Gridded Dataset Version 3b (released 12/10/01)

Brief Description

The sounding data used in preparing these V3b analyses have been quality controlled (QC) with visual QC up to 100 mb. This V3b dataset was created using sounding data that has undergone additional QC over what was used in version 3. For example, some unQCed data got into the V3 analysis and the location of Shiyan 3 was incorrect in V3 on 05 June 06 UTC. Also, a bug was fixed in an interpolation routine which interpolated the sonde data to equally spaced 25 mb levels. In the earlier versions this bug resulted in a data fall out at certain levels. In the all V3 level products, JMA wind data was used at Laoag, Philippines below 700 mb to minimize topographics flow effects due to flow over the mountain range east of Laoag and JMA analyses were used for all fields at the surface. For more details on the QC click here . In generating the gridded fields, data gaps such as over the Bay of Bengal (with no data within 3 degrees of a 5 degree grid intersection) are filled in with data from the JMA GAME-IOP reanalysis (Version 1.1).

Compressed ASCII gridded data for May and June 1998 over the SCSMEX domain 0-40N, 80-130E at 1 degrees resolution and at the surface and 1000 to 25 mb at 25mb resolution. Analyses are available at 00, 06, 12 and 18 UTC, however the 06 and 18 UTC analyses will be most reliable during the SCSMEX intensive observing period from (5 May through 20 June 1998).

Steps to access and read gridded data files:

1. See Accessing the Data below which allows you to view available files and click on the files you want to to download
2. untar files: (e.g., tar xvf u.tar)
3. uncompress files: (e.g., gunzip u.98*)
4. compile and execute "read_ascii_grd.f"




Accessing the Data

Click here to view and download the gridded datasets. Report any problems in accessing the data to Paul Ciesielski at paulc@atmos.colostate.edu .

At this location, you will find the following files:

         read_ascii_grd.f - sample fortran code to read data

data files:

               compressed 
   file_name    size(mb)         contents

    p.tar           1.5      surface pressure (mb) data           
    q.tar          34.3      specific humidity (g/kg) data
    t.tar          25.4      temperature (C) data 
    u.tar          35.9      zonal wind (m/s) data
    v.tar          32.2      meridional wind (m/s) data
    z.tar          31.1      altitude (m) data

uncompressed size is about 5 times as large