UMRBPP Upper Air: Mandatory and Significant Level Sounding Data Set 1.0 General Description This is one of the upper air sounding data sets developed for the Upper Missouri River Basin Pilot Project (UMRBPP). The UMRBPP took place in the region surrounding the Black Hills in SD and WY during the period from 5 April to 5 May 1999. This data set includes mandatory and significant level sounding data from 12 National Weather Service (NWS) sites over the UMRBPP region. See Section 2.0 for a list of sites. These soundings were typically released at 00 and 12 UTC, however, several stations had additional releases on an as requested basis. In particular during the UMRBPP, Rapid City, SD typically released soundings at 00, 06, 12 and 18 UTC. These data were retrieved from the NOAA/FSL Rawinsonde Database for the entire UMRBPP period except 21-27 April 1999 when the data were retrieved from Florida State University. 2.0 Station Information WMO # ID Site Name Latitude Longitude Elevation (m) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 72451 DDC Dodge City, KS 37.8 -100.0 788 72456 TOP Topeka, KS 39.1 -95.6 270 72469 DNR Denver INT APT, CO 39.8 -104.9 1611 72476 GJT Grand Junction, CO 39.1 -108.5 1475 72558 OAX Valley, NE 41.3 -96.4 350 72562 LBF North Platte, NE 41.1 -100.7 849 72659 ABR Aberdeen, SD 45.5 -98.4 397 72662 UNR Rapid City, SD 44.1 -103.2 1029 72672 RIW Riverton, WY 43.1 -108.5 1687 72764 BIS Bismarck, ND 46.8 -100.7 505 72768 GGW Glasgow, MT 48.2 -106.6 693 72776 TFX Great Falls, MT 47.5 -111.4 1132 3.0 Rawinsonde Information Radiosonde Type: VIZ B2: DDC, BIS, GGW and TFX Vaisala: TOP, DNR, GJT, OAX, LBF, ABR, UNR and RIW Windfinding System: Radiotheodolite 4.0 Format Description for NOAA/FSL Data For the entire UMRBPP period except 21-27 April 1999 the data are in the NOAA/FSL rawinsonde data format which is described below in a document from NOAA/FSL: The official FSL data format is similar to the format used by the National Severe Storms Forecast Center (NSSFC) in Kansas City. The first 4 lines of the sounding are identification and information lines. All additional lines are data lines. An entry of 32767 (original format) or 99999 (new format) indicates that the information is either missing, not reported, or not applicable. ---COLUMN NUMBER--- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 LINTYP header lines 254 HOUR DAY MONTH YEAR (blank) (blank) 1 WBAN# WMO# LAT LON ELEV RTIME 2 HYDRO MXWD TROPL LINES TINDEX SOURCE 3 (blank) STAID (blank) (blank) SONDE WSUNITS data lines 9 PRESSURE HEIGHT TEMP DEWPT WIND DIR WIND SPD 4 5 6 7 8 LEGEND LINTYP: type of identification line 254 = indicates a new sounding in the output file 1 = station identification line 2 = sounding checks line 3 = station identifier and other indicators line 4 = mandatory level 5 = significant level 6 = wind level (PPBB) (GTS or merged data) 7 = tropopause level (GTS or merged data) 8 = maximum wind level (GTS or merged data) 9 = surface level HOUR: time of report in UTC LAT: latitude in degrees and hundredths LON: longitude in degrees and hundredths ELEV: elevation from station history in meters RTIME: is the actual release time of radiosonde from TTBB. Appears in GTS data only. HYDRO: the pressure of the level to where the sounding passes the hydrostatic check (see section 4.3).** MXWD: the pressure of the level having the maximum wind in the sounding. If within the body of the sounding there is no "8" level then MXWN is estimated (see section 3.2). TROPL: the pressure of the level containing the tropopause. If within the body of the sounding there is no "7" level, then TROPL is estimated (see section 3.3)** LINES: number of levels in the sounding, including the 4 identification lines. TINDEX: indicator for estimated tropopause. A "7" indicates that sufficient data was available to attempt the estimation; 11 indicates that data terminated and that tropopause is a "suspected" tropopause. SOURCE: 0 = National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) 1 = Atmospheric Environment Service (AES), Canada 2 = National Severe Storms Forecast Center (NSSFC) 3 = GTS or FSL GTS data only 4 = merge of NCDC and GTS data (sources 2,3 merged into sources 0,1) SONDE: type of radiosonde code from TTBB. Only reported with GTS data 10 = VIZ "A" type radiosonde 11 = VIZ "B" type radiosonde 12 = Space data corp.(SDC) radiosonde. WSUNITS:wind speed units (selected upon output) ms = tenths of meters per second kt = knots PRESSURE: in whole millibars (original format) in tenths of millibars (new format) HEIGHT: height in meters (m) TEMP: temperature in tenths of degrees Celsius DEWPT: dew point temperature in tenths of a degree Celsius WIND DIR: wind direction in degrees WIND SPD: wind speed in either knots or tenths of a meter per second (selected by user upon output) An example of fortran format statements necessary to read output rawinsonde data, according to LINTYP, is as follows: LINTYP 254 (3i7,6x,a4,i7) 1 (3i7,2f7.2,2i7) 2 (7i7) 3 (i7,10x,a4,14x,i7,5x,a2) 4,5,6,7,8,9 (7i7) **- section of noaa tech memo on the data base (in print) TECHNICAL INFORMATION: Schwartz, B.E., and M. Govett, 1992: "A hydrostatically consistent North American Radiosonde Data Base at the forecast Systems Laboratory, 1946-present." NOAA Technical Memorandum ERL FSL-4. Available from NOAA/ERL/FSL 325 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80303. Prepared by Mark Govett, govett@fsl.noaa.gov, ; and Bill Moninger Moninger@fsl.noaa.gov 5.0 Format Description for the FSU Data For the period from 21-27 April 1999 the NOAA/FSL database was down, so the mandatory and significant level data were extracted from the FSU database. These files are in WMO/GTS format. They are sorted by release time. The files include data from the entire US sounding network. The following is a sample portion of the data file in WMO/GTS format along with a quick summary of the format. 5.1 Mandatory Level Data YMWMANYMW 71722 TTAA 51001 71722 99983 01722 36003 00033 ///// ///// 92652 04923 04013 85311 06558 04505 70818 11322 19006 50533 28368 24040 40691 33579 22086 30889 45173 24098 25009 48772 24576 20156 48977 25569 15343 54378 26075 10601 60977 27549 88331 48971 ///// 77331 ///// ///// First line: YMW = ID (i.e. Maniwakie, PQ) MAN = Mandatory levels YMW = ID again Second line: 71722 = WMO # TTAA = Mandatory level data 51001 = 51 = day 01 of the month (51 - 50 = 1) 00 = 00 UTC release 1 = wind data to 100 mb given in message 71722 = WMO # again 99983 = 99 = surface 983 = surface pressure (983 mb) 01722 = 017 = surface temperature (-1.7 C). In all temperatures if third number even => temperature above zero, if third number odd => temperature below zero. 22 = dew point depression (2.2 C). In all dew point depressions, it greater than 6.0 C they are reported to nearest whole degree C (i.e. 61 would be dew point depression of (61-50) or 11 C. 36003 = 360 = wind direction (will always be to nearest 5 degrees, if end in 0 or 5 keep wind speed as is, but if end in a 1 or 6, means wind speed over 100 kts so add a lead 1 to the wind speed) 03 = wind speed in knots (see wind direction note above) 00033 = 00 = 1000 mb data 033 = altitude in geopotential meters above sea level (33 m) ///// = 1000 mb temperature and dew point depression not available (if present decode same as surface wind above) ///// = 1000 mb wind data not available (if present decode same as surface wind above) Third line: 92652 = 92 = 925 mb mandatory level data starts 652 = 652 m 04923 = temperature and dew point depression at 925 mb 04013 = wind direction and speed at 925 mb 85311 = 85 = 850 mb mandatory level data starts 311 = 1311 m (add lead 1) 06558 = temperature and dew point depression at 850 mb 04505 = wind direction and speed at 850 mb 70818 = 70 = 700 mb mandatory level data starts 818 = 2818 m (if large number add lead 2 if small number add lead 3) 11322 = temperature and dew point depression at 700 mb 19006 = wind direction and speed at 700 mb 50533 = 50 = 500 mb mandatory level data starts 533 = beginning at 500 mb and continuing up all altitudes in decameters so here 5330 m Fourth line: 28368 = temperature and dew point depression at 500 mb 24040 = wind direction and speed at 500 mb 40691 = 40 = 400 mb mandatory level data starts 691 = 6910 m 33579 = temperature and dew point depression at 400 mb 22086 = wind direction and speed at 400 mb 30889 = 30 = 300 mb mandatory level data starts 889 = 8890 m 45173 = temperature and dew point depression at 300 mb 24098 = wind direction and speed at 300 mb 25009 = 25 = 250 mb mandatory level data starts 009 = still in decameters but add lead one (10090 m) 48772 = temperature and dew point depression at 250 mb Fifth line: 24576 = wind direction and speed at 250 mb 20156 = 20 = 200 mb mandatory level data starts 156 = 11560 m 48977 = temperature and dew point depression at 200 mb 25569 = wind direction and speed at 200 mb 15343 = 15 = 150 mb mandatory level data starts 343 = 13430 m 54378 = temperature and dew point depression at 150 mb 26075 = wind direction and speed at 150 mb 10601 = 10 = 100 mb mandatory level data starts 601 = 16010 m 60977 = temperature and dew point depression at 100 mb 27549 = wind direction and speed at 100 mb Sixth line: 88331 = 88 = tropopause data starts 331 = pressure at tropopause (331 mb) 48971 = temperature and dew point depression at tropopause ///// = wind direction and speed at tropopause 77331 = 77 = Maximum wind level data starts 331 = pressure at max wind level ///// = wind direction and speed at max wind level 5.2 Significant Level Data YMWSGLYMW 71722 TTBB 5100/ 71722 00983 01722 11952 02936 22872 08901 33857 07321 44853 06757 55830 05167 66770 08558 77739 10360 88726 09909 99717 10703 11678 12158 22662 11570 33576 19765 44555 22360 55539 24166 66517 26965 77422 34177 88412 32777 99376 33581 11236 49374 22223 47975 33210 50377 44197 48577 55145 54778 66135 53179 77128 54578 88121 53779 99106 60377 11101 60777 First line: YMW = ID (i.e. Maniwakie, PQ) SGL = Significant levels YMW = ID again Second line: 71722 = WMO # TTBB = Significant level data 5100/ = 51 = day 01 of the month (51 - 50 = 1) 00 = 00 UTC release / = no winds transmitted in this message 71722 = WMO # again 00983 = 00 = surface data starts 983 = surface pressure (983 mb) 01722 = 017 = surface temperature (follow same rules as in mandatory level data) 22 = surface dew point depression (follows same rules as in mandatory level data) 11952 = 11 = first significant level above surface 952 = pressure at first significant level (952 mb) 02936 = temperature and dew point depression at first sig level 22872 = 22 = second significant level 872 = pressure at second significant level 08901 = temperature and dew point depression at 2nd sig level continues on in same pattern with pattern of NNPPP TTTDD where NN is the significant level label which runs from "11" to "99" and then begins again with "11" and continues. PPP is the pressure at that significant level TTT is the temperature at that significant level DD is the dew point depression at that significant level The same rules apply to all temperatures and dew point depressions as applied in the mandatory level data. 6.0 Quality Control Procedures These data have undergone NO quality control by UCAR/JOSS.