Atlantic Stratocumulus ECMWF Mean Velocity Data for June 1992

June 1-28, 1992 data from the Atlantic Stratocumulus Transition Experiment (ASTEX) region. The European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) produced mean vertical velocity analyses using its T213L30 operational model, incorporating about 650 special soundings from the experiment. The data were reformatted into ASCII files by Chris Bretherton of the University of Washington.

Use Cases

• Analyzing mean vertical velocity (Pa/s) across 21 pressure levels from 1010 to 100 hPa to study atmospheric dynamics.
• Comparing instantaneous (I) fields at base times (00, 06, 12, 18Z) with observational data for model validation.
• Using accumulated (A) fields over 6-hour forecast intervals to assess short-term forecast performance.
• Studying spatial patterns within the defined lat/lon range (85W to 15E, 70N to 10N) to understand regional cloud transitions.

Strengths

• Incorporates about 650 special atmospheric soundings from ASTEX field campaign ships and islands.
• Provides data at 1.25-degree horizontal resolution across a defined Atlantic region.
• Includes 21 vertical pressure levels for detailed atmospheric profile analysis.

Limitations

• Data covers only a single month (June 1992), limiting long-term trend analysis.
• Aircraft soundings were not included in the analyses, potentially missing upper atmospheric data.
• Some ship soundings (e.g., from Oceanus) were almost entirely excluded, creating potential spatial gaps.

Provenance

Source

European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) operational model analyses.

Collection Method

Initializations and short-range forecasts from the ECMWF T213L30 model, incorporating routine global observations and special ASTEX soundings transmitted via GTS.

Time Range

1992-06-01 to 1992-06-28

Geography

Atlantic region: 85W to 15E longitude, 70N to 10N latitude.