Temperature station matching for elevation-standardised ecological meta-analysis

This dataset provides stationary comparison data which was used to demonstrate the suitability of a manual station matching protocol for elevation-standardised temperature estimates in ecological meta-analysis. The protocol matches ecological study sites to reference weather stations based on minimised annual mean temperature differences (ΔTAV, median 0.05°C across n=34 pairs), enabling cross-regional comparability without complex geospatial interpolation.

The main purpose of the analysis was to derive reproducible correction factors enabling direct thermal comparability across 109 elevation-stratified ecological study sites for meta-analysis of tick population dynamics.

The main data sources for comparison were:

- 30-year temperature normals (1981-2010) from official DWD stations (SW Germany, Black Forest reference region) 

- 30-year temperature normals from ARPA stations (Italian Alps: Veneto, Trentino-South Tyrol, Belluno regions)

 The workflow documented in this Excel workbook includes:

- Complete station listings from official sources with geographic coordinates, elevations, and climate normals

- Preselection of candidate stations across all regions

- Manual matching minimising ΔTAV between target and reference stations

- Derivation of latitude and altitude correction factors via linear regression 

- Embedded regression graphics supporting publication figures and tables (latitudinal/altitudinal gradients)