I compiled the list below primarily for use with research- and lab-based classes I teach. Feel free to email me if you have suggestions for useful climate data sources that are not listed here!
CLIMATE AND CLIMATE-RELATED DATA SOURCES
Google’s Dataset Search Engine: https://datasetsearch.research.google.com/
General climate data (historical temperature, precipitation, etc.)
- NOAA NCEI: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/ncdc.html
- NOAA Climate Division Data: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/data/climdiv/
- NWS ASOS program: http://www.weather.gov/asos/
- US Climate Reference Network: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/crn/
- The United States Historical Climatology Network (USHCN): https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/land-based-station/us-historical-climatology-network
- Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) Climate Explorer: http://climexp.knmi.nl/
- Atmospheric River Archive (ARA version 2.0): http://www.meteo.unican.es/en/atmospheric-rivers
- PRISM Climate Group (USA gridded & point data): http://www.prism.oregonstate.edu/
- JISAO links to climate data: http://research.jisao.washington.edu/data_sets/
- Global Historical Climatology Network (GHCN)
- Monthly data: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/ghcnm/
- Daily data: https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/ghcnd-data-access
- Hourly data: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/global-historical-climatology-network-hourly
Climate-related GIS and Google Earth data
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Climate Reanalyzer: https://climatereanalyzer.org/
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Climate Engine for visualization of observational and remote sensing datasets: https://app.climateengine.org/
- NCAR GIS-based Climate Change Scenario tools: http://gisclimatechange.ucar.edu/
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Google Earth interface for CRUTEM4 land temperature data: http://www.cru.uea.ac.uk/cru/data/crutem/ge/
- National Weather Service (NWS) (also has KML files for GoogleEarth): http://www.nws.noaa.gov/gis/
- Permafrost Zonation Index and map for Google Earth and ArcGIS: http://www.geo.uzh.ch/microsite/cryodata/pf_global/
- Climate Prediction Center (CPC): http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/GIS/GIS_DATA/
- Google Earth Engine Datasets: https://developers.google.com/earth-engine/datasets/
Hydrology / water-related / snow data
- Hydrologic Future Simulations for the USA:https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/item/6373bd3bd34ed907bf6c6e25
- USGS: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis
- USBR: http://www.usbr.gov/gp/hydromet/
- National Water and Climate Center water and snow data: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/wcc/home/
- Snowcover: http://climate.rutgers.edu/snowcover/index.php
- North America Surface Soil Moisture Dataset: https://daac.ornl.gov/cgi-bin/dsviewer.pl?ds_id=2326
Paleoclimate data
- NOAA (paleoclimate proxy data): https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/paleoclimatology
- Paleoclimate model data: http://www.cesm.ucar.edu/projects/community-projects/LME/
- PReStp (Paleoclimate Reconstruction Storehouse) with viz tools: https://paleopresto.com/
Teleconnection data
- Teleconnection time series (SOI, PDO, AMO, etc.): http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/psd/data/climateindices/list/
- JISAO PDO: http://research.jisao.washington.edu/pdo/
Emissions / greenhouse gas data
- Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center: https://cdiac.ess-dive.lbl.gov/
- Aerosols: http://aeronet.gsfc.nasa.gov/
Polar and ice data
- Climate Data for the Arctic: https://www.data.gov/climate/arctic-data/ or https://www.pmel.noaa.gov/arctic-zone/data.html or https://climatedataguide.ucar.edu/climate-data/arctic-system-reanalysis-asr
- Climate Data for the Antarctic: http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/met/READER/
- Glacier data: http://glims.colorado.edu/glacierdata/ or http://wgms.ch/
Ocean data
- Sea level: http://sealevel.colorado.edu/
- Ocean data: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/global-ocean-heat-content/ or http://icoads.noaa.gov/
Drought data
- US Drought Portal: http://www.drought.gov/drought/
- PDSI: http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/monitoring_and_data/drought.shtml
- US Drought Monitor: https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/Data.aspx
Multiple types of climate change-related data
- NASA data: http://data.giss.nasa.gov/
- NASA Giovanni (visualize or download time series from satellite era): https://giovanni.gsfc.nasa.gov/giovanni/
- The U.S. Climate Service: http://www.climate.gov/#dataServices
- IRI/LDEO Climate Data Library: http://iridl.ldeo.columbia.edu/
- National Geophysical Data Center: http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/ngdcinfo/onlineaccess.html
- World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal: https://climateknowledgeportal.worldbank.org/
- Historical and future climate data for western North America: http://climatewna.com/
Climate change impact data / Miscellaneous
- Agricultural productivity: http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/agricultural-productivity-in-the-us.aspx or http://quickstats.nass.usda.gov/
- Biodiversity data: http://www.gbif.org/
- Climate Vulnerability Monitor: http://daraint.org/climate-vulnerability-monitor/climate-vulnerability-monitor-2012/data/
- Hurricanes / Tropical cyclones: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/analysis_tools.php
- Data.gov – climate impact data: https://www.data.gov/climate/
Climate Model Projection Visualization Tools
- MACA statistically downscaled climate data and climate projections: https://climate.northwestknowledge.net/MACA/index.php
- NCAR https://gisclimatechange.ucar.edu/inspector and other GIS-based Climate Change Scenario tools: http://gisclimatechange.ucar.edu/
- Both regional and global models: http://regclim.coas.oregonstate.edu/visualization/
- CMIP5 model output, downscaled climate & hydrology (visualizations & download csv time series files) http://regclim.coas.oregonstate.edu/visualization/gccv/cmip5-global-climate-change-viewer/index.html
Climate Model Projection Data
- Statistically downscaled data for the continental USA; NetCDF or ASCII format: https://climate.northwestknowledge.net/MACA/index.php
- IPCC AR5 CMIP5 model output data data; NetCDF format: http://www.ipcc-data.org/sim/gcm_monthly/AR5/index.html
- Gridded climate model data for the US and Canada: http://cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/projects/3?lang=en_CA
- Global and regional model data available, plus dynamical or statistical downscaling — ASCII and ESRI formats http://www.ccafs-climate.org/
- Climate model data: http://www.worldclim.org/
- Western US & hydrology statistically downscaled data; NetCDF or ASCII format: http://gdo-dcp.ucllnl.org/downscaled_cmip_projections/
- MATLAB scripts to produce downscaled monthly precipitation and temperature data: http://globalclimatedata.org/ & associated paper
- High Resolution WRF Simulations of the Current and Future Climate of North America https://rda.ucar.edu/datasets/ds612.0/
- Described here
Miscellaneous Gridded Climate Data
- Standardized Precipitation-Evapotranspiration Index (gridded drought index data): http://sac.csic.es/spei/
- Livneh daily CONUS near-surface gridded meteorological and derived hydrometeorological data: https://psl.noaa.gov/data/gridded/data.livneh.html
- International Surface Pressure Databank (ISPDv2) (back to the 1700s!): http://rda.ucar.edu/datasets/ds132.0/
- Satellite and non-satellite data for atmosphere, ocean, and land: https://gcos.wmo.int/en/essential-climate-variables/table
- Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (GPCC): http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/psd/data/gridded/data.gpcc.html
- Centre for Environmental Data Analysis (includes Climate Research Unit (CRU) data; requires (free) user account set-up): http://www.ceda.ac.uk/
- Gridded climate data for spatial analyses: https://psl.noaa.gov/data/gridded/
- PRISM Climate Group: http://www.prism.oregonstate.edu/
- NCEP North American Regional Reanalysis: NARR https://psl.noaa.gov/data/gridded/data.narr.html
- NOAA Reanalysis data (pressure, wind, etc.): https://psl.noaa.gov/data/gridded/data.20thC_ReanV3.html
- U Delaware gridded temp and precip: https://psl.noaa.gov/data/gridded/data.UDel_AirT_Precip.html
Miscellaneous Geospatial Data
- Misc geospatial datasets https://geo.aiddata.org
- Global Health Data https://ghdx.healthdata.org/
- Database of Global Administrative Areas https://gadm.org/
- Earth-related data https://www.naturalearthdata.com/
- US state department boundaries https://geodata.state.gov