WEATHER DOMINATES

Weather dominates two things in West Texas – conversation and the economy. Like no other factor, farmers in West Texas depend on Mother Nature for their livelihood. Farmers are always thirsty for the most up-to-the-minute weather information.

With Texas Tech University’s West Texas MesoNet, wind, rainfall, soil temperature and other data are available every five minutes. In Texas, there are those who will tell you, that is just enough time for the weather to change.

Researchers in the Texas Tech Department of Atmospheric Science and Wind Science Engineering have designed a network of 35 surface weather stations and two atmospheric profilers in 28 South Plains' counties that covers an area of 150 by 200 miles surrounding Lubbock. The stations are located as far north as Friona and as far south as Lamesa. The most western station is located in Plains while the most eastern station is located in Roaring Springs. Each station is networked with the main server at Texas Tech’s research station at Reese Center.

The towers stand 32 feet high and measure a variety of atmospheric conditions. “The MesoNet gives us data every 5 to 15 minutes, and the distance between sites is approximately 25 miles,” said Tim Doggett, Ph.D., assistant professor of geosciences and head of the MesoNet project. “That’s a vast improvement over the currently available data collected on a scale of 200 miles every hour.”

The science of the MesoNet is nothing new. High quality weather observing technology are used to take measurements at standard heights, said Doggett. Humidity, wind, temperature, barometric pressure, rainfall, solar radiation, along with soil temperature and moisture, are collected at each station.

The information is sent to a central station at the Wind Science and Engineering location at Reese Center. The data are available to anyone free of charge at the West Texas Mesonet. The data also are archived so that users can see how conditions have changed over time.

The Texas Department of Economic Development has funded the project. The initial funding was used to purchase instruments and telecommunication equipment for the data sites and to hire personnel to manage the program.

The benefits of the MesoNet system are many. “A major component of the project is to provide the information to users in real time,” said Doggett.

Farmers will gain from the increased soil temperature and moisture information. “With more data, farmers can better plan the planting and harvesting of their crops, leading to better crop yields,” said Doggett. “The data also will help farmers know when is the optimal time to use pesticides and help them in determining their irrigation schedules.”

For the National Weather Service, the MesoNet provides a better forecasting tool for severe weather. “The meteorologists can analyze current conditions at a resolution sufficient to forecast severe thunderstorm events,” said Doggett. “This could ultimately save hundreds of lives and prevent thousands of injuries per year.”

Power companies can use the data to plan power transmission and consumption needs of the region, he said.

Educational uses for the MesoNet involve a partnership with the Texas Tech Wind Science and Engineering Program, so that the MesoNet can provide research for a doctoral program.

“Schools and colleges across the state can also access the material to use in classroom projects and college-level meteorology programs,” said Doggett.

Given the shear size of Texas, the cost of implementing such a system statewide has been prohibitive. Texas Tech scientists hope the West Texas MesoNet project demonstrates the feasibility of the network. Texas Tech and Texas A&M University are working together on a statewide venture.

Oklahoma, Colorado, Iowa and Georgia have MesoNet systems. “Data from Oklahoma suggests that Texas could save $100 million per year in the agriculture industry alone,” said Doggett.