How representative is global terrestrial wind speed from in-situ observations?

Since long-term in-situ observations over land reflect to some extent the climatic conditions of the area where they are located, observed wind speed are used for many applications, e.g.: to estimate wind energy resources, to quantify the role of winds on evapotranspiration rates, or to assess the thermal response of lakes; among many others. However, it is not well-known whether site-specific station averages are representative of wind speed conditions in the corresponding areas; in fact, few studies have explored this so far. Here, we will investigate wind speed data from observation stations and reanalysis products. By comparing the relationships of the magnitude, inter-annual variability, and long-term trends in these two datasets at various spatiotemporal resolutions, e.g., 3⁰×3⁰, 5⁰×5⁰, continental and global scale, etc., we will better understand the representativeness of wind speed changes at in-situ stations in different regions. This study will help to further reveal the uncertainties in the representativeness of studies using station-based wind speed observations.