Specifications

6
TEAM Climate Monitoring Protocol 3.1
7
7
.
.
C
C
o
o
m
m
p
p
l
l
e
e
m
m
e
e
n
n
t
t
a
a
r
r
y
y
D
D
a
a
t
t
a
a
:
:
Give higher priority to the deployment of climate observing systems
in data-poor, unrepresented areas.
8. C
C
l
l
i
i
m
m
a
a
t
t
e
e
R
R
e
e
q
q
u
u
i
i
r
r
e
e
m
m
e
e
n
n
t
t
s
s
: Provide adequate monitoring technical requirements at the outset
of network implementation. This includes stated high accuracy of instrumentation requirements
and small bias to detect trends and other phenomena depending on the nature of the network.
9. C
C
o
o
n
n
t
t
i
i
n
n
u
u
i
i
t
t
y
y
o
o
f
f
P
P
u
u
r
r
p
p
o
o
s
s
e
e
:
:
Maintain stable and long-term commitment to these observing
systems to maximize data utility.
10. D
D
a
a
t
t
a
a
a
a
n
n
d
d
M
M
e
e
t
t
a
a
d
d
a
a
t
t
a
a
A
A
c
c
c
c
e
e
s
s
s
s
:
:
Develop data management systems that facilitate access,
use, and interpretation of data and data products by users. Freedom of access, low cost
mechanisms that facilitate use and quality control should be an integral part of data
management.
Consistent with these guiding principles, The Tropical Ecology Assessment and Monitoring (TEAM)
Network has compiled a Climate Monitoring Protocol to address the lack of high-quality, long-term
climatological data coming from tropical forests. TEAM’s mission is to understand the effects of global
drivers of change (climate, land use change) on biodiversity and ecosystem services by collecting
standardized data throughout a network of tropical forest sites at several spatial and temporal scales
(Andelman & Willig 2004, Andelman 2011). Thus, the implementation of a high quality climate
monitoring protocol across a large number of tropical sites is necessary to answer the global questions
underlying the design of the network.
By standardizing the equipment used, siting requirements for the climate station, and sensor calibration
and maintenance schedules across sites, it is possible not only to detect climate trends within a site, but
also between sites, and make the data a truly global resource for the scientific and conservation
communities. Some of the questions that could be answered with a long-term multi-site tropical forest
climate station network are:
1. Are dry seasons getting longer or more intense in tropical forests? Is this due to lower rainfall,
higher incoming solar radiation, or a combination of both?
2. How is the temporal pattern of rainfall changing with climate change? Is rainfall becoming
more variable and at what scale (e.g. day, month, year)?
3. How is temperature changing in tropical forests? Are these changes more evident in periods of
low rainfall and higher solar radiation?
This protocol has gone through the highest standards of scientific review to produce a standardized,
detailed, and affordable protocol that can be implemented by anyone throughout the tropics.
This document describes in detail all the necessary steps to setup and implement the TEAM Climate
Monitoring Protocol. It has been written with non-experts in mind, so that anyone with basic technical
skills can understand the process of assembling a climate station and collecting consistent and reliable
climate measurements in tropical forests. A series of training videos that illustrate many of these steps
can be found at http://www.teamnetwork.org/en/protocols/climate.