[Wrf-users] processing NCEP prepbufr observations for WRF-Var

Wed Oct 15 11:37:13 MDT 2008

In reference to the email below:

FM-12 SYNOP is used for surface synoptic observations
FM-13 SHIP is use for ships, buoys and coastal marine sites
FM-14 SYNOP MOBIL is used for mobile synoptic reports
FM-15 METAR is used for METAR observations
FM-16 SPECI is used for Special Criteria METAR observations
FM-18 BUOY is used for drifting buoys.

FM-32 PILOT is used for Upper-wind from a fixed land station
FM-33 PILOT SHIP is used for upper wind report from a sea station
FM-34 PILOT MOBIL is used for a upper wind report for a mobile land station
FM-35 TEMP is used for upper level pressure, temperature, humidity and wind report from a fixed station.
FM-36 TEMP SHIP is used for upper level pressure, temperature, humidity and wind report from a sea station
FM-37 TEMP DROP is used for upper level pressure, temperature, humidity and wind reports from sonde released by carrier ballons or aircraft
FM-38 TEMP MOBIL Upper level pressure, temperature, humidity,  and wind from a mobile land station
FM-42 AMDAR Aircraft report (aircraft meteorological data relay)
Fm-97 AIREP All AIREPS, PIREPS, and MDCRS data
FM-88 SATOB  Report of satellite observations of wind, surface temperature, cloud, humidity and radiation.
FM-125 SSMI Used for SSMI observation.  Also used for SSMIS observations.  Sea surface wind speed and precipitable water.
FM-132 Wind profilers
FM-281  QuikSCAT Sea surface wind speed and direction

Some of the FM values are not found in the WMO No 306.  These are the ones that are used in little_r.  Attached is the WMO 306 which gives formats for the these observation types.

/signed/
RICHARD L. RITZ, YD-2, 2WXG/WEA
Meteorologist
Commercial:  (402) 294-3918
DSN:  271-3918

-----Original Message-----
From: wrf-users-bounces at ucar.edu [mailto:wrf-users-bounces at ucar.edu] On Behalf Of Hein Zelle
Sent: Tuesday, October 14, 2008 8:22 AM
To: wrf-users at ucar.edu; wrfhelp at ucar.edu
Subject: [Wrf-users] processing NCEP prepbufr observations for WRF-Var

Hello,

I'm in the process of writing a conversion routine from NCEP prepbufr
files (observations) to little_r format.  The purpose is to use the
observations in WRF-Var, feeding them to the obsproc program.

This seems a bit pointless as obsproc can write out prepbufr format
(as input for WRF-Var), but I would like to keep the obsproc step
as we have global observation files and a very regional domain, so
filtering the relevant observations seems important.

There is a problem with the requested little-r format as input for
obsproc: it has a "platform" field (string3) which is apparently
parsed by obsproc for a WMO code, e.g. "FM-35 TEMP".  I can't find
this code anywhere in the NCEP prepbufr file or documentation.  I do
have category strings like "ADPUPA, ADPSFC, SATWND, AIRCFT" and a
numeric report type, see
http://www.emc.ncep.noaa.gov/mmb/data_processing/prepbufr.doc/table_5.htm .

Questions:

1) Does anyone know if this WMO code is stored somewhere in prepbufr
   files, and how to get it out?
2) If not, is there a translation table somewhere?
3) Is there a clear list of the WMO FM-* codes somewhere?
4) What FM-* types will WRF-Var actually understand?

Any help is appreciated.

Kind regards,
     Hein Zelle

-- 

dr. ir. Hein Zelle
Project manager

Tel:    +31 (0)527-242299
Fax:    +31 (0)527-242016
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