SSSF Observing Facilities
Description and Specifications

Table of Contents

1.0 Dropsonde Measurement Systems
1.1 System Descriptions
1.2 Dropwindsonde Deployment
1.3 Pressure Measurement
1.4 Temperature Measurement
1.5 Humidity Measurement
1.6 Wind and Position Measurement
1.7 Launch Invalid Data Period

2.0 Cross-chain Loran Atmospheric Sounding System (CLASS)
2.1 CLASS Sounding System Description
2.2 CLASS Radiosonde Deployment
2.3 Radiosonde Measurement Specifications
2.3.1 Pressure Measurement
2.3.2 Temperature Measurement
2.3.3 Relative Humidity Measurement
2.3.4 Wind and Position Measurement
2.4 CLASS Surface Measurement Instrumentation Specifications
2.4.1 CLASS Surface Pressure Measurement
2.4.2 CLASS Surface Temperature and Humidity Measurement
2.4.3 CLASS Surface Wind Measurement
2.5 Mobile CLASS
2.5.1 General Description
2.5.2 Mobile CLASS Surface Measurement Instrumentation Specifications
2.5.2.1 Mobile CLASS Surface Temperature and Humidity Measurement
2.5.2.2 Mobile CLASS Surface Wind Measurement
2.5.2.3 Radiation Measurements
2.5.2.4 Mobile CLASS Radiosonde Deployment

3.0 The Integrated Sounding System (ISS)
3.1 Integrated Sounding System Description
3.2 ISS Surface Measurement Instrumentation Description
3.3 ISS Surface Measurement Instrumentation Specifications
3.3.1 Pressure Measurement
3.3.2 Temperature and Humidity Measurement
3.3.3 Wind Measurement
3.3.4 Radiation Measurements
3.3.5 Rain Measurement
3.4 ISS Balloonborne Sounding System Description
3.4.1 Radiosonde Deployment
3.5 ISS Wind Profiler and RASS Specifications

4.0 The ASTER Research Facility
4.1 Introduction
4.2 ASTER Description
4.3 ASTER Tower Configurations
4.4 ASTER Measurements and Instrumentation
4.5 The ASTER Data Acquisition Module, ADAM
4.6 The ASTER Operations Field Base Computing Capability

5.0 Sounding Data Processing
5.1 Real Time Data Processing
5.1.1 Radiosonde Horizontal Wind and Position Calculation
5.1.1.1 Wind Data Calculation
5.1.1.2 Position Calculation
5.1.2 Radiosonde Thermodynamic Data Handling
5.2 Sounding Data Post Processing
5.2.1 Raw Thermodynamic Data
5.2.1.1 Balloonborne Soundings
5.2.1.2 Dropsondes
5.2.2 Ten-Second Data
5.2.3 Interpolated Data
5.3 Data Processing Algorithms
5.3.1 Calculation of Dew Point from Relative Humidity
5.3.2 Calculation of Altitude Using the Hydrostatic Equation
5.3.3 Ascent/Descent Rate Calculation

Appendix A: Sounding Data File Examples
Raw Thermodynamic Data File
Ten-Second Data File
Interpolated Data File

Appendix B: Dropsonde Data File Examples
Raw Thermodynamic Data File
Ten-Second Data File
Interpolated Data File

References