Global Atmospheric Circulation Statistics at 11 Levels, 1958-1989

Global gridded analyses spanning the troposphere and stratosphere over a 32-year period from May 1958 to December 1989. Twenty-two monthly statistical quantities, created from upper air soundings, include means and variances of wind, temperature, geopotential height, moisture, and divergence. The dataset was compiled by Abraham H. Oort for comparing climate model simulations to observations.

Use Cases

• Validate climate model simulations based on monthly means of horizontal and vertical wind.
• Analyze atmospheric variability based on monthly variances of temperature and geopotential height.
• Study relationships between atmospheric variables based on covariance terms for wind, temperature, moisture, and geopotential height.
• Assess long-term circulation patterns in the troposphere and stratosphere based on the 32-year time series.

Strengths

• Covers a 32-year period from May 1958 to December 1989, providing a long-term climatology.
• Includes data at eleven vertical levels across the troposphere and stratosphere.
• Contains twenty-two monthly statistical parameters, including means, variances, and covariances.

Limitations

• Analyses near the earth's surface (900mb and below) are noted to be less reliable due to incomplete rawinsonde reports.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

Abraham H. Oort

Collection Method

Created from upper air soundings (rawinsondes) across the globe.

Time Range

May 1958 to December 1989

Geography

Global