gov.noaa.ncdc:C00055 National Climatic Data Center, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce Unknown tabular digital data http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov Upper Air Rawinsonde Observations is DSI-5681, archived at the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). Major parameters which make up this file are number of levels, pressure of level, height of level, temperature of level, relative humidity of level, wind direction and speed of level. Data set 5681 is a composite data set that NCDC built from upper air data received from the U.S. Air Force Global Weather Center (GWC) and the U.S. NOAA National Weather Service's National Meteorological Center (NMC). GWC is now the Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA), and NMC is now the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP). NCDC converted their data separately into DSI-5681, then merged the two giving priority to the NMC source. Related files include upper air standard levels and upper air (rawinsonde) observations. To make a wide range of climatic data available to researchers and the public. data set C00055 RADIOSONDES RAWINSONDES BALLOONS RADIOSONDES National Climatic Data Center, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce 19710701 19780101 Ground Condition Complete As Needed -180.0 -180.0 90.0 -90.0 ISO 19115 Topic Category climatologyMeteorologyAtmosphere 004 elevation 006 DIF Discipline Keyword Thesaurus Earth Sciences > Atmosphere > Meteorology Earth Sciences > Atmosphere > Climatology Earth Sciences > Atmosphere > Weather GCMD Sciences Keyword Valids EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC WINDS > UPPER LEVEL WINDS EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE > ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE MEASUREMENTS EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC TEMPERATURE > AIR TEMPERATURE EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ALTITUDE > GEOPOTENTIAL HEIGHT EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ALTITUDE > PLANETARY BOUNDARY LAYER HEIGHT EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ALTITUDE > TROPOPAUSE EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE > PLANETARY BOUNDARY LAYER HEIGHT EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE > PRESSURE THICKNESS EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE > SURFACE PRESSURE EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC TEMPERATURE > SURFACE AIR TEMPERATURE EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC TEMPERATURE > BOUNDARY LAYER TEMPERATURE EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC TEMPERATURE > TEMPERATURE PROFILES EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC WINDS > SURFACE WINDS EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC WINDS > VERTICAL WIND MOTION EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC WINDS > WIND PROFILES EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC WINDS > BOUNDARY LAYER WINDS EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC WATER VAPOR > HUMIDITY EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC WATER VAPOR > WATER VAPOR PROFILES EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC WATER VAPOR > DEW POINT TEMPERATURE GCMD Location Valids GLOBAL GCMD Location Valids BOUNDARY LAYER TROPOSPHERE STRATOSPHERE BALLOONS RAWINSONDES RADIOSONDES RADIOSONDES 1 None None Not provided Unknown Completeness information not available. Unknown Unknown Each data level is 25 bytes long. Missing data fields are coded as all 9s with signed fields being signed minus. The first level is always the surface level, all other levels then follow in decreasing pressure or ascending height order. For those observations where no surface data are available, the first level is 9 filled. Observations are packed as many as possible into variable length blocks that do not exceed 6000 bytes. A 99 in the hour field of this file comes from NMC. They coded missing or invalid hours as 99; NCDC carried this into DSI-5681. Non-blank data in the Blank field is quality controlled (QC) information carried over from the NMC QC fields and should be ignored. Any time difference is due to internal processing differences at NMC and GWC and the assigning of actual time of receipt of the observation vs the standard synoptic time. Statistical relative humidity is not applicable to this deck and any humidities found indicating such should be thrown out or at least looked at with a jaundiced eye. Position: 01-04 Element: Block Length Definition: Number of Bytes is this physical record - binary. This occurs once each block Position: 05-08 Element: Observation Length Definition: Number of bytes in this logical record - binary. This field occurs at the beginning of each observation. Position: 09-12 Element: Deck Number Definition: Unique for each type or source of data. 5681 - GTS Rawinsonde 5682 - SIRS 5684 - Pilot 5686 - Satellite Wind Vectors 5687 - Carrier Balloons 5688 - Constant Level Balloons Position: 13-17 Element: Station Number or Latitude Definition: WMO block index number or latitude in degrees and tenths. +/- 99LaLaLa = Ships, Balloons ETC. +/- 00LaLaLa = SIRS and Satellite Winds Signed Position: + = Northern Hemisphere - = Southern Hemisphere Position: 18-19 Element: Year Definition: 78 = 1978 Etc. Position: 20-21 Element: Month Definition: 01-12 = Jan-Dec Position: 22-23 Element: Day Definition: 01-31 = Day of Month Position: 24-25 Element: Hour Definition: 00-23 GMT Position: 26-27 Element: Number of Levels Definition: Number of 25 character levels contained in this observation. Position: 28-33 Element: Blank or Longitude Definition: Blank for land stations - west longitude in degrees and tenths for other observations. 99LoLoLoLo = Ships, Balloons Etc. 00LoLoLoLo = SIRS and Satellite Winds LoLoLoLo = 000.0-360.0 starting at zero meridian and increasing in westerly direction. 090.0 = 90.0W 270.0 = 90.0E Position: 34-38 Element: Pressure Definition: Pressure of the level in millibars and tenths Position: 39-42 Element: Height Height of the level, above sea level, in geopotential meters. Definition: Signed Plus = Height above sea level Signed Negative = Height below sea level Position: 44-46 Element: Temperature Definition: Temperature of the level in degrees Celsius and tenths. Signed Plus = Positive temp Signed Negative = Negative temp Position: 47-49 Element: Relative Humidity Definition: Relative humidity of the level in whole percent. Signed Plus = Actual relative humidity Signed Negative = Statistical relative humidity Position: 50-52 Element: Wind Direction Definition: Wind direction of the level in whole degrees. Position: 53-55 Element: Wind Speed Definition: Wind degrees of the level in meters per second. Position: 56 Element: Height indicator Definition: Height indicator for the level. Blank = Height as reported 1 = Height computed 2 = Height recomputed during QC Position: 57 Element: Temperature Indicator Definition: Temperature indicator for the level. Blank = Height as reported 1 = Height computed 2 = Height recomputed during QC Position: 58 Element: Blank Definition: This could be used for other QC information. None National Climatic Data Center, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce Customer Service Mailing and physical

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Asheville North Carolina 28801-5001 USA 828-271-4800 828-271-4876 NCDC.Orders@noaa.gov DSI-5681 Every effort has been made to ensure that these data are accurate and reliable within the limits of current NOAA quality control procedures. NOAA can only certify that the data provided to its customers is an authentic copy of the records which were accepted for inclusion in NOAA archives. NOAA cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in the data, nor as a result of the failure of the data to function on a particular system. NOAA makes no warranty, expressed or implied, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. 20061201 20060627 National Climatic Data Center, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce Customer Service Mailing and physical

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Asheville North Carolina 28801-5001 USA 828-271-4800 828-271-4876 NCDC.Orders@noaa.gov Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata: Extensions for Remote Sensing Metadata FGDC-STD-012-2002