National Public Radio has an interesting story about efforts to rebuild Rwanda’s long-term climate record. Most stations were destroyed and records lost in the civil war which has torn apart the country, leaving a large gap in the historical record. The story describes some scientists’ efforts to find the missing data and rebuild the record in the face of murdered observers and mangled stations, while the country focused on meeting many other basic needs as it recovered from the war. Surface observations can never be replaced by satellite observations and models, so maintaining the long-term record is key to understanding long-term trends in climate. You can read and listen to the story here.
