RICO (clouds & climate processes)
410 Soundings were taken at the three locations shown on the right: Spanish Point (SPNT) on Barbuda; the Research Vessel Seward Johnson (RVSJ); and the NCAR/NSF C130. The RVSJ and SPNT soundings used the RS90/RS92 technology, while the C130 dropsondes use the RS80 temerature sensors and RS90/RS92 humidity sensors. More details on the sondes are available in the Readme files: SPNT | C130 | RVSJ. Spanish Point Radiosonde launching siteThe NCAR/NSF C130 deployed dropsondes from 15000 ft during RICOResearch Vessel Seward Johnson deployed radiosondes during RICO
Description of processed data
  • Level 1 data: These are larger files containing the original data written to a standardized NetCDF format, with the timestamp being of rico_day, i.e., days after 0000 UTC, January 1, 2005. For the SPNT upsondes the processing is of the 144 files for which a radiative temperature correction has been applied, and for which the winds were low-pass filtered to remove pendulum motion beneath the balloon. The original data are parsed so that first values in each field corresponds to the surface values. The next value is that identified by the first time of the first 10s interval (i.e., for the 1s upsonde data this is a 10 record interval) for which the sonde ascends at a rate greater than 2 m/s for each record in the interval (or the first level at which p = psfc - 2 hPa if no GPS data was available). The last value is the last pressure level for which the previous 10s also recorded data.
  • Level 2 data: Smaller NetCDF files containing data interpolated from the level 1 data to a constant pressure offset grid which starts at the surface and decrements every 2 hPa. Data values are filled using the NCL routines linint1 (for interpolation) and linmsg (to linearly interpolate data gaps of 5 pts, ~10 hPa, or less). Input data is filtered by setting levels where pressure changes in the sense opposite to the sondes motion (decreaseing for dropsonde, increasing for upsonde) with time to missing value.
  • Level 3 data: Data is provided on a daily grid, (and the level 2 pressure grid) so as to provide temporally homogeneous data coverage.

Current Version (X.0) of Processed Data

Analysis (pdf plots, and ncl scripts)

  • T, RH, U, V & Anomaly Time Height Plots: (SPNT | C130 | RVSJ) --- Source (ncl)
  • Skew-T (SPNT | C130 | RVSJ) --- Source (ncl)
  • Mean Theta-E, Theta_Es, U, V Profiles for spnt and c130 soundings: (flight days, all days) --- Source (ncl)
  • Mean Theta-E, Theta_Es, U, V Profiles for SPNT and RVSJ soundings on ship days (SPNT heavy lines)

Disclaimer: These data are a preliminary research product and subject to change. Although our ongoing syntheses are made available to all, we ask that their use be coordinated with the PI. The original sounding data from which these syntheses have been constructed are the authoritative data set and are publically available on the RICO archive maintained by JOSS.