Research Guides: How to Find Statistics: Climate & Environ. Stats

Environment, Energy, Climate and Pollution

World Resources Maps & Data (World Resources Institute)
"WRI produces maps, charts, data sets, infographics, and other visual resources as part of our commitment to turn “information into action.” These products are based on our data and research, which are held to traditional academic standards of excellence, including objectivity and rigor."
Center for International Earth Science Information Network
CIESIN provides information that would help scientists, decision-makers, and the public better understand the changing relationship between human beings and the environment. You can browse their data through 13 major categories, or a variety of other tools and collections to access their data and reports. CIESIN is a unit of Columbia University, and offers links to other research affiliates.
Global Observing Systems Information Center
GOSIC facilitates the search of and access to data, data products, metadata and serves as a portal to a wide variety of climate related data such as Global climate; Global atmosphere; Global oceans. The GOSIC Portal does not hold data, instead it maintains information about the datasets and products and points to the centers holding them.
National Weather Service - regional forecast for Portland OR vicinity
Up to date look at current conditions, daily forecast, radar images, and satellite images compiled from the Portland office. These regional reports include "red flag" warnings, and hazardous conditions, as well as wind warnings for more than a 100 mile radius from Portland Oregon.
National Centers for Environmental Information
NCDC is the world's largest active archive of weather data. NCDC produces numerous climate publications and responds to data requests from all over the world. Resources include Hourly, Daily and Monthly weather charts, surface conditions, and climate models. Also offers historical weather & climate snapshots of the US and world. Some sources go back to the 1800s!
Energy Information Administration (US Dept. of Energy)
US-EIA offers access to a very wide ranging collection of data of energy production, consumption, peak capacities, distribution, discharges, pollution and costs, of current conditions as well as historical trends. Also offers forecasts and analysis. Includes all forms of Petroleum fluids, Natural gas, Electricity, Coal, Nuclear, Hydro, Wind, Solar, Renewable and Alternative sources. Coverage is US and the world.

Carbon Dioxide -CO2 (ESRL)

Use the Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL) Global Monitoring Division site to find specific atmospheric data files. Navigate through the criteria to narrow your selection of data.

For example, click on Greenhouse Gases as your main category, and then choose Carbon Dioxide (CO2) or Ozone (O3) as the type of greenhouse gas. From there you select how the air sample was collected, such as air samples collected in glass flasks, and how frequently the samples were collected (e.g. monthly). Your results then display specific locations around the world that meet these requirements.

You can download data from 16 gathering sites scattered around the globe (displayed as 3 letter identification codes, including South Pole/Antarctica).

Note: These links go to pages that contain raw data. You need to copy and paste the data into Excel.

Carbon Dioxide Emissions - CO2 (United Nations Statistics Division)

The United Nations Statistics Division (known as UNSTATS) produces data sets on a variety of topics.

Note: These files downloads in Excel file, but may be zipped due to the quantity of info it .

World Carbon Dioxide Emissions- CO2 (EIA Database)

Use the U.S. Energy Information Administration's website to locate data sets on carbon dioxide emissions from various sources, including just from the United States, and also available from around the world.

Climatological Data (NCDC) - various sites within each state

Climatological Data Annual Summaries include data for total precipitation & departure from normal, average temperatures & departure from normal, temperature extremes & freeze data, monthly & seasonal cooling degree days, soil temperatures, pan evaporation & wind movement, & station index. These reports are custom generated by walking through a series of questions for several types of geography. Results are emailed to you as a file attachment, and are typically turned around to you in less than 5 minutes single site reports covering the most recent `2 month period. The data come from NOAA's National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) and the NOAA Regional Climate Centers.

Daily data for individual sites is also available for precipitation, high temperature & low temperature.

Note: These data sets are in PDF format, so you will need to copy & paste the data into Excel.

NOAA National Data Center (NNDC)

For local atmospheric data, NOAA's national data center, Climate Data Online database is more involved, but very rich with data. You can select data for a weather station or multiple stations for time periods you select. It covers precipitation, maximum temperature, minimum temperature, snowfall, snow depth, and more (data from each station varies).

Click here for directions.

Water Data Sets (USGS)

Directions:

Click on the hyperlinked station number (left side of screen).
From the drop down box called "Available Data from this Site," select SUMMARY OF ALL AVAILABLE DATA.
On the page that opens up, select one of the options (e.g. monthly statistics). Notice that the data may not go back far.
Check the "Discharge, Cubic Feet per Second" box and click Submit at the bottom of the page.
On the page that opens up, from the output format options, select TAB-SEPARATED DATA and save the web page as a text file.
Open the file you just saved in Excel.

How to Find Statistics