| Summary: | From the IPCC website: The CRU Global Climate Dataset available through the IPCC DDC consists of a multivariate 0.5 degree latitude by 0.5 degree longitude resolution mean monthly climatology for global land areas, excluding Antarctica, strictly constrained to the period 1961-1990. The mean 1961-1990 climatology comprises a suite of eleven surface variables: precipitation (PRE) and wet-day frequency (WET); mean, maximum and minimum temperature (TMP, TMX, TMN); diurnal temperature range (DTR); vapour pressure (VAP); global radiation (RAD); cloud cover (CLD); frost frequency (FRS); and wind speed (WND). The mean climate surfaces have been constructed from a new dataset of station 1960-1990 climatological normals, numbering between 19,800 (precipitation) and 3615 (windspeed). The station data were interpolated as a function of latitude, longitude and elevation using thin-plate splines. The accuracy of the interpolations are assessed using cross-validation and by comparison with other climatologies. This dataset has been described in: New, M., Hulme, M., and Jones, P.D. (1999) Representing twentieth century space-time climate variability. Part 1: development of a 1961-90 mean monthly terrestrial climatology J. Climate 12, 829-856.
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