NOAA KLM User's GuideSection 9.4.1 |
The ATOVS archive (NOAA KLM series) is substantially different from the TOVS archive (TIROS-N, NOAA-6 through NOAA-14 series). Users that need a description of the format used for the TOVS Sounding Product between January 1979 and March 8, 1992, should refer to Section 5.1 of the NOAA Polar Orbiter Data User's Guide. ATOVS retrievals are made at 40 km spacing at nadir and up to 80 km at the limb. The ATOVS archive is actually four separate archive products. The first is the retrieval archive which is the full resolution archive of the ATOVS products, processed orbitally. The second archive is the metadata archive which consists of weekly statistics comparing the ATOVS retrievals to radiosonde data. The third archive is the Radiosonde Match Archive which contains radiosonde and retrieval data collocated in time and space. The final ATOVS archive product is the coefficient data base (CDB). The CDB contains the primary coefficients used in the generation of the ATOVS retrievals. Some coefficients are constants, others are satellite dependent and another set is updated on a weekly basis. The CDB is a very complex file and is not described in this section. Documentation about the CDB will be provided with any CDB product requested.
9.4.1.1 ATOVS Sounding Retrieval Archive Data File
The ATOVS retrieval archive data file contains complete sounding data, retrieval products and data quality flags. The Retrieval Archive Data File is in all integer format with data values scaled by values such as 64 or 128. The file contains records of length 1,000 bytes with a block size of 9,000 bytes. The first record in each file is the header record which is the same size as the data records and is described in Table 9.4.1.1-1 . Records 2 through N (the number of records) contain the retrieval records, in that the data frame record N+1 contains the data frame header for the next data frame. A typical orbit has 28 data frames. The format of each ATOVS retrieval data record is described in Table 9.4.1.1-2 . The archive product has been filtered for superadiabatic retrievals, hence even though there is a superadiabatic flag it will always return no superadiabatic data. Precipitation contaminated data is included in the archive, however it is not advisable to use this data with the same weight as the rest of the product for temperature or moisture retrieval analysis. The ATOVS archive contains parameters that were not archived in TOVS or RTOVS. These are cloud information (cloud top pressure and temperature, cloud amount) and radiation budget information (outgoing longwave radiation, layer cooling rates), and the sulfur dioxide content. These terms should be used with caution, even though they are archived as part of the ATOVS product, they are very new products and not fully proven for accuracy. The fill value for this file is -32768, missing is typically all I*2 bits set.
| Starting Byte | I*4 Location | Length | # of values | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | Number of data records in the file |
| 5 | 2 | 4 | 1 | First data record written in file (usually 2) |
| 9 | 3 | 4 | 1 | Last data record written |
| 13 | 4 | 4 | 1 | Logical record length |
| 17 | 5 | 4 | 1 | Spacecraft ID |
| 21 | n/a | 3 | 1 | File type (RET) |
| 25 | n/a | 8 | 1 | Satellite name ( e.g. NOAA 15) |
| 34 | n/a | 44 | 1 | File name |
| 79 | n/a | 10 | 1 | File creation data (YYYYMMDDHH) |
| 89 | 23 | 4 | 1 | Beginning orbit number |
| 93 | 24 | 4 | 1 | Ending orbit number |
| 97 | 25 | 4 | 1 | Time of first retrieval (YYYYMM) |
| 101 | 26 | 4 | 1 | Time of first retrieval (DDHH) |
| 105 | 27 | 4 | 1 | Time of first retrieval (mmss) |
| 109 | 28 | 4 | 1 | Time of last retrieval (YYYYMM) |
| 113 | 29 | 4 | 1 | Time of last retrieval (DDHH) |
| 117 | 30 | 4 | 1 | Time of last retrieval (mmss) |
| 121 | 31-67 | 4 | 37 | Spares |
| Byte # | Integer Index | # of Values | Length | Scale | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Record type (2=data record) |
| 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Satellite number (XX from "NOAA-XX") |
| 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Data frame number from beginning of Level 1b data |
| 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Beginning orbit number |
| 9 | 5 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Ending orbit number |
| 11 | 6 | 5 | 2 | n/a | Spare |
| 21 | 11 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Surface elevation (m) |
| 23 | 12 | 7 | 2 | n/a | Spare |
| 37 | 19 | 1 | 2 | n/a | 4-digit retrieval year |
| 39 | 20 | 2 | 2 | n/a | Valid forecast date/time (YYMM, DDHH) |
| 43 | 22 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Spare |
| 45 | 23 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Retrieval grid point number (counter over the retrieval grid of 28 spots by 20 lines) |
| 47 | 24 | 1 | 2 | 128 | Retrieval latitude (-90 to +90 degrees) |
| 49 | 25 | 1 | 2 | 128 | Retrieval longitude (-180 to +180 degrees) |
| 51 | 26 | 3 | 2 | n/a | Retrieval time (YYMM, DDHH, mmss) |
| 57 | 29 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Precipitation flag: 0=no precipitation; 1=precipitation |
| 59 | 30 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Terrain flag: 0=sea; 1=land; 2=coast; 10=sea ice; 11=snow |
| 61 | 31 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Day/Night flag: 0=night; 1=day. |
| 63 | 32 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Test or production version number |
| 65 | 33 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Processing flag: 0=unsuccessful; 1=successfully processed |
| 67 | 34 | 1 | 2 | 128 | Solar zenith angle (degrees) |
| 69 | 35 | 1 | 2 | 128 | Satellite (local) zenith angle (degrees) |
| 71 | 36 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Geographical index (bin number 1-23). (See Table 9.4.1.1-3.) |
| 73 | 37 | 1 | 2 | 128 | Solar azimuth angle (degrees) |
| 75 | 38 | 1 | 2 | n/a | HIRS spot number (1-56) |
| 77 | 39 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Orbital node: 1=ascending; 2=descending |
| 79 | 40 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Superadiabatic flag: 0=not superadiabatic; 1=superadiabatic between 700 mb and 1000 mb; 2=superadiabatic between 500 mb and 700 mb; 3=superadiabatic between 100 mb and 500 mb; 4=superadiabatic above 100 mb |
| 81 | 41 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Observation quality flag: 0=good; 2=failed gross temperature limits for HIRS and AMSU-A or is polar redundant or is superadiabatic, do not use for distribution, tuning or evaluation) |
| 83 | 42 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Retrieval flag: 0=clear; 32=cloudy; 48=no-HIRS (one or more HIRS channel is missing or out of bounds) |
| 85 | 43 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Spare |
| 87 | 44 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Spare |
| 89 | 45 | 42 | 2 | 64 | Retrieved temperature profile (K). (See note 1.) |
| 173 | 87 | 40 | 2 | 64 | Adjusted brightness temperatures (limb-corrected and cloud-detection performed) (K). (See note 2.) |
| 253 | 127 | 35 | 2 | 64 | Bias corrected, limb-corrected, cloud-detection performed brightness temperatures (K). (See note 2.) |
| 323 | 162 | 35 | 2 | 64 | Non-limb corrected, cloud-detection performed brightness temps (K). (See note 2.) |
| 393 | 197 | 42 | 2 | n/a | Geopotential heights (m). (See note 1.) |
| 477 | 239 | 19 | 2 | 1024 | Water vapor mixing ratios, ln (g/kg). (See note 3.) |
| 515 | 258 | 1 | 2 | 64 | Tropopause temperature (K) |
| 517 | 259 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Tropopause pressure (mb) |
| 519 | 260 | 1 | 2 | 128 | Total precipitable water (mm) |
| 521 | 261 | 15 | 2 | 128 | Layer precipitable water (mm). (See note 4.) |
| 551 | 276 | 15 | 2 | 64 | Layer mean virtual temperature (K). (See note 4.) |
| 581 | 291 | 20 | 2 | n/a | Layer thicknesses (m). (See note 5.) |
| 621 | 311 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Spare |
| 623 | 312 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Spare |
| 625 | 313 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Spare |
| 627 | 314 | 9 | 2 | n/a | Spare |
| 645 | 323 | 1 | 2 | 64 | Sea surface temperature from internal map (K) (set to missing when SST map has land but terrain map has sea). |
| 647 | 324 | 1 | 2 | 64 | Derived skin temperature value (K) |
| 649 | 325 | 1 | 2 | Surface model level (ATOVS pressure level which is the closest retrieval pressure level to the surface pressure. Always level 40 over sea.) | |
| 651 | 326 | 1 | 2 | 64 | Retrieved surface temperature (Bt) (K) |
| 653 | 327 | 1 | 2 | 64 | Water Vapor corrected HIRS channel 8 (Bt) (K) |
| 655 | 328 | 1 | 2 | 64 | Surface temperature estimate for HIRS channel 8 (K) |
| 657 | 329 | 1 | 2 | 64 | Surface temperature estimate for HIRS channel 18 (K) |
| 659 | 330 | 1 | 2 | 64 | Surface temperature estimate for HIRS channel 19 (K) |
| 661 | 331 | 42 | 2 | 64 | First Guess temperature profile (K). (See note 1.) |
| 743 | 373 | 19 | 2 | 1024 | First Guess water vapor mixing ratio, ln (g/kg). (See note 3.) |
| 783 | 392 | 35 | 2 | 64 | First Guess radiance temperatures (K). (See note 2.) |
| 853 | 427 | 1 | 2 | 64 | NCEP forecast potential temperature (K) |
| 855 | 428 | 1 | 2 | 256 | NCEP forecast relative humidity (%) |
| 857 | 429 | 1 | 2 | 64 | NCEP forecast surface temperature (K) |
| 859 | 430 | 1 | 2 | 10 | Adjusted NCEP forecast surface pressure (mb) |
| 861 | 431 | 1 | 2 | 10 | Forecast pressure (mb) |
| 863 | 432 | 1 | 2 | 100 | Potential temperature time minus NCEP forecast time |
| 865 | 433 | 1 | 2 | 512 | Stability departure |
| 867 | 434 | 1 | 2 | 512 | Lower departure |
| 869 | 435 | 1 | 2 | 512 | Upper departure |
| 871 | 436 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Time difference (satellite minus forecast) |
| 873 | 437 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Stability forecast increment |
| 875 | 438 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Cloud liquid water (mm) |
| 877 | 439 | 1 | 2 | 64 | Cloud top temperature (K): 0=clear; -777=missing. |
| 879 | 440 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Cloud top pressure (mb): 1250=clear; -777=missing. |
| 881 | 441 | 1 | 2 | 100 | Cloud amount: 0=clear; -777=missing. |
| 883 | 442 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Total ozone (dobson units) |
| 885 | 443 | 1 | 2 | 128 | Total precipitable water from 300 mb to 500 mb (mm) |
| 887 | 444 | 1 | 2 | 128 | Total precipitable water from 500 mb to 700 mb (mm) |
| 889 | 445 | 1 | 2 | 128 | Total precipitable water from 700 mb to 1000 mb (mm) |
| 891 | 446 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Sulfur Dioxide (ppm or ppb) |
| 893 | 447 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Polar redundancy flag: -1=not redundant; 1=redundant. |
| 895 | 448 | 1 | 2 | 10 | Outgoing longwave radiation (W/m2) |
| 897 | 449 | 1 | 2 | 1000 | Layer cooling rate (240 mb to 10 mb) (W/m2) |
| 899 | 450 | 1 | 2 | 1000 | Layer cooling rate (500 mb to 240 mb) (W/m2) |
| 901 | 451 | 1 | 2 | 1000 | Layer cooling rate (700 mb to 500 mb) (W/m2) |
| 903 | 452 | 1 | 2 | 1000 | Layer cooling rate (1000 to 700 mb) (W/m2) |
| 905 | 453 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Cloud comparison flag (cloud detection vs cloud products): 0 (good) =clear retrieval + clear cloud algorithm 0 (good) = cloudy retrieval+cloudy cloud algorithm 1 (bad) = clear retrieval +cloudy cloud algorithm 2 (so-so)= cloudy retrieval + clear cloud algorithm |
| 907 | 454 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Library search closeness (pho) value |
| 909 | 455 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Superadiabatic level (1-42) (level where profile became superadiabatic - set to missing if no superadiabatic levels are found) |
| 911 | 456 | 1 | 2 | n/a | HIRS/AMSU-A gross temperature flag: 0=all temperatures within limits; 1=temperatures out of bounds. |
| 913 | 457 | 44 | 2 | n/a | Spare |
| Notes: 1. ATOVS Temperature Levels 1-40 in millibars (0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 50, 60, 70, 85, 100, 115, 135, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 430, 475, 500, 570, 620, 670, 700, 780, 850, 920, 950, 1000, 1012, 1030). Geopotential heights are represented in meters from 115 to 1030 mb and in decimeters from 0.1 through 100 mb. Currently the parameters for the 1012 and 1030 mb levels are not computed, but are planned for the future. 2. Channel ordering - HIRS channels 1-20 are stored first, then AMSU-A 1-15. 3. ATOVS Water Vapor Levels 1-19 in millibars (200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 430, 475, 500, 570, 620, 670, 700, 780, 850, 920, 950, 1000, 1012, 1030). Currently, the parameters for the 1012 and 1030 mb levels are not computed, but are planned for the future. 4. ATOVS Layer temperature and moisture values 1-15 in millibars (7-10, 10-20, 20-30, 30-50, 50-70, 70-100, 100-150, 150-200, 200-250, 250-300, 300-400, 400-500, 500-700, 700-850, 850-1000). Although the moisture array goes to 7mb, moisture is computed to 200mb, early ATOVS data goes to 300mb. 5. Layer thicknesses 1-20 in millibars ( 100-115, 115-135, 135-150, 150-200, 200-250, 250-300, 300-350, 350-400, 400-470, 470-500, 500-570, 570-620, 620-700, 700- 780, 780-850, 850-920, 920-950, 950-1000, 1000-1012, 1012-1030). The thickness below 1000mb is not currently computed but is planned for the future. |
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| Class Number | Latitude Zone | Terrain | Day/Night |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 90N to 60N | Sea | Day/Night |
| 2 | 60N to 45N | Sea | Day/Night |
| 3 | 45N to 30N | Sea | Day/Night |
| 4 | 30N to 15N | Sea | Day/Night |
| 5 | 15N to 15S | Land/Sea | Day/Night |
| 6 | 15S to 30S | Sea | Day/Night |
| 7 | 30S to 45S | Sea | Day/Night |
| 8 | 45S to 60S | Land/Sea | Day/Night |
| 9 | 60S to 90S | Sea | Day/Night |
| 10 | 90N to 60N | Land | Day |
| 11 | 60N to 45N | Land | Day |
| 12 | 45N to 30N | Land | Day |
| 13 | 30N to15N | Land | Day |
| 14 | 15S to 30S | Land | Day |
| 15 | 30S to 45S | Land | Day |
| 16 | 60S to 90S | Land | Day |
| 17 | 90N to 60N | Land | Night |
| 18 | 60N to 45N | Land | Night |
| 19 | 45N to 30N | Land | Night |
| 20 | 30N to 15N | Land | Night |
| 21 | 15S to 30S | Land | Night |
| 22 | 30S to 45S | Land | Night |
| 23 | 60S to 90S | Land | Night |
9.4.1.2 ATOVS Sounding Quality Information (Metadata Archive) File
This section describes the format for the ATOVS quality information file. Each week, one record of data is written to this file. The data records contain 3380 Integer*2 words.Each record contains data for six latitude zones: 90N to 60N, 60N to 30N, 30N to 0, 0 to 30S, 30S to 60S, and 60S to 90S. The file is a rotating file, the first record (header record) is updated each week and contains the start date (year, month, and date of the next week's data, the next available record and the maximum records on the file). There are four data files for each week of Metadata Statistics: 1) Level Temperature statistics; 2) Layer Temperature statistics; 3) Mixing Ratio statistics; and 4) Brightness Temperature statistics. Table 9.4.1.2-1 contains the format for the header record which is the first record in the metadata archive file. Tables 9.4.1.2-2, 9.4.1.2-3, 9.4.1.2-4 and 9.4.1.2-5 contain the formats of the data records.
| Start Byte | Data Type | # of Values | Length (bytes) | Scale | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Char | 1 | 2 | n/a | Spare |
| 3 | Char | 1 | 4 | I*4 | Next beginning year |
| 7 | Char | 1 | 2 | I*2 | Next beginning month |
| 9 | Char | 1 | 2 | I*2 | Next beginning day |
| 11 | Char | 1 | 6 | I*6 | Spare |
| 17 | Char | 1 | 2 | I*2 | Next record on file to write to |
| 19 | Char | 1 | 6 | I*6 | Spare |
| 25 | Char | 1 | 2 | I*2 | Maximum record on file to write to |
| 27 | Char | n/a | 3853 | n/a | Spares |
| Data Record 1 - ATOVS Level temperature (40,4,6) 40 - levels 4 - statistics (1-mean, 2-root mean square, 3-standard deviation, and 4-sample size) 6 - zones |
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| Start Byte | # of Values | Length (bytes) | Scale | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 8 | I*8 | File record number |
| 11 | 1 | 4 | I*4 | Beginning year of data |
| 15 | 1 | 2 | I*2 | Beginning month of data |
| 17 | 1 | 2 | I*2 | Beginning day of data (total of 7 days of data) |
| 19 | 1 | 22 | A*22 | Information Character (i.e. ATOVS LEVEL TEMP STATS) |
| 41 | 960 | 3840 | (1..40,1..4,1..6) | Level temperatures statistics |
| 41 | 240 | 960 | (1..40,1,1..6) | Level temps Mean Difference from RAOB |
| 1001 | 240 | 960 | (1..40,2,1..6) | Root Mean Square |
| 1961 | 240 | 960 | (1..40,3,1..6) | Standard Deviation |
| 2921 | 240 | 959 | (1..40,4,1..6) | Sample Size |
| Data Record 2 - Layer Thickness temperatures (20,4,6) 20 - layers 4 - statistics (1-mean, 2-root mean square, 3-standard deviation, and 4-sample size) 6 - zones |
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| Start Byte | # of Values | Length (bytes) | Scale | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 8 | I*8 | File record number |
| 11 | 1 | 4 | I*4 | Beginning year of data |
| 15 | 1 | 2 | I*2 | Beginning month of data |
| 17 | 1 | 2 | I*2 | Beginning day of data (total of 7 days of data) |
| 19 | 1 | 22 | A*22 | Information Character (i.e. LAYER THICK STATS) |
| 41 | 480 | 1920 | (1..20,1..4,1..6) | Layer Thickness Statistics |
| 41 | 120 | 480 | (1..20,1,1..6) | Layer Thickness Mean |
| 521 | 120 | 480 | (1..20,2,1..6) | Root Mean Square |
| 1001 | 120 | 480 | (1..20,3,1..6) | Standard Deviation |
| 1481 | 120 | 480 | (1..20,4,1..6) | Sample Size |
| 1961 | n/a | 1919 | n/a | Spares |
| Data Record 3 - Level Mixing Ratios (19,4,6) 19 - channels 4 - statistics (1-mean, 2-root mean square, 3-standard deviation, and 4-sample size) 6 - zones |
||||
| Start Byte | # of Values | Length (bytes) | Scale | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 8 | I*8 | File record number |
| 11 | 1 | 4 | I*4 | Beginning year of data |
| 15 | 1 | 2 | I*2 | Beginning month of data |
| 17 | 1 | 2 | I*2 | Beginning day of data (total of 7 days of data) |
| 19 | 1 | 22 | A*22 | Information Character (i.e. LEVEL MIXING RATIOS) |
| 41 | 456 | 1824 | (1..19,1..4,1..6) | Level Mixing Ratios statistics |
| 41 | 114 | 456 | (1..19,1,1..6) | Level Mixing Ratios |
| 497 | 114 | 456 | (1..19,2,1..6) | Root Mean Square |
| 953 | 114 | 456 | (1..19,3,1..6) | Standard Deviation |
| 1409 | 114 | 456 | (1..19,4,1..6) | Sample Size |
| 1865 | n/a | 2015 | n/a | Spares |
| Data Record 4 - Brightness temperatures RAOB - Derived (35,4,6) 35 - 20 HIRS & 15 AMSU-A channels 4 - statistics (1-mean, 2-root mean square, 3-standard deviation, and 4-sample size) 6 - zones |
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| Start Byte | # of Values | Length (bytes) | Scale | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 8 | I*8 | File record number |
| 11 | 1 | 4 | I*4 | Beginning year of data |
| 15 | 1 | 2 | I*2 | Beginning month of data |
| 17 | 1 | 2 | I*2 | Beginning day of data (total of 7 days of data) |
| 19 | 1 | 22 | A*22 | Information Character (i.e. BRI TEMP DER STATS) |
| 41 | 840 | 3360 | (1..35,1..4,1..6) | Layer Thickness Statistics |
| 41 | 210 | 840 | (1..35,1,1..6) | Layer Thickness Mean |
| 881 | 210 | 840 | (1..35,2,1..6) | Root Mean Square |
| 1721 | 210 | 840 | (1..35,3,1..6) | Standard Deviation |
| 2661 | 210 | 840 | (1..35,4,1..6) | Sample Size |
| 3601 | n/a | 279 | n/a | Spares |
9.4.1.3 ATOVS Radiosonde Matchup Archive File
The ATOVS data matched to radiosondes will be added to the suite of archived sounding products. The matchups of retrieval and radiosonde have gone through an extensive screening process. Thus, both profiles in the file are considered as 'good' and used as input to the retrieval process. The records in this file are 3,000 bytes in length. Table 9.4.1.3-1 contains the format of the header record for the radiosonde matchup file. Each bin or class also has a header record which is described in Table 9.4.1.3-2. The radiosonde standard levels (in millibars) are : 5, 7, 10, 20, 30, 50, 70, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 400, 500, 700, 850 and 1000.
| Byte | Integer Index | Data Type | # of Values | Length | Scale | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Int | 1 | 4 | n/a | Date of last file update (YYYYMMDD) |
| 5 | 2 | Int | 1 | 4 | n/a | Number of records in the file |
| 9 | 3 | Int | 1 | 4 | n/a | Last record containing valid data |
| 13 | 4 | Int | 1 | 4 | n/a | Data of most recent data (YYYYMMDD) |
| 17 | 5 | Int | 1 | 4 | n/a | File Type: 1=clear; 2=cloudy |
| 21 | 6 | Int | 1 | 4 | n/a | Satellite ID (i.e., 15 for NOAA-15) |
| 25 | 7 | Int | 3 | 4 | n/a | Spare |
| 37 | 10 | Int | 1 | 4 | n/a | Number of classes in the file |
| 41 | 11 | Int | 1 | 4 | n/a | First record for class 1 |
| 45 | 12 | Int | 1 | 4 | n/a | First record for class 2 |
| 49 | 13 | Int | 1 | 4 | n/a | First record for class 3 |
| 53 | 14 | Int | 1 | 4 | n/a | First record for class 4 |
| 57 | 15 | Int | 1 | 4 | n/a | First record for class 5 |
| 61 | 16 | Int | 1 | 4 | n/a | First record for class 6 |
| 65 | 17 | Int | 1 | 4 | n/a | First record for class 7 |
| 69 | 18 | Int | 1 | 4 | n/a | First record for class 8 |
| 73 | 19 | Int | 1 | 4 | n/a | First record for class 9 |
| 77 | 20 | Int | 1 | 4 | n/a | First record for class 10 |
| 81 | 21 | Int | 1 | 4 | n/a | First record for class 11 |
| 85 | 22 | Int | 1 | 4 | n/a | First record for class 12 |
| 89 | 23 | Int | 1 | 4 | n/a | First record for class 13 |
| 93 | 24 | Int | 1 | 4 | n/a | First record for class 14 |
| 97 | 25 | Int | 1 | 4 | n/a | First record for class 15 |
| 101 | 26 | Int | 1 | 4 | n/a | First record for class 16 |
| 105 | 27 | Int | 1 | 4 | n/a | First record for class 17 |
| 109 | 28 | Int | 1 | 4 | n/a | First record for class 18 |
| 113 | 29 | Int | 1 | 4 | n/a | First record for class 19 |
| 117 | 30 | Int | 1 | 4 | n/a | First record for class 20 |
| 121 | 31 | Int | 1 | 4 | n/a | First record for class 21 |
| 125 | 32 | Int | 1 | 4 | n/a | First record for class 22 |
| 129 | 33 | Int | 1 | 4 | n/a | First record for class 23 |
| 133 | 34 | Int | 716 | 4 | n/a | Spare |
| Byte | Int Index | Data Type | # of Values | Length (bytes) | Scale | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Int | 1 | 2 | n/a | Record type (1=class header record) |
| 3 | 2 | Int | 1 | 2 | n/a | Class number |
| 5 | 3 | Int | 1 | 2 | n/a | Maximum number of matchups in this class |
| 7 | 4 | Int | 1 | 2 | n/a | Actual number of matchups in this class |
| 9 | 5 | Int | 1 | 2 | n/a | First data record within this class |
| 11 | 6 | Int | 1 | 2 | n/a | Last data record within this class |
| 13 | 7 | Int | 1493 | 2 | n/a | Spare |
Table 9.4.1.3-3 contains the format of the data records in the radiosonde matchup file.
| Start Byte | Int Index | # of Values | Length | Scale | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retrieved Data | |||||
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Record type (2=data record) |
| 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Satellite number (XX from "NOAA-XX") |
| 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Data frame number from beginning of Level 1b data |
| 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Beginning orbit number |
| 9 | 5 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Ending orbit number |
| 11 | 6 | 5 | 2 | n/a | Spares |
| 21 | 11 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Surface elevation (m) |
| 23 | 12 | 7 | 2 | n/a | Spares |
| 37 | 19 | 1 | 2 | n/a | 4-digit retrieval year |
| 39 | 20 | 2 | 2 | n/a | Valid forecast date/time (YYMM, DDHH) |
| 43 | 22 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Spare |
| 45 | 23 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Retrieval grid point number (counter over the retrieval grid of 28 spots by 20 lines) |
| 47 | 24 | 1 | 2 | 128 | Retrieval latitude (-90 to +90 degrees) |
| 49 | 25 | 1 | 2 | 128 | Retrieval longitude (-180 to +180 degrees) |
| 51 | 26 | 3 | 2 | n/a | Retrieval time (YYMM, DDHH, mmss) |
| 57 | 29 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Precipitation flag: 0=no precip; 1=precip |
| 59 | 30 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Terrain flag: 0=sea; 1=land; 2=coast; 10= sea ice; 11=snow. |
| 61 | 31 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Day/Night flag: 0=night; 1=day. |
| 63 | 32 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Test or production version number |
| 65 | 33 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Processing flag: 0=unsuccessful; 1=successfully processed. |
| 67 | 34 | 1 | 2 | 128 | Solar zenith angle (degrees) |
| 69 | 35 | 1 | 2 | 128 | Satellite (local) zenith angle (degrees) |
| 71 | 36 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Geographical index (bin number 1-23) See Table 9.4.3-2a. |
| 73 | 37 | 1 | 2 | 128 | Solar azimuth angle (degrees) |
| 75 | 38 | 1 | 2 | n/a | HIRS spot number (1-56) |
| 77 | 39 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Orbital node: 1=ascending; 2=descending. |
| 79 | 40 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Superadiabatic flag: 0=not superadiabatic; 1=superadiabatic between 700mb and 1000mb; 2=superadiabatic between 500mb and 700mb; 3=superadiabatic between 100mb and 500mb; 4=superadiabatic above 100mb. |
| 81 | 41 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Observation quality flag: 0=good; 2=failed gross temperature limits for HIRS and AMSU-A or is polar redundant or is superadidabatic. |
| 83 | 42 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Retrieval flag: 0=clear; 32=cloudy; 48=no HIRS (one or more HIRS channels missing or out of bounds). |
| 85 | 43 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Spare |
| 87 | 44 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Spare |
| 89 | 45 | 42 | 2 | 64 | Retrieved temperature profile (K) |
| 173 | 87 | 40 | 2 | 64 | Adjusted brightness temperatures (limb-corrected and cloud-detection performed) (K) |
| 253 | 127 | 35 | 2 | 64 | Bias corrected, Limb-corrected, cloud detection performed brightness temperatures (K) |
| 323 | 162 | 35 | 2 | 64 | Non-limb corrected, cloud detection performed brightness temperatures (K) |
| 393 | 197 | 42 | 2 | n/a | Geopotential heights (m) |
| 477 | 239 | 19 | 2 | 1024 | Water vapor mixing ratios, ln (g/kg) |
| 515 | 258 | 1 | 2 | 64 | Tropopause temperature (K) |
| 517 | 259 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Tropopause pressure (mb) |
| 519 | 260 | 1 | 2 | 128 | Total precipitable water (mm) |
| 521 | 261 | 15 | 2 | 128 | Layer precipitable water (mm) |
| 551 | 276 | 15 | 2 | 64 | Layer mean virtual temperature (K) |
| 581 | 291 | 20 | 2 | n/a | Layer thicknesses (m) |
| 621 | 311 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Spare |
| 623 | 312 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Spare |
| 625 | 313 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Spare |
| 627 | 314 | 9 | 2 | n/a | Spare |
| 645 | 323 | 1 | 2 | 64 | Sea surface temperature from internal map (K) (Set to missing when SST map has land but terrain map has sea.) |
| 647 | 324 | 1 | 2 | 64 | Derived skin temperature value (K) |
| 649 | 325 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Surface model level (ATOVS level closest to surface elevation) |
| 651 | 326 | 1 | 2 | 64 | Retrieved surface temperature (Bt) (K) |
| 653 | 327 | 1 | 2 | 64 | Water Vapor corrected HIRS channel 8 (Bt) (K) |
| 655 | 328 | 1 | 2 | 64 | Surface temperature estimate for HIRS channel 8 (K) |
| 657 | 329 | 1 | 2 | 64 | Surface temperature estimate for HIRS channel 18 (K) |
| 659 | 330 | 1 | 2 | 64 | Surface temperature estimate for HIRS channel 19 (K) |
| 661 | 331 | 42 | 2 | 64 | First Guess temperature profile (K) |
| 745 | 373 | 19 | 2 | 1024 | First Guess water vapor mixing ratio, ln (g/kg) |
| 783 | 392 | 35 | 2 | 64 | First Guess radiance temperatures (K) |
| 853 | 427 | 1 | 2 | 64 | NCEP forecast potential temperature (K) |
| 855 | 428 | 1 | 2 | 256 | NCEP forecast relative humidity (%) |
| 857 | 429 | 1 | 2 | 64 | NCEP forecast surface temperature (K) |
| 859 | 430 | 1 | 2 | 10 | Adjusted NCEP forecast surface pressure (mb) |
| 861 | 431 | 1 | 2 | 10 | Forecast pressure (mb) |
| 863 | 432 | 1 | 2 | 100 | Potential temperature time minus NCEP forecast time |
| 865 | 433 | 1 | 2 | 512 | Stability departure |
| 867 | 434 | 1 | 2 | 512 | Lower departure |
| 869 | 435 | 1 | 2 | 512 | Upper departure |
| 871 | 436 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Time difference (satellite minus forecast) |
| 873 | 437 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Stability forecast increment |
| 875 | 438 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Cloud liquid water (mm) |
| 877 | 439 | 1 | 2 | 64 | Cloud top temperature (K): 0=clear; -777=missing. |
| 879 | 440 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Cloud top pressure (mb): 1250=clear; -777 = missing. |
| 881 | 441 | 1 | 2 | 100 | Cloud amount: 0=clear; -777 = missing. |
| 883 | 442 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Total ozone (dobson) |
| 885 | 443 | 1 | 2 | 128 | Total precipitable water from 300 to 500mb (mm) |
| 887 | 444 | 1 | 2 | 128 | Total precipitable water from 500 to 700mb (mm) |
| 889 | 445 | 1 | 2 | 128 | Total precipitable water from 700 to 1000mb (mm) |
| 891 | 446 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Sulfur Dioxide (ppm or ppb) |
| 893 | 447 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Polar redundancy flag: -1=not redundant; 1=redundant. |
| 895 | 448 | 1 | 2 | 10 | Outgoing longwave radiation (W/m2) |
| 897 | 449 | 1 | 2 | 1000 | Layer cooling rate from 240mb to 10mb (W/m2) |
| 899 | 450 | 1 | 2 | 1000 | Layer cooling rate from 500mb to 240mb (W/m2) |
| 901 | 451 | 1 | 2 | 1000 | Layer cooling rate from 700mb to 500mb (W/m2) |
| 903 | 452 | 1 | 2 | 1000 | Layer cooling rate from 1000mb to 700mb (W/m2) |
| 905 | 453 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Cloud comparison flag (cloud detection vs cloud products): Clear retrieval + Clear cloud algorithm =0 (good); Cloudy retrieval + cloudy cloud algorithm = 0 (good); Clear retrieval + cloudy cloud algorithm = 1 (bad); Cloudy retrieval + clear cloud algorithm = 2 (so-so). |
| 907 | 454 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Library search closeness (pho) value |
| 909 | 455 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Superadiabatic level (1-42) |
| 911 | 456 | 1 | 2 | n/a | HIRS/AMSU-A gross temperature flag: 0= all temperatures within limits; 1 = one or more temperatures out of bounds. |
| 913 | 457 | 44 | 2 | n/a | Spares |
| Matchup Information | |||||
| 1001 | 501 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Matchup test pass/fail flag: 0=pass; 1=fail. |
| 1003 | 502 | 8 | 2 | n/a | Matchup test flags |
| 1019 | 510 | 13 | 2 | n/a | Spares |
| 1045 | 523 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Archive Flag: 1 = record has been written to archive (Matchup Database Holding and Archive files only). |
| 1047 | 524 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Library flag: 0=not used in library; 1=used in library. |
| 1049 | 525 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Difference in time (hours) between RAOB/Retrieval |
| 1051 | 526 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Difference in distance (km) between RAOB/Retrieval |
| 1053 | 527 | 1 | 2 | 64 | Closeness parameter |
| 1055 | 528 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Matchup Utility Index |
| Radiosonde Data | |||||
| 1057 | 529 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Radiosonde station ID (ASCII(1st char)*100 + (ASCII(2nd char)) |
| 1059 | 530 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Radiosonde station ID (ASCII(3rd char)*100 + (ASCII(4th char)) |
| 1061 | 531 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Radiosonde station ID (ASCII(5th char)*100 + (ASCII(6th char)) |
| 1063 | 532 | 3 | 2 | n/a | Radiosonde day of synoptic report (YY, MM, DD) |
| 1069 | 535 | 3 | 2 | n/a | Radiosonde balloon release date (YY, MM, DD) |
| 1075 | 538 | 1 | 2 | 100 | Radiosonde observation time (hours in UTC) |
| 1077 | 539 | 1 | 2 | 128 | Radiosonde latitude (-90 to +90 degrees) |
| 1079 | 540 | 1 | 2 | 128 | Radiosonde longitude (-180 to +180 degrees) |
| 1081 | 541 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Radiosonde station elevation (m) |
| 1083 | 542 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Radiosonde instrument type |
| 1085 | 543 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Radiosonde report type |
| 1087 | 544 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Radiosonde terrain : 0=sea; 1 =land; 2=coast. |
| 1089 | 545 | 1 | 2 | 64 | Lowest reported pressure (mb) |
| 1091 | 546 | 1 | 2 | 64 | Highest reported pressure (mb) |
| Radiosonde test flags (0=pass, 1=fail) | |||||
| 1093 | 547 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Radiosonde pass/fail flag |
| 1095 | 548 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Vertical extent flag |
| 1097 | 549 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Data gap flag |
| 1099 | 550 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Profile superadiabatic flag |
| 1101 | 551 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Profile inversion flag |
| 1103 | 552 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Spare |
| 1105 | 553 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Profile climatological limits flag |
| 1107 | 554 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Spare |
| Radiosonde quality flags (0=pass, 1=fail) | |||||
| 1109 | 555 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Standard level relative humidity not within limits flag |
| 1111 | 556 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Standard level relative humidity missing flag |
| 1113 | 557 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Standard level temperature not within limits flag |
| 1115 | 558 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Tropopause temperature not within limits flag |
| 1117 | 559 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Standard level temperature inaccurate flag |
| 1119 | 560 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Tropopause temperature inaccurate flag |
| 1121 | 561 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Data gaps in temperature data flag |
| 1123 | 562 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Radiosonde vertical extent failure flag |
| 1125 | 563 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Standard level relative humidity inaccurate flag |
| 1127 | 564 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Significant level relative humidity missing flag |
| 1129 | 565 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Significant level relative humidity vertical extent flag |
| 1131 | 566 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Tropopause pressure limits flag |
| 1133 | 567 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Superadiabatic layers flag |
| 1135 | 568 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Temperature inversions flag |
| 1137 | 569 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Tropopause data missing flag |
| 1139 | 570 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Surface inversion flag |
| 1141 | 571- 612 |
42 | 2 | 64 | Radiosonde temperatures (C) |
| 1225 | 613- 631 |
19 | 2 | 1024 | Radiosonde water vapor mixing ratios (ln g/kg) |
| 1263 | 632 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Radiosonde tropopause temperature (C) |
| 1265 | 633 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Radiosonde tropopause pressure (mb) |
| 1267 | 634 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Radiosonde surface pressure (mb) |
| 1269 | 635 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Radiosonde surface temperature (C) |
| 1271 | 636 | 1 | 2 | 1024 | Radiosonde surface water vapor mixing ratio (ln g/kg) |
| 1273 | 637 | 1 | 2 | 1024 | Water vapor mixing ratio at lowest reported level (ln g/kg) |
| 1275 | 638 | 1 | 2 | 1024 | Water vapor mixing ratio at highest reported level (ln g/kg) |
| 1277 | 639 | 3 | 2 | 100 | Layer precipitable water from reported Radiosonde data (mm) |
| 1283 | 642 | 1 | 2 | 100 | Total precipitable water from reported Radiosonde data (mm) |
| 1285 | 643 | 18 | 2 | 100 | Layer precipitable water from extrapolated RAOB data (mm) |
| 1321 | 661 | 16 | 2 | n/a | Spares |
| Category 1 Radiosonde Data (standard levels) | |||||
| 1353 | 677 | 17 | 2 | n/a | Standard level geopotential heights (m) |
| 1387 | 694 | 17 | 2 | 10 | Standard level temperatures (C) |
| 1421 | 711 | 17 | 2 | 10 | Standard level dewpoint depressions (C) |
| 1455 | 728 | 17 | 2 | n/a | Standard level wind direction (degrees) |
| 1489 | 745 | 17 | 2 | n/a | Standard level wind speed (knots) |
| 1523 | 762 | 17 | 2 | n/a | Standard level geopotential height QC flags (ASCII) |
| 1557 | 779 | 17 | 2 | n/a | Standard level temperature QC flags (ASCII) |
| 1591 | 796 | 17 | 2 | n/a | Standard level dewpoint depression QC flags (ASCII) |
| 1625 | 813 | 17 | 2 | n/a | Standard level wind QC flags (ASCII) |
| 1659 | 830 | 17 | 2 | n/a | Standard level "missing" flags (ASCII) |
| Category 2 Radiosonde Data (significant levels) | |||||
| 1693 | 847 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Number of significant levels |
| 1695 | 848 | 50 | 2 | 10 | Significant level pressure (mb) |
| 1795 | 898 | 50 | 2 | 10 | Significant level temperature (C) |
| 1895 | 948 | 50 | 2 | 10 | Significant level dewpoint depression (C) |
| 1995 | 998 | 50 | 2 | n/a | Significant level pressure QC flags (ASCII) |
| 2095 | 1048 | 50 | 2 | n/a | Significant level temperature QC flags (ASCII) |
| 2195 | 1098 | 50 | 2 | n/a | Significant level dewpoint depression QC flags (ASCII) |
| 2295 | 1148 | 50 | 2 | n/a | Significant level spare QC flags (ASCII) |
| 2395 | 1198 | 50 | 2 | n/a | Significant level "missing" flags (ASCII) |
| Category 3 Radiosonde Data (wind data) | |||||
| 2495 | 1248 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Number of wind levels |
| 2497 | 1249 | 25 | 2 | 10 | Wind level pressure (mb) |
| 2547 | 1274 | 25 | 2 | n/a | Wind direction (degrees) |
| 2597 | 1299 | 25 | 2 | n/a | Wind speed (knots) |
| 2647 | 1324 | 25 | 2 | n/a | Wind level pressure QC flags (ASCII) |
| 2697 | 1349 | 25 | 2 | n/a | Wind level wind QC flags (ACSII) |
| 2747 | 1374 | 25 | 2 | n/a | Wind level spare QC flags (ASCII) |
| 2797 | 1399 | 25 | 2 | n/a | Wind level spare QC flags (ASCII) |
| Category 5 Radiosonde Data (tropopause data) | |||||
| 2847 | 1424 | 2 | 2 | 10 | Tropopause pressure (mb) |
| 2851 | 1426 | 2 | 2 | 10 | Tropopause temperature (C) |
| 2855 | 1428 | 2 | 2 | 10 | Tropopause dewpoint depression (C) |
| 2859 | 1430 | 2 | 2 | n/a | Tropopause wind direction (degrees) |
| 2863 | 1432 | 2 | 2 | n/a | Tropopause wind speed (knots) |
| 2867 | 1434 | 2 | 2 | n/a | Tropopause level pressure QC flags (ASCII) |
| 2871 | 1436 | 2 | 2 | n/a | Tropopause level temperature QC flags (ASCII) |
| 2875 | 1438 | 2 | 2 | n/a | Tropopause level dewpoint depression QC flags (ASCII) |
| 2879 | 1440 | 2 | 2 | n/a | Tropopause level wind QC flags (ASCII) |
| 2883 | 1442 | 2 | 2 | n/a | Tropopause "missing" flags (ASCII) |
| Category 7 Radiosonde Data (cloud cover) | |||||
| 2887 | 1444 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Number of cloud levels (0 or 1) |
| 2889 | 1445 | 1 | 2 | 10 | Pressure at bottom of clouds (mb) |
| 2891 | 1446 | 1 | 2 | n/a | Cloud cover percentage increments of 5, (less than 5% reported as 0) |
| 2893 | 1447-1500 | 54 | 2 | n/a | Spares |
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