Wakasa Bay Weather Forecast Maps

Summary

The AMSR-E Wakasa Bay Field Campaign was conducted over Wakasa Bay, Japan, in January and February, 2003. The Wakasa Bay Field Campaign includes joint research observations, such as precipitation amount, pressure thickness, seal level pressure, and surface winds by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the AMSR precipitation validation team, and the NASA AMSR-E team. This data set contains weather forecast maps that were generated by the United States Air Force and were used in flight planning during the field experiment. The total volume of this data set is approximately 5 megabytes. Maps are provided in Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) files and are available via FTP.

The Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer - Earth Observing System (AMSR-E) is a mission instrument launched aboard NASA's Aqua Satellite on 04 May 2002. AMSR-E validation studies linked to rainfall experiments are designed to evaluate the accuracy of AMSR-E precipitation data.

Citing These Data

The following example shows how to cite the use of this data set in a publication. For more information, see our Use and Copyright Web page.

Wilheit Jr., Thomas T. 2006. Wakasa Bay Weather Forecast Maps. Boulder, Colorado USA: National Snow and Ice Data Center. Digital media.

Overview Table

Category	Description
Data format	Graphics Interchange Format (GIF)
Spatial coverage and resolution	Southernmost Latitude: 17° N Northernmost Latitude: 48° N Westernmost Longitude: 100° E Easternmost Longitude: 160° E
Temporal coverage and resolution	03 January 2003 - 09 February 2003
Tools for accessing data	Any image viewing program.
File naming convention	MMM_DD_06z_precip_sfc_XXX.gif
File size	44 KB - 61 KB
Parameter(s)	Surface Winds Sea Level Pressure Precipitation Amount Pressure Thickness
Procedures for obtaining data	FTP

Table of Contents

1. Contacts and Acknowledgments
2. Detailed Data Description
3. Data Access and Tools
4. References and Related Publications
5. Document Information

1. Contacts and Acknowledgments

Investigator(s)

Thomas T. Wilheit, Jr.
Department of Atmospheric Sciences
Texas A&M University

Technical Contact

2. Detailed Data Description

Format

The files are in Graphics Interchange Format (GIF).

File Naming Convention

Files are named according to the following convention and as described in Table 1:

MMM_DD_06z_precip_sfc_XXX.gif

Where:

Table 1. File Naming Convention

Variable	Description
MMM	3-digit month of forecast date
D (or DD)	1-digit day or 2-digit day of forecast date
06z	UTC time
precip	precipitation
sfc	surface
XXX	hours from start of model run
.gif	indicates this is a GIF file

Example: feb_8_06z_precip_sfc_048.gif

File Size

File sizes range from 44 to 61 KB.

Spatial Coverage

Southernmost Latitude: 17° N
Northernmost Latitude: 48° N
Westernmost Longitude: 100° E
Easternmost Longitude: 160° E

Temporal Coverage

The weather forecast maps span from 03 January 2003 to 09 February 2003.

Parameter or Variable

The weather forecast maps depict surface winds, sea level pressure, precipitation amounts, and pressure thickness.

Sample Data Record

The following image is the Wakasa Bay forecast map for 01 February 2003.

3. Data Access and Tools

Data Access

Data are available via FTP.

Volume

The volume of data files is approximately 5 megabytes.

Software and Tools

An image viewing program which recognizes the GIF file format is recommended to view these images.

Related Data Collections

• AMSR-E Validation Data
• AMSR-E Data at NSIDC
• Millimeter-wave Imaging Radiometer (MIR) Brightness Temperatures, Wakasa Bay, Japan

4. References and Related Publications

Kummerow, C., W. Barnes, T. Kozu, J. Shiue, and J. Simpson. 1998. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Sensor Package. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol. 15:3 809-817.

Im, E. Durden, S. L. Haddad, Z. S. Sadowy, G. Berkun, A. Huang, J. Lou, M. Lopez, B. C. Rahmat-Samii, Y. Rengarajan. 2000. Second-Generation Spaceborne Precipitation Radar, Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, 2000. Proceedings. IGARSS 2000. IEEE 2000 International. Vol. 3. pp. 1361-1363.

Durden, S. L., E. Im, F. K. Li, W. Ricketts, A. Tanner, and W. Wilson. 1994. ARMAR: An Airborne Rain Mapping Radar. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol. 11:3 727-737.

Sadowy, G. A., A. C. Berkun, W. Chun, E. Im, and S. L. Durden. 2003. Development of an Advanced Airborne Precipitation Radar. Microwave J. vol. 46, no. 1, pp. 84-98.

6. Document Information

Acronyms

The acronyms used in this document are listed in Table 2.

Table 2. Acronyms and Abbreviations

Acronym	Description
AMSR-E	Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer - Earth Observing System
CIRES	Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Science
FTP	File Transfer Protocol
GIF	Graphics Interchange Format
JAXA	Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
NASA	National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NSIDC	National Snow and Ice Data Center
URL	Uniform Resource Locator

Document Creation Date

05 April 2010

Document Revision Date

.....

Document URL

http://nsidc.org/data/docs/daac/nsidc0462_wakasa_weather_forecast_maps/index.html