Dec. 2002, Brief summary of San Miguel Island 

weather history: Report submitted to Channel Islands 

National Park, Ventura, California, 10 p.
14 Channel Islands National Park Weather and Climate Monitoring Protocol Appendix A. Channel Islands National Park, California, Remote Automated Weather Stations. Table A. Channel Islands National Park, California, Remote Automated Weather Stations. [Data are archived by Western Regional Climate Center. NESDIS is the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service identification number associated with each Remote Automated Weather Station (RAWS) that transmits data to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) through the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES). The NESDIS ID (identification) is also referred to as the GOES ID on the National Weather Service National RAWS Data Server http://raws.wrh.noaa.gov/roman/ . n/a, not applicable] Site/NESDIS identification Location (latitude/ longitude) Elevation, in meters (feet) above mean sea level Period of record Sensor and Vaisala (Handar) model no. Data collector Tip bucket Wind speed Wind direction Solar radiation Relative humidity/air temperature Fuel moisture/ temper- ature Baro- metric pressure Santa Barbara/FA61D4A4 33°29′00′′ N 119°02′00′′ W 54 (176) Apr. 1995–present Handar 555 444A 430A 431A 441A 435C n/a n/a Santa Rosa/FA45E5EA 33°58′42′′ N 120°04′42′′ W 396 (1,298) Apr. 1995–present Handar 555 444A 430A 431A 441A 435C 439a n/a Anacapa/FA651480 34°00′57′′ N 119°21′35′′ W 84 (277) May 2004–present Handar 555 444A Ultrasonic 425A Ultrasonic 425A 441A HMP45DUS 439C Setra 270 SCI Del Norte1/9330170C 34°00′33′′ N 119°39′15′′ W 244 (800) Dec. 1999–present Handar 555 444A 430A 431A n/a 435C 433E 276 Bar Press SCI Main Ranch2/FA45F69C 33°59′45′′ N 119°43′20′′ W 76 (250) Apr. 1990–present Handar 555 444A 430A 431A 441A 435C n/a n/a

1Santa Cruz Island Del Norte station is owned and maintained by California State University, Northridge (CSUN), but the data are collected and archived by Western Regional Climate Center (WRCC). All 

other stations in this table are owned and maintained by Channel Islands National Park.

2Santa Cruz Island Main Ranch RAWS station was originally installed in April 1990 at La Centinella but was moved in October 1994 to the SCI Main Ranch (Stanton Ranch). 
Appendix B. Attributes of Ranger Weather Station 15

Appendix B. Attributes of Ranger Weather Stations, Channel Islands National Park, CaliforniaTable B. Attributes of Ranger Stations Weather Stations on the Channel Islands, California.[Observations are taken at the Ranger Weather Stations at approximately 8:00 a.m. by the on-duty ranger or other staff working at the Ranger quarters. The morning report is conducted at 8:30 am daily to give an update of all island activity and includes basic weather activity such as air temperature (maximum, minimum, current), relative humidity, precipitation, and other observations such as wind direction, cloud cover and wave swell height. Air Temperature: The MXMN (maximum and minimum thermometers) system consists of two liquid-in-glass thermometers located within an instrument shelter. Instrument shelter sides are horizontally slatted for free airflow without allowing sun, rain, or wind into instrument inside. Made of wood, painted white, modified with extra paint, stainless steel hinges and sliding bolt lock. Outside dimensions: 19 in. W  11 1/2 in. D  19 in. H. The minimum thermometer is filled with alcohol. The maximum thermometer contains mercury. Thermometers are mounted horizontally within the instrument shelter. Temperatures are manually observed and recorded, and thermometers are reset daily. Air temperature and relative humidity: The HOBO® liquid crystal display (LCD) logger records time-stamped relative humidity (RH) and temperature measurements in nonvolatile memory and also displays the current temperature and RH on the LCD display. Logging parameters are set from a host computer running BoxCar Pro software. The logger updates displayed measurements every 5 seconds. The sample (logging) interval is set to 1 hour. Data in the LCD logger can be offloaded to a host computer. Standard rain gauge (SRG): The SRG deployed at the Ranger Weather Stations is an 8-inch (funneltop diameter) metal non-recording gauge that consists of a large diameter outer can with a smaller diameter measuring tube insert, and a funnel that directs precipitation into the measuring tube. The SRG is supported by three 3-foot metal legs. Precipitation is observed by manually measuring precipitation accumulation with a graduated, black plexiglass measuring stick. Kestrel hand-held instruments:The Kestrel pocket weather instruments were purchased for each island to supplement humidity, barometric, and temperature readings when other instruments were not available (I. Williams, Channel Islands National Park, oral commun, 2006)]

Site Location (latitude/longitude)

Elevation, in 

meters (feet) 

above mean 

sea level

Period of record

24-hr Measures—Observation time and instruments

Air 

temperature

Relative 

humidity

Precipitation Other

Anacapa 34°00′54′′ N/119°21′50′′ W 28 (91) Jan. 1994–present MXMN/HOBO HOBO SRG

Santa Cruz Scorpion 34°02′51′′ N/119°33′39′′ W 41 (134) Jan. 1984–present MXMN/HOBO HOBO SRG

Santa Cruz Navy Site 33°59′42” N/119°37′58′′ W 442 (1,450) Jan. 2002–present MXMN/HOBO HOBO SRG

Santa Rosa 33°59′58” N/120°03’50′′ W 72 (236) July 1993–present MXMN/HOBO HOBO SRG Kestrel

San Miguel 34°02′18” N/120°21’01′′ W 152 (500) Sept. 1981–present MXMN/HOBO HOBO SRG Kestrel

Santa Barbara 33°28′49” N/119°01′46′′ W 48 (159) Oct. 1980–present MXMN/HOBO HOBO SRG
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Manuscript approved for publication, July 30, 2008

Prepared by the USGS Publishing Network, 

Publishing Service Center, Sacramento, California

Myrna DeBortoli 

Yvonne Roque

Susan Davis

For more information concerning the research in this report, contact the 

Western Ecological Researach Center

3020 University Drive East, Modoc Hall

Sacramento, California 95619
McEachern and others— Weather and Climate Monitoring Protocol, Channel Islands National Park, California—Techniques and Methods 2–B1

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