Lists of "stations" or sites for various periods are in
(Last checked: 9 Feb 2006)
staids.2005090100-present
staids.2004021800-2005083112
staids.2003020700-xxxxxxxxxx
staids.2001112712-xxxxxxxxxx
staids.2001070212-2001112700
staids.2000112112-2001070200
staids.2000032912-2000112100
staidsal.99052700-xxxxxxxx
staidsen.99052700-xxxxxxxx
staidsal.99033112-99052612
staidsen.99033112-99052612
staidsal.98060312-99033100
staidsen.98060312-99033100
staidsal.98020912-98060300
staidsen.98020912-98060300
staidsal.97072912-98020900
staidsen.97072912-98020900
staidsal.97021812-97072900
staidsen.97021812-97072900
staidsal.97011412-97021800
staidsen.97011412-97021800
staidsal.96050912-97011400
staidsen.96050912-97011400
staidsal.96022912-96050900
staidsen.96022912-96050900
staidsal.95110112-96022900
staidsen.95110112-96022900
staidsal.94071600-95110100
staidsen.94071600-95110100
Staidsal.* files contain all the stations, while staidsen.* files contain
only the stations with "enhanced" output (see explanation for column 5
below).
Explanation for column entries in staids:
1. Five-digit station ID
2. Station latitude
3. Station longitude
4. 3-character station ID
5. For run cycles of 12Z 18 Feb 1997 and after, column 5 has 2 digits.
Before that cycle, column 5 has only a single digit.
For 12Z 18 Feb 1997 and after, the first digit denotes how the grid
point for the station is chosen (the output for a given station is
from a grid point near the station):
1 -- output is from the nearest land point
2 -- output is from the nearest sea point
0 (or a blank space) -- output is from the nearest
neighboring point, regardless of surface type
The second digit in column 5 (before 12Z 18 Feb 1997, the 1-digit
number in column 5), is the class of stations (0, 1 or 2).
There are two types of hourly output. The "basic" output, in
class0.bufr.tm**, and the "enhanced" output, in class1.bufr.tm**,
which includes a larger number of surface and upperair parameters
than the "basic" output. Class 0 stations only produce "basic"
output (in class0.bufr.tm**). Class 1 stations only produce
"enhanced" output (in class1.bufr.tm**). Class 2 stations produce
both "basic" and "enhanced" output, i.e. output for class 2 stations
can be found in both class0.bufr.tm** and class1.bufr.tm**.
6. Station name
7. Station height (m)
8. Comments
The number of surface and upper air parameters for various periods are
as follows:
class0 class1
sfc UA sfc UA
12Z 09 Feb 98 - Present 26 6 56 13
12Z 18 Feb 97 - 00Z 09 Feb 98 26 6 52 13
00Z 01 Apr 95 - 00Z 18 Feb 97 21 6 40 12
00Z 16 Jul 94 - 12Z 31 Aug 94 21 6 31 12
See online inventory files for lists of output parameters:
molts0.98060312-present
molts1.98060312-present
molts0.98020912-98060300
molts1.98020912-98060300
molts0.97021812-98020900
molts1.97021812-98020900
molts0.96013112-97021800
molts1.96013112-97021800
molts0.94071600-96013100
molts1.95040100-96013100
molts1.94071600-94083112
While both class0.bufr.tm** and class1.bufr.tm** files are produced
by the model (and available on NIC for the two latest production
cycles), only the class1.bufr.tm** files are saved on tapes sent
to the
permanent archive at NCAR. Stations in
the archived files are listed in staidsen.*.
The Eta output files contain profiles at t0, t0+1hr, t0+2hr, ... t0+48hr (t0 is the starting time of the free forecast). Each EDAS output file contains four hourly profiles, for example, class1.bufr.tm09 contains output at t0-9hr, t0-8hr, t0-7hr, and t0-6hr. Let's call these four outputs hour0, hour1, hour2 and hour3. In each case, you should not use the hour0 output for the surface parameters that are values accumulated over a period of time (for example, surface fluxes, maximum temperature over an hour), since hour0 is outputted after integration over just one time step, and the values are not true accumulations. However parameters that are instantaneous values (for example, skin temperature) are still good at hour0. A list of surface parameters that are computed cumulatively (and ill-defined at hour0) is listed here.
Since 12Z 3 Nov 1998, the parameters that are cumulative or averaged are given a value of -9999 at hour0.
To unpack the BUFR data, see BUFR README file.