National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Natural Resource Program Center Climate Monitoring Protocol for the North Coast and Cascades Network (Mount Rainier National Park, Olympic National Park, North Cascades National Park, Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve, San Juan Island National Historical Park, Fort Vancouver National Historic Site) Volume 1. Narrative and Appendices,Version 5/26/2010 Natural Resource Report NPS/NCCN/NRR—2010/240 ON THE COVER High Elevation Weather Station, Mount Rainier National Park, Sunrise precipitation site Photograph by: Mark Moore, Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center Climate Monitoring Protocol for the North Coast and Cascades Network (Mount Rainier National Park, Olympic National Park, North Cascades National Park, Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve, San Juan Island National Historical Park, Fort Vancouver National Historic Site) Volume 1. Narrative and Appendices,Version 5/26/2010 Natural Resource Report NPS/ NCCN/NRR—2010/240 Rebecca Lofgren1, Barbara Samora1, Bill Baccus2, Bret Christoe1 National Park Service North Coast and Cascades Network Mount Rainier National Park Ashford, Washington 98304 1Mount Rainier National Park, 55210 238th Ave. East Ashford, WA 98304 2Olympic National Park, 600 East Park Avenue Port Angeles, WA 98362 September 2010 U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service Natural Resource Program Center Fort Collins, Colorado The National Park Service, Natural Resource Program Center publishes a range of reports that address natural resource topics of interest and applicability to a broad audience in the National Park Service and others in natural resource management, including scientists, conservation and environmental constituencies, and the public. The Natural Resource Report Series is used to disseminate high-priority, current natural resource management information with managerial application. The series targets a general, diverse audience, and may contain NPS policy considerations or address sensitive issues of management applicability. All manuscripts in the series receive the appropriate level of peer review to ensure that the information is scientifically credible, technically accurate, appropriately written for the intended audience, and designed and published in a professional manner. This report received formal peer review by subject-matter experts who were not directly involved in the collection, analysis, or reporting of the data, and whose background and expertise put them on par technically and scientifically with the authors of the information. Views, statements, findings, conclusions, recommendations, and data in this report do not necessarily reflect views and policies of the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use by the U.S. Government. This report is available from http://science.nature.nps.gov/im/units/nccn/reportpubs.cfm and the National Park Service Inventory and Monitoring Vital Signs Database http://www.nature.nps.gov/publications/NRPM/nrr.cfm. Please cite this publication as: Lofgren, R., B. Samora, B. Baccus, and B. Christoe. 2010. Climate monitoring protocol for the North Coast and Cascades Network (Mount Rainier National Park, Olympic National Park, North Cascades National Park, Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve, San Juan Island National Historical Park, Fort Vancouver National Historic Site): volume 1. narrative and appendices,version 5/26/2010. Natural Resource Report NPS/NCCN/NRR—2010/240. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. NPS 963/105553, September 2010 ii Revision History Log Protocol Revision Author of Changes Made, Location Reason for Change Narrative Date Revision and in Document or SOP Affiliation iii Contents Page Revision History Log ..................................................................................................................... iii Figures............................................................................................................................................ ix Tables ............................................................................................................................................. xi Appendixes .................................................................................................................................. xiii List of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) ............................................................................ xv Executive Summary .................................................................................................................... xvii Acronym List ............................................................................................................................... xix 1 - Background and Objectives ....................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Description of Climate in NCCN Parks ............................................................................ 1 1.1.1 Spatial Variability .................................................................................................. 2 1.2 History of Monitoring Climate in the NCCN ................................................................. 18 1.2.1 Description of Climate Monitoring Programs in the NCCN ............................... 20 1.3 Rationale for Monitoring Climate ................................................................................... 25 1.4 Measureable Objectives .................................................................................................. 26 1.4.1 Climate Monitoring Parameters Covered in Other NCCN Protocols ........................................................................................................................ 27 1.4.2 Description of Climate Parameters ...................................................................... 27 2 - Sampling Design...................................................................................................................... 31 2.1 Rationale for Selecting Sampling Design over Others ................................................... 31 2.1.1 MORA, NOCA, OLYM ....................................................................................... 32 2.1.2 SAJH, EBLA, FOVA, LEWI ............................................................................... 32 2.2 Site Selection .................................................................................................................. 34 2.2.1 OLYM .................................................................................................................. 34 v Contents (continued) Page 2.2.2 NOCA .................................................................................................................. 34 2.2.3 MORA .................................................................................................................. 34 2.2.4 SAJH .................................................................................................................... 34 2.2.5 EBLA, LEWI, FOVA .......................................................................................... 34 2.3 Sampling Frequency and Replication ............................................................................. 35 2.4 Recommended Number and Location of Sampling Sites ............................................... 35 2.4.1 Proposed Sites: ..................................................................................................... 40 3 - Field Methods .......................................................................................................................... 43 3.1 Equipment Setup, Maintenance, and Inspection ............................................................. 43 3.1.1 NWS-COOP Stations ........................................................................................... 43 3.1.2 RAWS .................................................................................................................. 43 3.1.3 CRN ..................................................................................................................... 44 3.1.4 ASOS ................................................................................................................... 44 3.1.5 NWS Upper Air Radiosonde Balloon .................................................................. 45 3.1.6 SNOTEL/Snow Course ........................................................................................ 45 3.1.7 High Elevation Stations ....................................................................................... 45 3.1.8 NPS Climate Stations ........................................................................................... 46 3.2 Observation Methods and Data Transmission ................................................................ 46 3.2.1 NPS Climate Stations ........................................................................................... 46 3.2.2 High Elevation Stations ....................................................................................... 47 3.3 Details of Taking Measurements .................................................................................... 48 3.3.1 Snow Course .......................................................................................................