Added value of amateur observational network for high-resolution climatological analysis: a case study in the aterno valley, abruzzo, Italy

Abstract

The ecological transition calls for an increasing need for local climate services. A fine spatial characterization of atmospheric relevant quantities (temperature, precipitation, humidity, wind, solar radiation, etc.) at long-term climatological scales is typically based on observational networks run by public entities such as the European Union (e.g. Copernicus services) and national and regional Agencies (e.g. National Met Office, Hydrographic Offices). The aim of this work is to verify if the density of these networks is adequate to represent the variability over the territory, with particular regard to a complex terrain area such as the Aterno river Valley in Abruzzo, Central Italy. We use a combination of public networks and the available dense amateur network of weather stations. We subject the database to careful data quality check both in terms of temporal and spatial anomalies. We found that the public network is generally adequate to represent the spatial and temporal variability over the area in terms of temperature and precipitation, but this is not the case for wind and relative humidity for the lack of sensors. We suggest that an integration of public and non-institutional observational networks is desirable for a finer climatological characterization of a complex territory and for allowing the description of more phenomena, in order to better inform adaptation measures with respect to climate change.