README for TiMREX sonde data Updated: 30 November 2011 Author: Paul Ciesielski email: paulc@atmos.colostate.edu Notes: If multiple version exist of a data set, we recommend using the the latest version. For example, at 46750 a correction was done with CDF matching and Cady daytime (3.1 or 4.1), later a correction was done with VCC (vaisala provided corrected humidity coefficients) and Cady daytime (3.2 and 4.2). The versions 3.2 and 4.2 provide slightly improved comparison to independent TPW estimates. Some sites have mutiple sonde types: 46741 (76 ms80, 53 vs92) 46750 (248 vs80, 18 vs92) 46780 (201 vs80, 18 vs92) 46810 (156 ms80, 1 vs92) At 46741 and 46780, the different sonde types are at different times At 46750 and 46810, the different sondes types were used in an intercomparison study and thus are at same time. When the same time has two sonde types, we recommend using data from the more realiable vs92 sonde. Because the intercomparison studies (using graw, ms80 and vs92 sondes) at Banchiao were done in April and October (in non-monsoon conditions) and with a limited number of intercomparisons launches (12), the correction based on CDF matching is less than optimal for the Meisei and Graw sondes. Also the humidity sensors on the Mesei have little sensitivy at low humidities, thus the CDF correction was not applied to RH < 33% at these sites. The low-level thermodynamic data from the southwest ship (99810) appeared to be contaminated by the ship structure as evidenced by unreasonably large gradients in the temperature and moisture near the surface. A simple algorithm which identified the bad data and then extended the T and Td from the good data to the surface was implemented to remove this contamination problem. No additional humidity corrections were deemed necessary at the 99810. Laoag appeared to have a small dry bias so it was corrected using the CDF matching method with intercomparison data (vs92 and gra_w) collected at Banchiao. Cady - refers to daytime humidity correction for VS80 and VS92 sondes proposed in Cady-Pereira et al. (2008, JTECH). This correction is only a function of the solar zenith angle and is a constant in water vapor mixing ratio with height. Yoneyama - refers to daytime humidity correction for VS92 sondes proposed in Yoneyama et al. (2008, SOLA). This correction is a function of the solar zenith angle and increases in RH with height. The correction applied at each site was the one that provided the best validation with independent data (e.g., ground-based GPS or satellite derived PW). Reference: Ciesielski, P. E., W.-M. Chang, S.-C. Huang, R. H. Johnson, B. Jong-Dao Jou, W.-C. Lee, P.-H. Lin, C.-H. Liu, and J. Wang, 2010: Quality controlled upper-air sounding dataset for TiMREX/SoWMEX: Development and corrections. J. Atmos. Ocean. Tech., 27, 1802-1821. ***************************************************************************** File naming convention: stnid_Level_version_type where stnid is: station id Level 3: hi-res, humidity corrected Version # is: 1 to ? (various versions of correction, we recommend using highest version #) type: denotes sonde type (vs80 - vaisala 80, vs92 - vaisala 92 ms80 - meisei 80, graw) *** Level 3 (humidity corrected, high resolution) **************************** - tar files containing individual sondes in EOL format filename # sondes site type correction 46692_3.1_ms80.tar 184 banchiao ms80 (Td using CDF + Yoneyama daytime) 46699_3.1_vs80.tar 185 hualien vs80 (Td using CDF + Cady daytime) 46734_3.1_vs80.tar 232 makung vs80 (Td using VCC + Cady daytime) 46741_3.1_ms80.tar 76 tainan ms80 (Td using CDF + Yoneyama daytime) 46741_3.1_vs92.tar 53 tainan vs92 (Td using Yoneyama daytime) 46750_3.1_vs80.tar 248 pingdong vs80 (Td using CDF + Cady daytime) 46750_3.1_vs92.tar 18 pingdong vs92 (Td using Cady daytime) 46750_3.2_vs80.tar 248 pingdong vs80 (Td using VCC + Cady daytime) 46750_3.2_vs92.tar 18 pingdong vs92 (Td using Yoneyama daytime) 46780_3.1_vs80.tar 201 lu-tao vs80 (Td using VCC + Cady daytime) 46780_3.1_vs92.tar 18 lu-tao vs92 (Td using Yoneyama daytime) 46810_3.1_ms80.tar 157 dongsha ms80 (Td using CDF + Yoneyama daytime) 98223_3.1_graw.tar 67 laoag graw (Td using CDF + Yoneyama daytime) 99692_3.1_vs92.tar 46 n. ship vs92 (Td using Yoneyama daytime) 99744_3.1_vs92.tar 218 liou-guei vs92 (Td using Yoneyama daytime) 99759_3.1_vs92.tar 140 henchun vs92 (Td using Yoneyama daytime) 99770_3.1_vs92.tar 163 taichung vs92 (Td using Yoneyama daytime) 99810_3.1_graw.tar 134 s.w. ship graw (low-level T, Td correction)