Certification of the Upper Air Observatory as a GCOS Reference Upper Air Network Site

MSS’ Upper Air Observatory was certified as a Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) Reference Upper Air Network (GRUAN) in May 2019. This is a significant milestone for MSS, as it joins a network of 11 other certified stations globally. It is also the first certified GRUAN site located in the equatorial region.

The GRUAN standard is based on a number of quality measurements, including provision of high quality climate data records from the surface through to the upper atmosphere. Data generated or obtained are used to determine long-term trends, calibrate data from satellites and other radiosonde networks, and provide appropriate data for studying atmospheric processes.

With the certification, MSS is regcognized as operating a state-of-the-art measurement programme that supports the global agenda of the World Meteorological Organization for climate measurements.