ORCAS NCAR GV, GFS-FNL, NCEP/NCAR Global Reanalysis, COSMIC, and MLS Observations and Climatology ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Data Holdings: NCAR GV : http://data.eol.ucar.edu/master_list/?project=ORCAS GFS-FNL : https://rda.ucar.edu/datasets/ds090.0/ NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis : https://rda.ucar.edu/datasets/ds083.2/ http://www.cosmic.ucar.edu/ https://mirador.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Summary: This collection of graphics contains climatologies derived from various sources including the Global Forecast System (GFS) Final Analyses (FNL), the National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) / National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Global Reanaysis, COSMIC GPS, and Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS). Also included are GFS-FNL interpolated cross sections with NCAR GV instrument observations overlayed, and skew-t log-p diagrams for each NCAR GV up and down profile from the ORCAS field campaign. The graphics are intended to be used as supplementary material to aid in the analysis of NCAR GV instrument datasets for both upper troposphere - lower stratosphere (UTLS), and boundary layer studies. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Date ranges of model and satellite Coverage: GFS-FNL : 2000-2016 (Cloud products only available from 2010-2013) NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis : 1948-2016 COSMIC GPS : 2007-2016 MLS : 2005-2016 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Captions: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ GFS-FNL model notes: All GFS-FNL graphics (except the daily surface plots) are January-February 2000-2016 (2010-2013 for cloud products) means with gaussian smoothing applied. GFS-FNL model output resolution is 1.0 degree x 1.0 degree regular grid, 26 pressure levels, output every 6 hours. Black contours are outlines of the color shaded contours - not all of the color contours may be outlined and depends on the number of contours. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ GFS-FNL Boundary Layer (BL) Cloud Cover: Cloud cover within the boundary layer [%]. GFS-FNL Low Cloud Cover: Lower troposphere cloud cover over grid point [%]. GFS-FNL Middle Cloud Cover: Middle troposphere cloud cover over grid point [%]. GFS-FNL High Cloud Cover: Upper troposphere / lower stratosphere cloud cover over grid point [%]. GFS-FNL Total Cloud Cover: Cloud cover of entire atmosphere over grid point [%]. GFS-FNL Surface Wind: Wind speed 10 meters above ground surface [meters/second]. GFS-FNL 100-850 mb Wind: 850, 700, 500, 300, 250, 150, and 100 mb wind speeds [meters/second] with wind vectors. GFS-FNL Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) Height: Height of the planetary boundary layer [kilometers]. GFS-FNL Precipitation Rate: Surface precipitation rate [millimeters/day]. GFS-FNL Mean Sea Level (MSL) Pressure: Pressure reduced to mean sea level [hectopascals]. GFS-FNL Tropopause Temperature: Temperature of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) lapse rate tropopause [kelvin]. GFS-FNL Tropopause Pressure: Pressure of the WMO lapse rate tropopause [hectopascals]. GFS-FNL Daily Surface Plots: Four times daily (00:00, 06:00, 12:00, and 18:00 UTC) plots of pressure reduced to MSL [hectopascals] and surface wind speed [meters/second]. Plots begin on January 1st, 2016 and run through March 15th, 2016 for a total of 293 plots. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis model notes: All reanalysis graphics are January-February, 1948-2016 means with additional gaussian smoothing applied. Resolution is 2.5 degree x 2.5 degree regular grid, 17 pressure levels, output every 6 hours. Black contours are outlines of the color shaded contours - not all of the color contours may be outlined and depends on the number of contours. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis Low Cloud Cover: Lower troposphere cloud cover over grid point [%]. NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis Middle Cloud Cover: Middle troposphere cloud cover over grid point [%]. NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis High Cloud Cover: Upper troposphere / lower stratosphere cloud cover over grid point [%]. NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis Total Cloud Cover: Cloud cover of entire atmosphere over grid point [%]. NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis Surface Wind: Wind speed 10 meters above ground surface [meters/second]. NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis 100-850 mb Wind: 850, 700, 500, 300, 250, 150, and 100 mb wind speeds [meters/second] with wind vectors. NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis Precipitation Rate: Surface precipitation rate [millimeters/day]. NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis Mean Sea Level (MSL) Pressure: Pressure reduced to mean sea level [hectopascals]. NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis Tropopause Temperature: Temperature of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) lapse rate tropopause [kelvin]. NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis Tropopause Pressure: Pressure of the WMO lapse rate tropopause [hectopascals]. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ COSMIC Tropopause Climatology: Climatology of coldpoint temperature [kelvin], pressure [hectopascals], MSL geometric height [kilometers], potential temperature [kelvin], vapor pressure [hectopascals*10^3], WMO lapse rate tropopause temperature [kelvin], pressure [hectopascals], MSL geometric height [kilometers], potential temperature [kelvin], and vapor pressure [hectopascals*10^3]. File has a total of of 10 plots. See http://cdaac-www.cosmic.ucar.edu/cdaac/doc/overview.html for information on processing of COSMIC Reverse Occultation data. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MLS Carbon Monoxide (CO) Climatology: 100, 147, and 215 hectopascal carbon monoxide with data points quality controlled in accordance with the MLS v4 level 2 data quality document. See https://mls.jpl.nasa.gov/data/v4-2_data_quality_document.pdf MLS Ozone (O3) Climatology: 100, 147, 215, and 261 hectopascal ozone with data points quality controlled in accordance with the MLS v4 level 2 data quality document. See https://mls.jpl.nasa.gov/data/v4-2_data_quality_document.pdf ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ NCAR GV Cross Sections: Cross sections of GFS-FNL model output interpolated in 2-D space (latitude and longitude) and time along the NCAR GV flight path. Each flight contains 4 plots, each with different GV instrument data overlayed (NOAA methane, NOAA carbon dioxide, QCLS Nitrous Oxide, and QCLS Carbon Monoxide). Each plot contains the following from the GFS-FNL model: WMO tropopause (black solid line), potential temperature contours (black dashed lines), wind speed (purple solid contours), freezing level (blue solid line), planetary boundary layer height (orange dashed line), and relative humidity (i.e. a proxy for clouds) color shaded in shades of green from 70-100%. NOTE: GV instrument overlays are based off of final data submitted to the EOL ORCAS long term archive. NCAR GV Quicklook Cross Sections: Same as the other cross sections except these use GV instrument field data and may not be of the same quality as the finalized instrument data used in the other cross sections. Also, only the first 11 research flights are available (excluding research flight 5). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ NCAR GV Skew-T Log-P Diagrams: These files contain two parts for each file. The first part is a vertical and horizontal map showing where the profiles used to plot the skew-t log-p diagrams occur. The vertical plot is a time-altitude plot with profiles with ascending profiles highlighted in red and descending profiles highlighted in blue. Note that profiles less than 1 kilometer in depth are not qualified as a profile, and that subsequent profile segments going in the same direction are lumped together as a single profile unless they occur more than 900 seconds (15 minutes) apart. The horizontal plot shows where the individual profiles occur on the map. Each numbered profile will have an associated skew-t log-p diagram. These diagrams follow the vertical and horizontal profile maps in numerical order. There is one skew-t log-p diagram for each profile. The standard reference for interpreting the skew-t log-p digrams is the United States Air Force document : AWS/TR-79/006 "The use of the Skew T, Log P Diagram in Analysis and Forecasting, December 1979, revised 1990. The document is stored at the Defense Technical Information Center and can be easily accessed via a web search of 'AWS TR-79 006'. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------