Climate Station Network

SILO constructs its datasets using observational data collected at post-offices, airports, police stations, national parks, private properties etc. This network of recording stations is maintained by the Bureau of Meteorology, and other organisations which contribute data to SILO. The network is constantly evolving and has varied considerably over history. The dynamic nature of the network has significant implications for the quality of SILO’s datasets.

SILO uses interpolation techniques to construct gridded rasters and also to “patch” missing values in point datasets at station locations. The accuracy of the interpolated estimates is strongly dependent on both the number and spatial distribution of the available observations. Consequently, the quality of SILO’s gridded and patched datasets varies as the network evolves. For a quantitative estimation of the interpolation error, users should consult SILO’s primary reference.

The number and location of stations used in the construction of SILO’s gridded datasets is shown below.

Notes:

• SILO’s solar radiation datasets are derived from observations of cloud oktas and/or hours of sunshine duration.
• Statistics relate to the official station network maintained by the Bureau of Meteorology. Stations from other suppliers are not included.
• The years 1957 and 1970 are highlighted on some plots to remind users that discontinuities may exist at those times. For further information, please see our FAQ on discontinuities.
• Support values are used to stabilise the anomaly interpolation in data sparse regions. The support values are set to zero, so the resulting gridded dataset will be similar to the long term mean in the vicinity of each support value. For further information, please see our FAQ on the accuracy of pre-1957 datasets.