Climatic Research Unit : Data

CRU TS Version 4.02 Google Earth Interface


A Google Earth-based interface to the CRU TS dataset has been produced.

The interface allows individual half-degree cells to be examined, and for nearby observations to also be found.
The data included are drawn directly from the CRU TS 4.02 dataset and related observation files.
Only Temperature (TMP) and Precipitation (PRE) are available.
In order to use this interface, you will need to have installed Google Earth
You can then open this file in Google Earth: cruts_4.02_gridboxes.kml


News

The feature by which 'live' stations had a brighter colour is available for this version. (September 2017)
The error by which, if you were on a Mac, running 10.10.0 or later, choosing to view a 'larger' plot crashed Google Earth when you tried to return to the map, has only been resolved for Google Earth; it is reportedly still an issue on Google Earth Pro. (September 2017)
The feature by which 'live' stations had a brighter colour is not available for this version (all stations are bright). However, as a rule of thumb, if the station data end year is 2016, it is very likely to be receiving current updates. (January 2017)
The error by which, if you were on a Mac, running 10.10.0 or later, choosing to view a 'larger' plot crashed Google Earth when you tried to return to the map, has been resolved. Please get in touch if it recurs. (January 2017)
Precipitation plots now show annual total precip rather than average monthly (October 2015)

Notes

  • A Frequently-Asked Questions (FAQ) page, also linked from every dialogue box in the interface, is here.

  • Unlike the CRUTEM4 Google Earth interface, (link), on which this is based, the CRU TS Interface needs to have two levels of spatial mapping. So the user is first presented with five-degree blocks, and can click in these to 'turn on' the enclosed half-degree cells.

  • The colourscheme is a compromise between managing the underlying sea/land colours and having the half-degree cells and five-degree blocks both visible. Users who have problems with this colourscheme should get in touch.

  • To access the dataset in its original form, please follow links from the HRG page:
    http://www.cru.uea.ac.uk/cru/data/hrg/

  • Users who need more sophisticated access to the dataset are advised to visit both the Climate Explorer at KNMI, which provides interactive access to this and many other datasets, and the Global Climate Monitor at the University of Seville, a newer map-based interface.

  • The appropriate paper to cite for this dataset is:
    Harris, I., Jones, P.D., Osborn, T.J. and Lister, D.H. (2014), Updated high-resolution grids of monthly climatic observations - the CRU TS3.10 Dataset. International Journal of Climatology 34, 623-642
    doi:10.1002/joc.3711 (click doi to access paper)




  • Last updated: December 2018, Ian Harris

    These datasets are made available under the Open Database License.
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    Please use the attribution Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia