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| Standing near the Matanuska Experiment Farm's weather station, from left, Angie Freeman Shephard, Beth Hall and Norm Harris hold a sign thanking the Matanuska Electric Association for its donation. |
The weather station at the Matanuska Experiment Farm has
collected National Weather Service data since 1917, providing the longest
available weather record from a single location in Alaska.
The station will be modernized soon thanks to university
grants and a donation from the Matanuska Electric Association. Currently, the
weather station records the daily high and low temperatures and precipitation.
Farm Superintendent Angie Freeman Shephard said new system that
will be installed this fall will allow the station to collect more information and
incrementally.
“We’ll know every hour of the day what the temperature is,”
she said.
It will also record new information, such as wind speed and
direction, relative humidity, total solar radiation and soil moisture. The data
will be uploaded to a website continuously.
Farmers, community members and researchers use the
information. Shephard said the new system will make data available to a wider
group of researchers studying climate variation, scientists from a variety of
disciplines, and K-12 students, who will receive educational opportunities.
The system should be available at the latest by next spring.
The farm received grants of $2,000 from the UAF People’s Endowment and $5,000
from the Matanuska Electric Association’s charitable foundation, plus $6,000 as
a UAF Instructional Equipment Award. Contact Shephard for more information at
ajfreemanshephard@alaska.edu or 907-746-9481.
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