Global Radiosonde Atmospheric Profiles from 1997

Vertical profiles of temperature, dew-point temperature, wind speed, and wind direction from worldwide radiosonde stations, categorized into 7 geographic regions. The data, provided by the Met Office via SCIOPS, covers the period from 17 December 1996 to the present and is updated weekly. Stations conduct up to four ascents daily at synoptic hours.

Use Cases

• Analyze temperature and dew-point profiles at 16 standard pressure levels to validate climate model outputs.
• Train models to predict wind speed and direction at significant pressure levels using historical ascent data.
• Study regional atmospheric trends by filtering station data by the 7 defined geographic regions.
• Perform temporal analysis on profiles collected up to four times daily at 00, 06, 12, and 18 GMT.

Strengths

• Data collection spans from 17 December 1996 to the present, providing over 25 years of records.
• Profiles include measurements at 16 standard pressure levels and additional significant levels for detailed vertical analysis.
• Global coverage with stations categorized into 7 major geographic regions.

Limitations

• Specific row count, sample size, and geographic distribution of stations are unknown, limiting reproducibility assessment.
• The description notes European data from 1990-1998 is separate, indicating potential inconsistencies in the global record's start date.

Provenance

Source

Met Office, aggregated via SCIOPS on NASA EarthData.

Collection Method

Collected from worldwide radiosonde stations conducting atmospheric ascents.

Time Range

17 December 1996 to present.

Freshness

Updated weekly.

Geography

Global, with stations in Africa, Asia, South America, North and Central America, South-West Pacific, Europe, and Antarctica.