This is one of the upper air data sets developed for the Dynamics of the Madden-Julian Oscillation (DYNAMO) 2011-2012 project. This preliminary data set includes 71 high vertical resolution (2-second) radiosonde soundings from the R/V Sagar Kanya. The soundings were typically released four times per day at 00, 06, 12, and 18 UTC from 25 September to 10 October 2011 and less frequent releases continuing through 19 October 2011. These soundings were provided by JAMSTEC and had preliminarly quality control by NCAR/EOL. This L3 version of the data set has had a daytime radiation dry bias correction applied by CSU. An L3.1 version of this data set will be available later with an additional correction applied for deck heating effects.
Scot Loehrer
NCAR/EOL
loehrer@ucar.edu
The following information was provided by Kunio Yoneyama (JAMSTEC) about the R/V Sagar Kanya release site.
Sonde Type : Vaisala RS92-SGPD
Processor : DigiCORA III / MW31 (software: ver. 3.61)
Ground check : Vaisala GC25 for T/RH
Theodor Friedrichs (type No. 5020) for pressure
Sounding mode : Operational mode (auto editing)
Data archive : ASCII (*.tsv)
Binary (*.dc3db)
Balloon : TOTEX TA-200
Observation
area & period : (EQ, 80.5E) 06Z 25 Sept. - 06Z 03 Oct. 2011
(EQ, 83.0E) 06Z 04 Oct. - 00Z 11 Oct. 2011
(5S-5N, 83E) 00Z 12 Oct. - 00Z 19 Oct. 2011
ORV Sagar Kanya information:
L x B x D : 100.34 m x 16.39 m x 5.60 m
Gross tonnage : 4,209 tons
Call sign : VTJR
Cruise period : Departure 21 Sept. 2011
Arrival 25 Oct. 2011
(35 days)
Remarks
1) Radiosonde was launched from 10 to 12 meter above MSL.
2) Surface values were taken from Not from automated weather station.
Temperature, wind speed and wind direction from surface met kit provided by Dynalab, Pune, India.
Relative humidity from Kestrel 4500 pocket weather tracker.
Pressure from Theodor Friedrichs (type No. 5020)
The instruments were operated from the fore deck at about 12m above MSL.
Contact Point
Dr. P. M. Muraleedharan (murali@nio.org)
All upper air soundings were converted to National Center for Atmospheric Research/Earth Observing Laboratory (NCAR/EOL) Sounding Composite Format (ESC). ESC is a version of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) CLASS format and is an ASCII format consisting of 15 header records for each sounding followed by the data records with associated QC information.
The header records (15 total records) contain data type, project ID, site ID, site location, release time, sonde type, and meteorological and wind data processors. The first five header lines contain information identifying the sounding, and have a rigidly defined form. The following 7 header lines are used for auxiliary information and comments about the sounding, and may vary from dataset to dataset. The last 3 header records contain header information for the data columns. Line 13 holds the field names, line 14 the field units, and line 15 contains dashes ('-' characters) delineating the extent of the field.
The five standard header lines are as follows:
| Line | Label (padded to 35 char) | Contents |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Data Type: | Description of type and resolution of data. |
| 2 | Project ID: | Id of weather project. |
| 3 | Release Site Type/Site ID: | Description of the release site. |
| 4 | Release Location (lon,lat,alt): | Position of release site in the format described below. |
| 5 | UTC Release Time (y,m,d,h,m,s): | Time of release, in the format: yyyy, mm, dd, hh:mm:ss |
The release location is given as: lon (deg min), lat (deg min), lon (dec. deg), lat (dec. deg), alt (m)
Longitude in deg min is in the format: ddd mm.mm'W where ddd is the number of degrees from True North (with leading zeros if necessary), mm.mm is the decimal number of minutes, and W represents W or E for west or east longitude, respectively. Latitude has the same format as longitude, except there are only two digits for degrees and N or S for north/south latitude. The decimal equivalent of longitude and latitude and station elevation follow.
The seven non-standard header lines may contain any label and contents. The labels are padded to 35 characters to match the standard header lines. Records for this dataset include the following non-standard header lines.
| Line | Label (padded to 35 char) | Contents |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | Sonde Id/Sonde Type: | G0930054/Vaisala RS92-SGPD with GPS windfinding |
| 7 | Ground Station Software: | Digicora III/MW31/ver3.61 or older |
| 8 | ||
| 9 | ||
| 10 | ||
| 11 | ||
| 12 | Nominal Release Time (y,m,d,h,m,s): | Nominal time of release, in the format: yyyy, mm, dd, hh:mm:ss |
The data records each contain time from release, pressure, temperature, dew point, relative humidity, U and V wind components, wind speed and direction, ascent rate, balloon position data, altitude, and quality control flags (see the QC code description). Each data line contains 21 fields, separated by spaces, with a total width of 130 characters. The data are right-justified within the fields. All fields have one decimal place of precision, with the exception of latitude and longitude, which have three decimal places of precision. The contents and sizes of the 21 fields that appear in each data record are as follows:
| Field No. | Width | Format | Parameter | Units | Missing Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | F6.1 | Time | Seconds | 9999.0 |
| 2 | 6 | F6.1 | Pressure | Millibars | 9999.0 |
| 3 | 5 | F5.1 | Dry-bulb Temperature | Degrees C | 999.0 |
| 4 | 5 | F5.1 | Dew Point Temperature | Degrees C | 999.0 |
| 5 | 5 | F5.1 | Relative Humidity | Percent | 999.0 |
| 6 | 6 | F6.1 | U Wind Component | Meters / Second | 9999.0 |
| 7 | 6 | F6.1 | V Wind Component | Meters / Second | 9999.0 |
| 8 | 5 | F5.1 | Wind Speed | Meters / Second | 999.0 |
| 9 | 5 | F5.1 | Wind Direction | Degrees | 999.0 |
| 10 | 5 | F5.1 | Ascent Rate | Meters / Second | 999.0 |
| 11 | 8 | F8.3 | Longitude | Degrees | 9999.0 |
| 12 | 7 | F7.3 | Latitude | Degrees | 999.0 |
| 13 | 5 | F5.1 | Elevation Angle | Degrees | 999.0 |
| 14 | 5 | F5.1 | Azimuth Angle | Degrees | 999.0 |
| 15 | 7 | F7.1 | Altitude | Meters | 99999.0 |
| 16 | 4 | F4.1 | QC for Pressure | Code (see below) | 99.0 |
| 17 | 4 | F4.1 | QC for Temperature | Code (see below) | 99.0 |
| 18 | 4 | F4.1 | QC for Humidity | Code (see below) | 99.0 |
| 19 | 4 | F4.1 | QC for U Wind Component | Code (see below) | 99.0 |
| 20 | 4 | F4.1 | QC for V Wind Component | Code (see below) | 99.0 |
| 21 | 4 | F4.1 | QC for Ascension Rate | Code (see below) | 99.0 |
Fields 16 through 21 contain the Quality Control information derived at the NCAR Earth Observing Laboratory (NCAR/EOL). Any QC information from the original sounding is replaced by the following EOL codes:
| Code | Description |
|---|---|
| 99.0 | Unchecked (QC information is "missing.") ("UNCHECKED") |
| 1.0 | Checked, datum seems physically reasonable. ("GOOD") |
| 2.0 | Checked, datum seems questionable on physical basis. ("MAYBE") |
| 3.0 | Checked, datum seems to be in error. ("BAD") |
| 4.0 | Checked, datum is interpolated. ("ESTIMATED") |
| 9.0 | Checked, datum was missing in original file. ("MISSING") |
The following is a sample record of DYNAMO R/V Sagar Kanya High Resolution Radiosonde sounding data in ESC format. The data portion is much longer than 80 characters and, therefore, wraps around to a second line. See section 2.1 for an exact format specification.
Data Type: R/V Sagar Kanya/Ascending Project ID: DYNAMO Release Site Type/Site ID: R/V Sagar Kanya/VTJR Release Location (lon,lat,alt): 080 30.60'E, 00 00.00'N, 80.510, 0.000, 10.0 UTC Release Time (y,m,d,h,m,s): 2011, 09, 25, 06:00:00 Sonde Id/Sonde Type: G0930054/Vaisala RS92-SGPD with GPS windfinding Ground Station Software: Digicora III/MW31/ver3.61 or older / / / / Nominal Release Time (y,m,d,h,m,s):2011, 09, 25, 06:00:00 Time Press Temp Dewpt RH Ucmp Vcmp spd dir Wcmp Lon Lat Ele Azi Alt Qp Qt Qrh Qu Qv QdZ sec mb C C % m/s m/s m/s deg m/s deg deg deg deg m code code code code code code ------ ------ ----- ----- ----- ------ ------ ----- ----- ----- -------- ------- ----- ----- ------- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- 0.0 1011.9 30.4 23.4 67.0 0.7 -1.0 1.2 327.0 999.0 80.510 0.000 999.0 147.0 10.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 9.0 2.0 1010.9 28.4 21.9 68.0 0.8 0.8 1.1 224.0 4.5 80.510 0.000 999.0 98.0 19.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 4.0 1009.6 28.2 22.2 69.0 0.5 1.0 1.2 206.0 5.5 80.510 0.000 999.0 59.0 30.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 6.0 1008.3 28.1 22.2 71.0 0.6 1.0 1.2 211.0 6.0 80.510 0.000 999.0 46.0 42.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 8.0 1006.9 28.0 22.4 71.0 0.6 1.1 1.2 210.0 6.0 80.510 0.000 999.0 41.0 54.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 10.0 1005.5 27.9 22.5 72.0 0.6 1.1 1.2 209.0 6.5 80.510 0.000 999.0 38.0 67.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 12.0 1003.9 27.7 22.5 73.0 0.6 1.0 1.2 208.0 7.0 80.510 0.000 999.0 36.0 81.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 14.0 1002.1 27.6 22.5 74.0 0.5 1.0 1.1 209.0 7.5 80.510 0.000 999.0 35.0 96.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 16.0 1000.7 27.5 22.6 75.0 0.5 0.9 1.1 210.0 6.5 80.510 0.000 999.0 34.0 109.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 18.0 999.2 27.5 22.6 75.0 0.5 0.8 1.0 213.0 6.5 80.510 0.000 999.0 34.0 122.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 20.0 997.8 27.2 22.5 75.0 0.6 0.7 0.9 218.0 6.5 80.510 0.000 999.0 34.0 135.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 22.0 996.5 27.1 22.5 76.0 0.6 0.6 0.8 225.0 6.0 80.510 0.000 999.0 35.0 147.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 24.0 995.3 26.9 22.5 77.0 0.7 0.5 0.8 234.0 5.5 80.510 0.000 999.0 36.0 158.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 26.0 993.8 26.8 22.5 77.0 0.7 0.4 0.8 244.0 6.0 80.510 0.000 999.0 37.0 170.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 99.0 99.0
| ID | SITE | COUNTRY | LONG | LAT | ELEV (m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VTJR | R/V Sagar Kanya | India | Mobile | Mobile | 10.0 |
This dataset underwent an automated QC process. The dataset underwent internal consistency checks which included two types of checks, gross limit checks on all parameters and rate-of-change checks on temperature, pressure and ascension rate. Some further information on the QC processing conducted by NCAR/EOL can be found in Loehrer et al. (1996) and Loehrer et al. (1998).
These checks were conducted on each sounding and data were automatically flagged as appropriate. Only the data point under examination was flagged. NCAR/EOL conducted the following gross limit checks on the DYNAMO 2011 R/V Sagar Kanya sounding dataset. In the table P = pressure, T = temperature, RH = relative humidity, U = U wind component, V = V wind component, B = bad, and Q = questionable.
| Parameter | Gross Limit Check | Parameter(s) Flagged | Flag Applied |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pressure | < 0 mb or > 1050 mb | P | B |
| Altitude | < 0 m or > 40000 m | P, T, RH | Q |
| Temperature | < -90 °C or > 45 °C | T | T |
| Dew Point | < -99.9 °C or > 33 °C > Temperature |
RH T, RH | Q Q |
| Relative Humidity | < 0% or > 100% | RH | B |
| Wind Speed | < 0 m/s or > 100 m/s > 150 m/s |
U, V U, V | Q B |
| U Wind Component | < 0 m/s or > 100 m/s > 150 m/s |
U U | Q B |
| V Wind Component | < 0 m/s or > 100 m/s > 150 m/s |
V V | Q B |
| Wind Direction | < 0° or > 360° | U, V | B |
| Ascent Rate | < -10 m/s or > 10 m/s | P, T, RH | Q |
These checks were conducted on each sounding and data were automatically flagged as appropriate. These checks were started at the lowest level of the sounding and compared neighboring 2-sec data points (except at pressures less than 100 mb where 30-sec average values were used). In the case of checks ensuring that the values increased/decreased as expected, only the data point under examination was flagged. However, for the other checks, all of the data points used in the examination were flagged. All items within the table are as previously defined.
| Parameter | Vertical Consitency Check | Parameter(s) Flagged | Flag Applied |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time | decreasing / equal | None | None |
| Altitude | decreasing / equal | P, T, RH | Q |
| Pressure | increasing / equal > 1 mb/s or < -1 mb/s > 2 mb/s or < -2 mb/s |
P, T, RH P, T, RH P, T, RH | Q Q B |
| Temperature | < -15 °C/km < -30 °C/km > 50 °C/km (not applied at p < 250 mb) >100 °C/km (not applied at p < 2 50 mb) |
P, T, RH P, T, RH P, T, RH P, T, RH |
Q B Q B |
| Ascent Rate | change of > 3 m/s or & lt; -3 m/s change of > 5 m/s or < -5 m/s |
P P | Q B |
Each sounding was visually examined for data quality issues. Any issues found were flagged in the data file and/or noted in Section 3.4.
Loehrer, S. M., T. A. Edmands, and J. A. Moore, 1996: TOGA COARE upper-air sounding data archive: development and quality control procedures. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 77, 2651-2671.
Loehrer, S. M., S. F. Williams, and J. A. Moore, 1998: Results from UCAR/JOSS quality control of atmospheric soundings from field projects. Preprints, Tenth Symposium on Meteorological Observations and Instrumentation, Phoenix, AZ, Amer. Meteor. Soc., 1-6.
Wang, J., L. Zhang, A. Dai, F. Immler, M. Sommer and H. Voemel, 2012: Radiation dry bias correction of Vaisala RS92 humidity data and its impacts on historical radiosonde data. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., accepted.