The term “mesonet” is a blending of the words “mesoscale” and “network.”
In meteorology, “mesoscale” refers to weather events that range in size from about one mile to about 150 miles. Mesoscale events last from several minutes to several hours. Thunderstorms, snow squalls and wind gusts are examples of mesoscale events. A mesonet refers to a network of collectively owned and operated automated weather stations that are installed close enough to each other and report data frequently enough to observe mesoscale meteorological phenomena.
Typically, each observation station in a mesonet is independent, operated by battery or solar panels. Each station records temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction and atmospheric pressure. Some mesonets also measure solar energy, soil temperature and soil moisture. Observations are transmitted to a base station for distribution and long-term storage.
A mesonet can provide realtime 24/7 weather information on a local to regional basis and observe rapidly changing weather conditions that may be significantly different from the conditions over a larger area.
Mesonet data improves weather prediction and is especially beneficial for short-range mesoscale forecasting and tracking hazardous weather. In addition to meteorologists, mesonet data is used for decision-making by firefighters, transportation departments, farmers and agricultural entities — anyone who needs fine-scale weather information. Mesonets also provide data to a wide variety of researchers, scientists and teachers.
The Wisconsin Environmental Mesonet, or Wisconet, is a valuable state resource. This network monitors weather and soil conditions across Wisconsin (wisconet. wisc.edu). There are 78 sites that provide measurements across various ecosystems that reflect Wisconsin’s unique geography. The web interface makes data access easy. Wisconet data is publicly available and may be used commercially under the Creative Commons Attribution license.
Steve Ackerman and Jonathan Martin, professors in the UW-Madison department of atmospheric and oceanic sciences, are guests on WHA radio (970 AM) at noon the last Monday of each month. Send them your questions at stevea@ssec.wisc.edu or jemarti1@wisc.edu.
