GHCN – Just More Government Crap

I started trying to look at at GHCN today, and immediately discovered nothing but deleted data.

From John Cook :

  1. Download my code ghcn_app.tar.gz
  2. Go to ftp://ftp.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/ghcn/v2 and grab the compressed data files (v2.min.Z, v2.mean.Z, etc).

A Quick and Dirty Analysis of GHCN Surface Temperature Data

This is what is contained in that directory

Index of /pub/data/ghcn/v2
Name Size Date Modified
[parent directory]
grid/ 7/24/12 5:44:00 AM
source/ 12/23/10 12:00:00 AM
v2.country.codes 10.2 kB 1/25/02 12:00:00 AM
v2.max.Z 5.9 MB 2/7/12 9:17:00 AM
v2.prcp.Z 24.8 MB 7/28/12 5:00:00 AM
v2.prcp.failed.qc.Z 162 kB 7/28/12 5:00:00 AM
v2.prcp.inv 1.2 MB 1/25/02 12:00:00 AM
v2.prcp.readme 3.5 kB 9/27/11 12:00:00 AM
v2.prcp_adj.Z 5.2 MB 7/28/12 5:00:00 AM
v2.read.data.f 10.7 kB 12/14/06 12:00:00 AM
v2.read.inv.f 2.8 kB 12/14/06 12:00:00 AM
v2.slp.country.codes 10.3 kB 10/3/02 12:00:00 AM
zipd/ 7/28/12 5:00:00 AM

There isn’t any v2.min or v2.mean file. They seem to have gone missing.

Next I tried looking at version 1 data, which is supposed to be located here :

ftp://ftp.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/ghcn/v1

Index of /pub/data/ghcn/v1
Name Size Date Modified
[parent directory]
README.ghcn 32.0 kB 11/22/95 12:00:00 AM
README.ghcn~ 31.8 kB 6/28/95 12:00:00 AM
country.codes 15.7 kB 3/31/96 11:00:00 PM
data.for.Z 688 B 6/28/95 12:00:00 AM
data.sas.Z 207 B 6/28/95 12:00:00 AM
flag.for.Z 758 B 6/28/95 12:00:00 AM
flag.sas.Z 294 B 6/28/95 12:00:00 AM
invent.for.Z 833 B 6/28/95 12:00:00 AM
invent.sas.Z 262 B 6/28/95 12:00:00 AM
press.sea.data.Z 1.1 MB 6/28/95 12:00:00 AM
press.sea.flag.Z 344 kB 6/28/95 12:00:00 AM
press.sea.statinv.Z 48.9 kB 6/28/95 12:00:00 AM
press.sta.data.Z 1.4 MB 6/28/95 12:00:00 AM
press.sta.flag.Z 379 kB 6/28/95 12:00:00 AM
press.sta.statinv.Z 49.1 kB 6/28/95 12:00:00 AM

All of the temperature data is missing. The README.ghcn file says this

This subdirectory (/PUB/NDP041) contains 19 files including:

– this descriptive file (ndp041.des)
– FORTRAN IV data retrieval routine to read and print the station
inventory files (invent.for)
– FORTRAN IV data retrieval routine to read and print the climate data
files (data.for)
– FORTRAN IV data retrieval routine to read and print the flag code
files (flag.for)
– SAS data retrieval routine to read and print the station inventory
file (invent.sas)
– SAS data retrieval routine to read and print the climate data files
(data.sas)
– SAS data retrieval routine to read and print the flag code files
(flag.sas)
– temperature station inventory file (temp.statinv)
– precipitation station inventory file (precip.statinv)
– sea level pressure station inventory file (press.sea.statinv)
– station pressure station inventory file (press.sta.statinv)
– temperature data file (temp.data)
– precipitation data file (precip.data)
– sea level pressure data file (press.sea.data)
– station pressure data file (press.sta.data)
– temperature flag code file (temp.flag)
– precipitation flag code file (precip.flag)
– sea level pressure flag code file (press.sea.flag)
– station pressure flag code file (press.sta.flag)

The temperature file temp.data is missing.

So there you have it. All of the V1 and most of the V2 data has been deleted from their server.

About Tony Heller

Just having fun
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12 Responses to GHCN – Just More Government Crap

  1. B.C. says:

    “Nothing to see here, folks. Move along…”
    Let’s hope someone, somewhere, has copies of the original data to compare with the “modified original data” that gets re-uploaded to the server.

    • Mindert Eiting says:

      Just in case, I have a GHCN v2 version of temperatures for 13486 stations, uncorrected monthly means, 44 MB, downloaded on 15 October 2010.

  2. In my view, what you have been doing in uncovering the biased and fraudulent manipulating of the temperature data is far and away more important than anything Anthony Watts will announce on Sunday.

    It seems that the only things that get wide publicity in the climate “debate” are those that keep it going, venally and vainly, not the definitive facts that should quickly put an end to it.

  3. sunsettommy says:

    Well if they hide it or deleted the data then they have no case for their heat claims because they have no data to lie with.

  4. Sean says:

    Looks like the Fahrenheit 451 fire company has come through.

  5. John says:

    Files mssing on temps goes more to your guess on what Watts is up to.

  6. johnmcguire says:

    This is just an example of what is happening all over this nation. Lies and deception by those in charge in order to advance an agenda and steal money from the people who actually have to work and produce a real product for a living . This country is in serious trouble and while I’ve hoped American perserverance would prevail and find a way out of this mess I am begining to think there is no hope for the American people as they don’t have the gumption to get off the couch. So , the crooked bastards are winning and the regular people can’t shut off the tv .

  7. suyts says:

    It’s the way they operate. Move, hide, delete. Then make proclamations based upon the inaccessible data.

  8. Sleepalot says:

    Is this relevant? http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/07/27/new-paper-on-the-quality-station-siting/

    “They took a look at USHCN stations in Florida, and found some problems, such as trend aberrations introduced in the conversion from Cotton Region Shelters to MMTS starting in the 1980?s that aren’t fully removed by the Menne et al USHCN v2 adjustments.”

  9. DC Andy says:

    Every month is the warmest ever. Every year is the warmest year ever. And we have the manufactured data to prove it!

  10. johnmcguire says:

    Brings new meaning to the term ” cooking the books ” .

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