Standard Airborne Scientific Measurements

For more information regarding individual measurements, please refer to RAF Bulletin 9.

I. TIME
Name Units Description
Time (ADS3) sec Time of measurement [since the start date/time reported in the netCDF data file's Time "units" attribute (UTC)]

Example: Time:units = "seconds since 2006-04-26 12:55:00 +0000" ;
HOUR (obsolete *) hour Raw ADS Time Component (UTC)
MINUTE (obsolete *) minute Raw ADS Time Component (UTC)
SECOND (obsolete *) s Raw ADS Time Component (UTC)
YEAR (obsolete *) yr Raw ADS Time Component (UTC)

(year at start time)
MONTH (obsolete *) mo Raw ADS Time Component (UTC)

(month at start time)
DAY (obsolete *) day Raw ADS Time Component (UTC)

(day at start time)
base_time (obsolete *) seconds Reference Start Time (UNIX time format, UTC) [single scalar, not a "record" variable]
time_offset (obsolete *) seconds Offset from Reference Start Time
* obsolete -- time measurements used for RAF's ADS1 and ADS2 data acquisition systems.



II. INERTIAL REFERENCE SYSTEM
Name Units Description
LAT degree_N Inertial Latitude
LON degree_E Inertial Longitude
THDG degree_T Aircraft True Heading Angle
PITCH degree Aircraft Pitch Angle
ROLL degree Aircraft Roll Angle
ACINS m/s2 Aircraft Vertical Acceleration
VSPD m/s IRS-Computed Aircraft Vertical Velocity
ALT m IRS-Computed Aircraft Altitude
GSF m/s Inertial Ground Speed
VEW m/s Inertial Ground Speed Vector, East Component
VNS m/s Inertial Ground Speed Vector, North Component



III. GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM (GPS)
Name Units Description
GLAT degree_N GPS Latitude
GLON degree_E GPS Longitude
GVEW m/s GPS Ground Speed Vector, East Component
GVNS m/s GPS Ground Speed Vector, North Component
GALT m GPS Altitude
GMODE none GPS Mode
GSTAT none GPS Status



IV. ALTITUDE AND POSITION
Name Units Description
HGM232 m Geometric (Radar) Altitude (APN-232)
PALT m NACA Pressure Altitude
PALTF feet NACA Pressure Altitude
ALTC m GPS-Corrected Altitude
LATC degree_N GPS-Corrected Latitude
LONC degree_E GPS-Corrected Longitude



V. AIRCRAFT AND METEOROLOGICAL STATE PARAMETERS
Name Units Description
ATTACK degree Attack Angle, Reference
SSLIP degree Sideslip Angle, Reference
PCAB mbar Interior Cabin Static Pressure
PSX mbar Raw Static Pressure, Reference
PSXC mbar Corrected Static Pressure, Reference
QCX mbar Raw Dynamic Pressure, Reference
QCXC mbar Corrected Dynamic Pressure, Reference
TTH deg_C Total (Recovery) Temperature, Deiced
TTX deg_C Total (Recovery) Temperature, Reference
DPX deg_C Dew/Frost Point Temperature, Reference
DPXC deg_C Dew Point Temperature, Reference


VI. THERMODYNAMIC MEASUREMENTS
Name Units Description
ATH deg_C Ambient Temperature, Deiced
ATX deg_C Ambient Temperature, Reference
TASX m/s Aircraft True Airspeed, Reference
TASHC m/s Aircraft True Airspeed, Humidity Corrected
EDPC mbar Ambient Water Vapor Pressure, Reference
THETA K Potential Temperature
THETAE K Equivalent Potential Temperature (Bolton)
TVIR deg_C Virtual Temperature
RHUM % Relative Humidity
RHODX gram/m3 Absolute Humidity, T-Electric, Reference
SPHUM gram/kg Specific Humidity
MR gram/kg Mixing Ratio, T-Electric



VII. WINDS
Name Units Description
UI m/s Wind Vector, East Component
VI m/s Wind Vector, North Component
WI m/s Wind Vector, Vertical Gust Component
WS m/s Horizontal Wind Speed
WD degree_T Horizontal Wind Direction
UX m/s Wind Vector, Longitudinal Component
VY m/s Wind Vector, Lateral Component
UIC m/s GPS-Corrected Wind Vector, East Component
VIC m/s GPS-Corrected Wind Vector, North Component
WIC m/s GPS-Corrected Wind Vector, Vertical Component
WSC m/s GPS-Corrected Horizontal Wind Speed
WDC degree_T GPS-Corrected Horizontal Wind Direction
UXC m/s GPS-Corrected Wind Vector, Longitudinal Component
VYC m/s GPS-Corrected Wind Vector, Lateral Component



VIII. RADIATION
Name Units Description
RSTB deg_C Radiometric Surface Temperature
IRB W/m2 Raw Infrared Irradiance, Bottom
IRT W/m2 Raw Infrared Irradiance, Top
IRBC W/m2 Corrected Infrared Irradiance, Bottom
IRTC W/m2 Corrected Infrared Irradiance, Top
SWB W/m2 Shortwave Irradiance, Bottom
SWT W/m2 Shortwave Irradiance, Top
SWTC W/m2 Shortwave Irradiance, Top (Attitude-Corrected)
UVB W/m2 Ultraviolet Irradiance, Bottom
UVT W/m2 Ultraviolet Irradiance, Top



IX. CLOUD PHYSICS
Name Units Description
PLWCC gram/m3 Corrected PMS-King Liquid Water Content
RICE Vdc Raw Icing-Rate Indicator



XI. PARTICLES
Name Units Description
FCNC vlpm Corrected CN Counter Sample Flow Rate
CONCN N/cm3 Condensation Nuclei (CN) Concentration



XII. CHEMISTRY
Name Units Description
TEO3C ppmv TECO Ozone Concentration


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