Northern Hemisphere Tropospheric Analyses from 1946

Monthly gridded atmospheric data for the Northern Hemisphere, starting in January 1946. The dataset contains parameters like temperature, geopotential height, and wind components at various tropospheric levels. It was assembled by the DSS from operational model outputs and was last updated in 2009.

Use Cases

• Analyze long-term trends in monthly mean temperature and sea-level pressure across the Northern Hemisphere.
• Study seasonal and interannual variability of u- and v- wind components at specified tropospheric levels.
• Validate climate models using historical geopotential height data on a consistent 47x51 polar stereographic grid.
• Correlate surface temperature anomalies with upper-air parameters over a multi-decadal period.

Strengths

• Time series begins in January 1946, providing over 60 years of historical data.
• Data is provided on a consistent 47-by-51 north polar stereographic grid with 381 km resolution.

Limitations

• Data resolution is coarser than modern NCEP operational outputs, especially from April 1997 onward.
• The dataset was last updated in 2009, making it temporally stale for recent analysis.

Provenance

Source

DSS, assembled from various operational model outputs; later derived from NCEP operational outputs.

Collection Method

Gridded monthly mean data assembled from operational model analyses.

Time Range

From January 1946 onward, with updates through 2009.

Freshness

Last updated in 2009; update frequency is not specified.

Geography

Northern Hemisphere, on a north polar stereographic grid.