First ISCCP Regional Experiment (FIRE) Atlantic Stratocumulus Transition Experiment (ASTEX) Santa Maria Radiosonde Data

The First ISCCP Regional Experiments have been designed to improve data products and cloud/radiation parameterizations used in general circulation models (GCMs). Specifically, the goals of FIRE are (1) to improve the basic understanding of the interaction of physical processes in determining life cycles of cirrus and marine stratocumulus systems and the radiative properties of these clouds during their life cycles and (2) to investigate the interrelationships between the ISCCP data, GCM parameterizations, and higher space and time resolution cloud data.Radiosonde data were collected during the FIRE ASTEX for time period June 1, 1992 through June 28, 1992 from the Santa Maria. There are 3 sets of interpolated sounding data. They are 5-second, 20-meter, and 2-millibar.Each file contains a 5-line header. The first line is the site name (up to 16 characters), the next line is the latitude and longitude at the time of launch, the third contains the date-time group at launch in YYMMDDHHMM format. Lines 4 and 5 describe the data to follow, which comprise no more that 1500 additional lines. The data are: minutes, seconds past launch, ascent rate, height, pressure, temperature, relative humidity, dew point, mixing ratio and wind speedand direction.