Global Upper Air Weather Observations for Atmospheric Analysis

NCEP ADP data provides global upper-air weather reports from radiosondes, aircraft, and satellites, including pressure, temperature, and wind measurements. These reports are the primary input for the NCEP Global Data Assimilation System used to create final tropospheric analyses. NCAR's Data Services Section maintains this dataset, which has been collected continuously since October 1999.

Use Cases

• Analyze pressure and geopotential height profiles across up to 20 mandatory levels from 1000mb to 1mb for atmospheric stability studies.
• Model air temperature and dewpoint temperature trends from radiosonde and aircraft reports for climate change research.
• Predict wind direction and speed patterns using hourly to 12-hourly report intervals for weather forecasting applications.
• Integrate satellite-derived upper-air data from NESDIS with GTS reports for comprehensive atmospheric data assimilation.

Strengths

• Continuous data collection since October 1999 provides a long-term record.
• Reports include measurements from multiple sources: radiosondes, pibals, aircraft, and satellites.
• Data covers up to 20 mandatory atmospheric pressure levels for detailed vertical profiling.

Limitations

• Report intervals vary from hourly to 12-hourly, creating temporal gaps for some locations.
• Specific sample size, geographic bias, and data completeness metrics are unknown.
• The dataset's primary use is operational assimilation, which may prioritize timeliness over research-grade quality.

Provenance

Source

National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), with data from the Global Telecommunications System (GTS) and National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service (NESDIS).

Collection Method

Operationally collected weather reports from radiosondes, pibals, aircraft, and satellites.

Time Range

October 1999 - continuing.

Freshness

Continuing collection indicates ongoing updates.

Geography

Global.