A simple stochastic weather generator for ecological modeling

Stochastic weather generators are useful tools for exploring the relationship between organisms and their environment. This paper describes a simple weather generator that can be used in ecological modeling projects. We provide a detailed description of methodology, and links to full C++ source code (http://weathergen.sourceforge.net) required to implement or modify the generator. We argue that understanding the principles of weather generation will allow ecologists to tailor a solution for their own requirements. The detailed, repeatable methodology we present demonstrates that weather generation is relatively straightforward for ecologists to implement and modify.