Danny Amor's Online Library/Danny Amor's Online Library - Volume 1.iso/html/faqs/faq/weather/data.part2

Text File | 1995-07-25 | 36.0 KB | 665 lines

Subject: Sources of Meteorological Data FAQ part 2/2
Newsgroups: sci.geo.meteorology,news.answers,sci.answers
From: [e-mail] (Ilana Stern)
Date: 15 Nov 1994 12:00:14 GMT

Archive-name: weather/data/part2
Last-modified: 8 Nov 1994

Recent changes:

  ==within last two weeks==

  ==within last four weeks==




This is a guide to sources of meteorological, oceanographic, and geophysical
data which can be obtained via tape, CD-ROM, and other media.  Contents:

 1)  Overview
 2)  How to get a current copy of this document
 3)  CD-ROM source list
 4)  Data centers

Each (major) section has a "Subject:" line, so you can search on the
subject title above to find the section quickly.

---------------
Subject:  Overview

This is part 2 of a guide to various sources of meteorological,
oceanographic, and geophysical data.  Some of these data sets are intended
for enjoyment or hobbyist use;  other data are more research-oriented.
Much of the research data is not free and is not directly available over
the network; usually, only information about this data is available, and
you must place an order for the actual data.

The contents of this series of FAQs are:

Part 1:  Meteorological data available via the Internet
Part 2:  Meteorological data available via tape, CD-ROM, and other media

The section on mailing lists which used to be included in this FAQ
is now a separate FAQ, "Mailing lists and newsgroups for meteorology".

This article is copyright (c) 1993 by Ilana Stern.  It may be freely
distributed for non-commercial purposes only, provided that this copyright
notice and the instructions on retrieving a current copy are not
removed.  The information in this article is provided as-is, with no
warranties or assurances as to its accuracy.  I prefer that archives
maintain current copies, since this information changes rapidly.  If
you would like to put this article in an archive and want to receive
a new copy automatically at every update, please send me email.

Corrections, additions, and comments should be sent to Ilana Stern at
[e-mail].  Please include in your message where you read
this document.  Note that if I know about it, it's in this document.

---------------
Subject:  How to get a current copy of this document

If you are reading this document after 29 Nov 1994, you are reading an
outdated copy. A current copy can be obtained by anonymous FTP to
rtfm.mit.edu, from the file weather/data/part2 in the directory
/pub/usenet/news.answers.  These files are updated every two weeks,
when a new copy is posted to sci.geo.meteorology, news.answers,
and sci.answers.  This document also appears on the mailing lists
CLIMLIST and met-stud, which are described in the FAQ, "Mailing Lists
for Meteorology".

If you can't use FTP, send email to [e-mail] with
send /pub/usenet/news.answers/weather/data/part2
as the only text in the message (leave the subject blank).

---------------
Subject: CD-ROM source list

1) Basic information
2) List of CD-ROMs by topic, with summaries
A) Weather data
B) Research data
C) Miscellaneous

1. Basic information

CD-ROMs tend to be relatively expensive, but can hold as much as 600 megabytes
of data.  Prices are current as of October 1991;  prices for some discs
are not known.  Some discs are provided with driving software.  Most of
the software is for IBM-PC or compatible systems, but some is available
for the Macintosh, and, increasingly, for Unix systems.

Some of these listings are not for CD-ROMs, but are for floppies or
tapes.  These are listed here, rather than in the section on data available
on other media, because they have been prepared as a package.  The
research data available on tape is generally copied from a computer
archive as requests come in.

Commercial sources are flagged as such.  Inclusion of a commercial
source in this listing does not imply endorsement.

2. List of CD-ROMs by topic, with summaries

A. Weather data

Climate Change Data ($950, or 595 pounds sterling from UK source):
  Monthly 5-degree surface temperature anomaly grids 1854-1990, pressure
grids 1873-1990.  Monthly world temperature data at about 3500 stations and
precipitation data at about 6500 stations, for period of record (long).
Retrieval and mapping software included, available for various systems.
  Contact:  Dr. Phil Jones, Climatic Research Unit, University of East
Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ United Kingdom.  Distributed in North America by
Chadwyck-Healey Inc.,1101 King St, Alexandria, VA 22314.  800/752-0515.

World Weather Disc ($295):
  Monthly temp, precip, pressure, sunshine data for about 2000 world stations
for period of record.  Daily weather data at hundreds of US stations.  Data
for some stations on temp, precip, freeze, drought, soil moisture, wind,
storms.  Frequency and movement of tropical cyclones.
  Contact:  Cliff Mass, Dept. of Atmos. Sci. (AK40), University of Washington,
Seattle, WA  98195.  206/685-0910.

National Climate Info System Volume 1 ($50):
  Monthly temperature, precipitation, Palmer Hydrological Drought Index for 344
climate divisions of US.  Data can be viewed in tabular or graphical format.
The disc covers the period 1895-1989 and contains 1032 time-series graphs,
4180 maps, and 5400 frames of video animation.
  Contact:  National Climatic Data Center, Federal Building, Asheville, NC
28801.  704/271-4800, email [e-mail].

SAMSON (Solar and Meteorological Surface Observational Network)
  (3 disks, $100 each):
  The three CD-ROMs are divided geographically into regions:  eastern,
central, and western U.S., and contain hourly solar radiation data along with
selected meteorological elements for the period 1961-1990.  It encompasses
237 NWS stations in the United States, and also includes Guam and Puerto
Rico.  The dataset includes both observational and modelled data.  The hourly
solar elements are:  Extraterrestrial horizontal and extraterrestrial direct
normal radiation; global, diffuse, and direct normal radiation.
  Meteorological elements are:  Total and opaque sky cover, temperature and
dew point, relative humidity, pressure, wind direction and speed, visibility,
ceiling height, present weather, precipitable water, aerosol optical depth,
snow depth, days since last snowfall, and hourly precipitation.
 Contact:  National Climatic Data Center, see above.

CLIVUE CD-ROM  ($50):
  The National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) developed a CD-ROM in support of
a museum exhibit which traveled across the U.S.  The CD contains a
1,500-station subset of NCDC's nearly 8,000 U.S. daily cooperative stations.
The user selects a date and area of the U.S. and the CD-ROM database is
queried for stations within the specified domain having data.  Then, the
system displays daily maximum and minimum temperatures, precipitation, and
snowfall for the site.  Graphs showing 7 years, 21 years, and the full period
of record (varies by station) for the station(s) are available.  Visual
displays allow users to view trends, variability, and extremes.
  Contact:  National Climatic Data Center, see above.

International Station Meteorological Climate Summary (ISMCS) 2.0 ($50)
  This CD released in August 1992 gives detailed climatological summaries
for about 980 locations worldwide.  These locations include National Weather
Service locations, domestic and overseas Navy and Air Force sites, and
selected foreign stations.  Limited summaries are also given for an additional
almost 5,000 worldwide sites.  Tabular or statistical data can be exported
to a printer or spreadsheet.  Also supports limited mouse capability.
  Contact:  National Climatic Data Center, see above.

U.S. Navy Marine Climatic Atlas of the World Ver 1.0 ($50):
  This CD-ROM includes analysis and display software for climatological
averages of atmospheric and oceanographic data.  The data are summarized with
user-defined 1 and 5 degree grid areas covering the global marine environment.
The summaries are produced using predominately ship data collected between
1854-1969.  The major elements include air and sea temperature, dewpoint
temperature, scalar wind speed, sea- level pressure, wave height, wind and
ocean- current roses.  This CD also allows the user to define element
intervals (e.g. 5 to 10 knots, 2 degree temperature intervals).  Contouring
for explicitly user-defined regions and exporting data to a printer or
diskette are supported.
  Contact:  National Climatic Data Center, see above.

Meteosat Images on CD-ROM, 1986 to 1991 (price on request):
  One full-disk infra-red image per day (usually at 12h00 UTC), one visible
image on day 1 of each month (at the same time as the infra-red image), one
water-vapour image on day 1 of each month of 1991 (at the same time as the
infra-red and visible image).  Images of the snow storm over the East coast
of the USA on 12&13 March 1993 (from meteosat-3 at 75 degrees East).  Images
of Kuwait during the Gulf war.  Full-disk Images taken by Meteosat-3 at 75
degrees East at the beginning of March 1993.
  Contact:  J. Le Ber, Meteosat Data Service, European Space Agency,
Robert Bosch Str. 5,  D6100 DARMSTADT GERMANY

High Resolution Climatology ($199/variable):  *COMMERCIAL*  (Floppy disk)
  Average monthly climatological values of maximum temperature, minimum
temperature,  and precipitation for every 1 square km of the conterminous
US for the 30-year periods 1951-1980 and 1961-1990.  The data are stored
as a rectangular matrix for each state.  Digitized state and county political
boundaries are included and referenced to the climate data sets.  The data
are in raster form as ASCII or 16-bit binary integers.  This dataset is
distributed on 5.25" or 3.5" floppy disks.
  Contact:  ZedX, Inc., P.O. Box 404, Boalsburg, PA  16827-0404.
814/466-2025.

US Summary of Day (4 disks, prices vary):  *COMMERCIAL*
  NCDC Summary of Day data, USGS streamflow data, retrieval and analysis
software.
  Contact:  Hydrosphere, Inc., 1002 Walnut, Suite 200, Boulder, CO  80302
800/949-4937, 303/443-7839

Atlas of Global Instrumental Climate Data - Version 1.0 ($30):
  Color-shaded and contoured images of global gridded instrumental data, with
each image simultaneously depicting anomaly maps of surface temperature, sea
level pressure, and 500 millibar geopotential heights and percentages of
reference period precipitation.  Monthly, seasonal, and annual composites are
available, in either cylindrical equidistant, or northern and southern
hemisphere polar projections.  Temperature maps are available from 1854 to
1991, precipitation maps from 1851 to 1989, sea level pressure maps from
1899 to 1991, and 500 mb height maps from 1946 to 1991.  All images are GIF
files (1024 x 822 pixels, 256 color). Shareware for viewing GIF images is
also available on the CD-ROM.
  Contact: Frank Keimig, Department of Geology and Geography, Box 35820,
University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003-5820. 413/545-0659,
email [e-mail]


B. Research data

NMC gridpoint dataset ($150):
  Twice daily grids for the Northern Hemisphere at a resolution of about
381 km.
  Contact: National Center for Atmospheric Research, PO Box 3000, Boulder,
CO  80307.  303/497-1219, email [e-mail].

National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) discs:
  Various discs available, including:  Gulf of Mexico GLORIA data,
Geophysics of North America, global ecosystems, global topography,
gravity data, solar activity, and more.  A catalog and price list are
available via gopher or ftp (see part 1).
  Contact:  NGDC, 325 Broadway E/GC4, Dept. 894, Boulder, CO  80303.
303/497-6958, email [e-mail].

Global Ocean Temperature and Salinity (2 discs, $80 each or $124/both)
  Temperature and salinity in the world ocean for about 1900-1990, based
on all available XBTs, MBTs, BTs, etc.
  Contact:  National Oceanographic Data Center, NOAA/NESDIS E/OC21,
Washington, DC  20235.  202/606-4549.

Global Upper Air Climatic Atlas (GUACA) ($200):
  This two-volume CD-ROM set uses a 12-year (1980-1991) 2.5 degree upper air
data base obtained from the European Centre for Medium Range Weather
Forecasts (ECMWF).  This CD presents upper air statistics for 15 vertical
levels in the Northern and Southern Hemisphere for dry bulb and dewpoint
temperature, geopotential height, air density, and vector and scalar wind
speed.  The disc provides access/display software for gridpoint data,
contouring capability for user-defined areas, and vertical profiles.
The climatology covers the 12-year period as well as individual year-months.
  Contact:  National Climatic Data Center, Federal Building, Asheville, NC
28801.  704/271-4800, email [e-mail].

Radiosonde Data of North America 1946-1992. ($400):
  Contains all available radiosonde data for North America (U.S., Canada,
Mexico, and Caribbean Islands) through the 100-mb level on four disks.
Disk periods are 1946-1965, 1966-1979, 1980-1989, and 1990-1992.  Data
includes significant, mandatory, and special wind levels for all observation
times and includes geopotential height, temperature, dew point and wind
direction, and scalar speed.  The user can select for output to printer,
screen, or file, a single station or multiple stations for a defined time
period, or all stations within a specified geographic region in either
synoptic or station sort.  The CD also contains available station metadata.
  Contact:  National Climatic Data Center, see above.

Global Tropical and Extratropical Cyclone Climatic Atlas (GTECCA) ($100):
  This CD-ROM contains all global historic tropical storm track data
available for five tropical storm basins.  Periods of record varies for each
basin, with the beginning as early as the 1870s and with 1992 at the latest
year.  Northern hemispheric extratropical storm track data will be included
from 1965 to 1992.  Tropical track data includes time, position, storm stage
(maximum wind, central pressure when available).  The user can display tracks,
track data for any basin or user-selected geographic area, or tracks passing
within a user-defined radius of any point.  Narratives for all tropical
storms for the 1980-1992 period will be included as well as basin-wide
tropical storm climatological statistics.
  Contact:  National Climatic Data Center, see above.

Global Daily Summary (GDS) ($100):
  This CD-ROM provides access to a 10,000-station set of daily maximum/minimum
temperature, daily precipitation, and 3-hourly present weather for the
1977-1991 period of record.  Data can be selected for viewing or output to
file for geographic areas or by a predefined user-selected list of stations.
The dataset includes element flags for suspected erroneous data.  A data
inventory contains station name, latitude/longitude, elevation, period of
record, and the number of observations of available data.  Requires a bare
minimum of 4 MB of RAM, with 8MB of RAM recommended for superior performance.
  Contact:  National Climatic Data Center, see above.

GALE dataset (price not known):
  GALE (Genesis of Atlantic Lows), 1/15/86-4/15/86:  ship data, raobs,
aircraft, radar, etc off N Carolina coast.  Available through Dept. of
Atmos. Sci. (AK40), University of Washington, Seattle, WA  98195.

ERICA dataset ($35):
  ERICA (Experiment on Rapidly Intensifying Cyclones over the Atlantic),
12/1/88-2/26/89:  rawinsondes, aircraft, radar, buoys, satellite data, etc.
  Contact:  C. Kreitzberg, Dept. of Physics and Atmospheric Science,
Philadelphia, PA  19104.  [phone], [e-mail].

GEDEX (Greenhouse Effect Detection Experiment)(price not known):
  Two discs containing surface, upper air, and/or satellite-derived
measurements of temperature, solar irradiance, clouds, greenhouse
gases, fluxes, albedo, aerosols, ozone, and water vapor, along with
Southern Oscillation Indices and Quasi-Biennial Oscillation statistics.
Many of the data sets provide global coverage.  The spatial resolutions
vary from zonal to 2.5 degree grids.  Some surface station data sets
span more than 100 years;  most satellite-derived sets cover only the
past 12 years.  Temporal coverage is monthly for most sets.  An update
will be available by June 1992.
  Contact:  NCDS/Goddard Distributed Active Archive Center, Code 935,
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD  20771.  301/286-3209, email
[e-mail].
  A more complete description of these discs may be obtained from
the ncardata.ucar.edu FTP site, in the file "catalogs/nondss/gedex".

HCDN (Hydro-climatic data network) streamflow dataset (price not known):
  Contains dataset, search software, and USGS Open-File Report 92-129
(Slack, J.R., and Landwehr, J.M., 1992, Hydro-climatic data network (HCDN):
A U.S. Geological Survey streamflow data set for the United States for the
study of climate variations, 1874-1988).
  Contact:  USGS, National Water Data Exchange (NAWDEX), MS 421 - National
Center, Reston VA  22092.
  The principal author of this dataset, James R. Slack, can be reached via
email at [e-mail].
  The information on the CD-ROM is also available via anonymous FTP
from srv1rvares.er.usgs.gov in the directory "hcdn92".

The following 6 discs/disc sets are available from NSIDC User Services,
National Snow and Ice Data Center, CIRES - Campus Box 449, University of
Colorado, Boulder, CO  80309-0449.  303/492-6199, FAX [phone],
email: [e-mail], Omnet: NSIDC.

DMSP F8 Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) Brightness Temperature
Grids for the Polar Regions (Price on request):
  18 CD-ROM discs contain daily gridded brightness temperature (Tb) for
the north and south polar regions (areas where sea ice occurs), on polar
stereographic grids, 9 July 1987 through 31 December 1991.  Each CD-ROM
contains approximately 3 months of data.  Defense Meteorological Satellite
Program (DMSP) F8 platform carried this first functional SSM/I instrument.
The SSM/I is a 7-channel, 4-frequency, linearly polarized, passive
microwave radiometric system; channels are 85.5 GHz Vertical/Horizontal,
37.0 GHz Vertical/Horizontal, 22.2 GHz Vertical, 19.3 GHz Vertical/Horizontal.
  Fortran program provided on diskette to extract single channel from
inter-leaved storage format.  Images can be displayed using IDL or other Unix
or PC software.  For 1992 and later data, see DMSP F11 SSM/I Brightness
Temperature Grids for the Polar Regions, below.
  Contact NSIDC, information above.

DMSP F8 Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) Sea Ice Concentration Grids
for the Polar Regions 1987 - 1991. (Price on request):
  DMSP F8 SSM/I Ice Concentration Grids for the Polar Regions consist of
daily first-year, multi-year, and total ice concentration on 25 x 25 km
polar stereographic grids for north and south polar regions.  SSM/I sea ice
CD-ROMs contain two sets of grids, 1) NASA Team algorithm; 2) J.C. Comiso
algorithm. Orbital antenna temperatures are processed to gridded brightness
temperatures and then used to derive gridded ice concentrations.  The SSM/I
sensor flies on U.S. Air Force Defense Meteorological Satellite Program
(DMSP) platforms; the first operational SSM/I (Special Sensor
Microwave/Imager) was that on DMSP F8.  Two CD-ROMs contain all F8 SSM/I ice
concentrations, 9 July 1987 - 31 December 1991.  North polar files are
137202 bytes, south polar are 105922 bytes.
  Data are in HDF format and can be read using software from the National
Center for Supercomputing Applications (NSCA), available by anonymous ftp
from NCSA (ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu) or with commercial packages such as IDL.
  The SSM/I is a 7-channel, 4-frequency, linearly polarized, passive microwave
radiometric system: 85.5 GHz Vertical/Horizontal, 37.0 GHz Vertical/Horizontal,
22.2 GHz Vertical, 19.3 GHz Vertical/Horizontal.  DMSP F11 SSM/I ice
concentrations for 1992 and later dates will be produced starting in late 1994,
after the ice algorithms have been modified for F11 data.
  Contact NSIDC, information above.

DMSP F11 Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) Brightness Temperature Grids
for the Polar Regions.  (Price on request):
  CD-ROM discs contain daily gridded brightness temperature (Tb) for the
north and south polar regions (areas where sea ice occurs), on polar
stereographic grids, beginning on 3 December 1991.  Each CD-ROM contains
approximately 3 months of data in single-channel files, in HDF (Hierarchical
Data Format).  As of 8/94, 5 volumes cover 12/91 - 2/93.  Inquire for latest
available data.
  Software to read and manipulate the data in HDF is available via ftp from
National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA): ftp to
ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu; help is available from NCSA at [e-mail].
Data can also be displayed and manipulated using commercial packages such
as IDL.
  The Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) F11 platform carries
this SSM/I instrument, a 7-channel, 4-frequency, linearly polarized, passive
microwave radiometric system; channels are 85.5 GHz Vertical/Horizontal,
37.0 GHz Vertical/Horizontal, 22.2 GHz Vertical, 19.3 GHz Vertical/Horizontal.
This product uses the same grid and projection as the NSIDC DMSP F8 SSM/I
brightness temperature and sea ice concentration CD-ROMs (1987 - 1991, see
above).
  Contact NSIDC, information above.

Nimbus-7 Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (SMMR) Polar Radiances
and Arctic and Antarctic Sea Ice Concentrations, 1978 - 1987.  (Price on
request):
  Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (SMMR) Polar Radiances and
Sea Ice Concentrations on CD-ROM contain gridded brightness temperatures (Tb)
and sea ice concentrations for 10/78 - 8/87 (the life of the Nimbus-7 SMMR
scanner) for both polar regions on 12 CD-ROMs.  Data were collected at 6.60,
10.69, 18.00, 21.00 and 37.00 GHz in an alternate-day operating pattern
due to spacecraft power limitations.  [NOTE: Input data set is SMMR TCT
tapes; this is different from the previous SMMR CD-ROM product distributed
by NSIDC in 1989.]  Tb (in Kelvins) and sea ice concentration (in percent)
grids have 25 x 25 km grid elements in polar stereographic projection.
Volume 7 contains all SMMR sea ice concentrations for both polar regions,
plus 5 months of Tb grids for the north polar region.  The Tb grids are
stored as 16-bit integers; one day of Tb data is 0.27 mbytes for the north
polar region, 0.21 mbytes for the south.  Ice grids are stored as 8-bit
integers, each file = 136192 bytes for the north, 104912 bytes for the south.
The NASA Team Algorithm (Cavalieri et al., 1984; Gloersen and Cavalieri,
1986) was used to calculate ice concentrations from the Tbs.  Data produced
by Dr. P. Gloersen, NASA/GSFC, Oceans and Ice Branch.
  Documentation is provided on the CD-ROMs, in a hard-copy User's Guide, and
in the "SMMR Atlas", NASA Special Report SP-511 (Gloersen, et al., 1992.)
  Contact NSIDC, information above.

Historical Arctic Rawinsonde Archive (HARA), 1947-1987. (Price on request):
  The Historical Arctic Rawisonde Archive on CD-ROM, volumes 1-3, contains
over 1.2 million vertical soundings of temperature, pressure, humidity, and
wind, representing all available rawisonde ascents from Arctic land stations
poleward of 65 degrees North from the beginning of record through 1987.  For
most stations the record begins in 1958, a few begin in 1947 or 1948.  The
data are one file per year per station.  Coverage is relatively uniform,
except in the interior of Greenland.  Typically 20-40 levels are available in
each sounding.
  Documentation is provided on the CD-ROM volumes, and in hard copy (NSIDC
Special Report 2, 1992).  Software (Fortran and C) is provided on the CD-ROM
volumes to retrieve a subset of the sounding data.
  Data for 1988-1990, and monthly averaged data, will be distributed in late
1994.  Sounding data were obtained from the National Center for Atmospheric
Research (NCAR), Boulder, Colorado and the National Climatic Data Center
(NCDC) of NOAA in Asheville, North Carolina.  Data from drifting ice islands,
ships and aircraft dropsondes are being assembled as a separate archive.
  Contact NSIDC, information above.

Eastern Arctic Ice, Ocean and Atmosphere Data, Volume 1, CEAREX-1 ($50):
  Contains sea ice acceleration, deformation and stress; hydrography
(CTDs); meteorology; bathymetry; acoustics and ambient noise (sample
data) from Coordinated Eastern Arctic Experiment (CEAREX).  Includes
meteorology from Marginal Ice Zone Experiment (MIZEX), 1983, 1984, 1987.
Experiment location: Arctic Ocean north of Svalbard; Fram Strait, September
1988 - May 1989.  Amount of data: 460 mbytes.
  Data format: ASCII files.  Associated software: none.  Additional volumes
are planned; content not yet determined.
  Contact NSIDC, information above.

NWS/NOHRSC snow cover data ($50 each year):
  Airborne snow water equivalent and satellite areal extent of snow cover
data for 1990-1993 are now available on CD-ROM for major portions of the
U.S., Alaska, and Canada. The CD-ROMs include: (1) airborne snow water
equivalent data and the digitized flight line network, (2) calibrated AVHRR
and GOES satellite data used to map snow cover, (3) the classified snow cover
images (4) national and regional snow cover image products, and (5) ancillary
data sets including digital elevation data, digitized NWS basin boundaries,
and the alphanumeric results of the satellite snow cover mapping by basin and
by elevation zone.
  Contact:  CD-ROM Snow Cover Data, National Operational Hydrologic Remote
Sensing Center (NOHRSC), Office of Hydrology, National Weather Service,
6301 34th Avenue South: Room 112, Minneapolis, MN 55450-2985.
612/725-3258, FAX [phone], email [e-mail] (Tim Szeliga)

STORM-FEST data (3 discs, price unknown):
  Data from the STORM-FEST experiment -- surface observations and rawinsonde,
satellite, radar, NOWRAD, and profiler data -- plus Zeb software for viewing
the data.
  Contact Steve Williams, [e-mail].

AVHRR monthly global MCSST / CZCS data (5 discs, price on request)
  The AVHRR MCSST and CZCS phytoplankton pigment concentration data set
contains monthly averaged sea-surface temperatures (day and night) derived
from NOAA satellite AVHRR which are temporally and spatially coregistered
with phytoplankton pigment concentration data acquired from the CZCS
instrument on Nimbus-7.  The CZCS data cover 1978-1986 and AVHRR data
cover the period from 1981-1986, giving 5 years of coregistered data.
  Contact:  PO.DAAC at JPL. Contact the User Services Office at
[e-mail] for more details.

TOPEX/Poseidon altimeter merged geophysical data record (Price on request)
  Global coverage data from the TOPEX/POSEIDON mission from both the U.S.
and French altimeters with high precision orbits and environmental corrections.
The data are distributed on CD-ROMs (ISO 9660) and in an integer format usable
on VAX, UNIX, PCs, and Macs.  Each CD-ROM contains two ten-day cycles of
data, precision orbit, and cross-over files for each cycle and read software
for VAX and UNIX. As of May '94  cycles 1-52 exist on CD-ROM.
  Contact:  PO.DAAC, information above.

TOGA related satellite and in-situ data CD-ROM '85-'90. (Price on request).
  PO.DAAC has produced a set of seven CD-ROMs which contain satellite,
in-situ, and model derived data pertaining to atmospheric and oceanographic
parameters. Parameters include ocean currents, sea-surface temperature and
salinity, air temperature and pressure, cloud, and precipitation. Software will
be included. The data have been provided by agencies worldwide. (Available
in June '94.)
  Contact:  PO.DAAC, information above.

Software atlas and plotting tool for oceanographic sections (diskettes)
  ATLAST, a PC software atlas and plotting tool for oceanographic sections
(Rhines) OCEANATLAS, a Macintosh software atlas and plotting tool for
oceanographic sections (Swift et al.) are available on diskettes.
  Contact:  PO.DAAC, information above.

TOGA/COARE GMS-4 images (2 discs, $75 for the set):
  GMS-4 images during the TOGA/COARE Intensive Observation Period
(November 1992 to March 1993) regridded over 135E - 175E, 10S - 10N,
5km square pixel size.  1910 infrared and 877 visible images of albedo and
brightness temperature with overlays of the geographic grid and the
positions of moorings and ships.  Images are in compressed PostScript
format but tools are included to uncompress and convert the data
into other formats.
  Contact:  Satellite Oceanography Laboratory, University of Hawaii, 1000
Pope Road, Honolulu, HI 96822.  The check should be made to the order
of "RCUH".

Surface Radiation Budget (SRB) Global Datasets (price not known):
  Contains Version 1.1 SRB shortwave products for the period March
1985 through December 1988 as produced by the World Climate Research
Programme's (WCRP) SRB Satellite Data Analysis Center (SDAC).
Inputs to the Version 1.1 product are results from the International
Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) and the Earth Radiation
Budget Experiment (ERBE).  SDAC uses two methods (known as the
Pinker and Staylor algorithms) to estimate surface downward and
net irradiances, surface albedo, downward direct/diffuse ratio,
surface cloud forcing, and daylight cloud fraction.  In addition,
various other radiation, cloud, meteorological and diagnostic
parameters are provided to aid the user in understanding variations
in the SRB parameters.
  The SRB CD-ROM has been formatted and produced to work with IBM PCs,
Apple Macintoshes and Unix systems with ISO-9660 CD-ROM driver support.
In addition, read and display software for IBM PCs and Apple Macintoshes
are available upon request.
  Contact:  Langley DAAC User Services, MS 157B, NASA Langley Research
Center, Hampton, VA, 23681-0001. [phone], [e-mail]

United Kindom Digital Marine Atlas V2.0 (UKP56.40):   (Floppy disk)
  This is an IBM compatibile PC based Marine Atlas covering the Northeast
Atlantic and mainly centered on the British Isles.  It comes on five
1.4MB floppies and runs under DOS (V3.0 or higher).  It has several
sections covering areas such as general Bathymetry, Marine Geology,
Marine and Coastal Nature Conservation in Breat Britain, Marine Biology,
Physical Oceanography, Marine Chemistry, Fisheries and the BODC data
catalogues amongst others.
  Contact:  UKDMAP Project Manager, British Oceanographic Data Centre,
Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory, Bidston Observatory, BIRKENHEAD,
Merseyside L43 7RA United Kingdom.  [phone], Fax: [phone].

C. Miscellaneous

NASA discs:
  Various discs available, including:  Voyager spacecraft images (12 discs,
under $20 each!), Viking images of Mars, Magellan Venus data, Halley's
comet data (25 discs), excerpts from astronomical catalogs, and more.
  Contact:  NSSDC (NASA Space Science Data Center), Code 933.4, NASA
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD  20771.  301/286-6695.  They
also publish a free newsletter.

CD-ROM, INC:        *COMMERCIAL*
  Several hundred discs available, including:  "GRIPS 2" high resolution
images of topography, Landsat, vegetation maps, plus software ($49),
"JEDI" 3 discs full of earth, space, and sea science data intended for
school use ($31), 13 business/economic discs, >50 literature and
entertainment discs, >40 health-related discs, many science discs.
Prices range from $29-$895.  Free catalog available from them.
  Contact:  CD-ROM, Inc, 1667 Cole Blvd. Suite 400, Golden, CO  80401.
303/526-7600, FAX [phone].

Digital Chart of the World ($200):
  The Digital Chart of the World (DCW) is a comprehensive 1:1,000,000-scale
vector basemap of the world containing cartographic, attribute, and
textual data.  It is provided with software that permits the database to
be accessed, queried, and displayed on PC-class computers.  The primary
source for the database is the U.S. Defense Mapping Agency (DMA) Operational
Navigation Chart (ONC) series.
  There are 4 discs:   (1)North America, (2)Europe/Northern Asia, (3)South
American/Africa/Antarctica, and (4)Southern Asia/Australia.  The data are
organized into 17 thematic coverages, including political boundaries and
ocean coast lines, cities, transportation networks, drainage, land cover,
and elevation contours.
  Contact:  USGS Open File Section, Box 25286, Denver, CO  80225.
303/236-7476.

GOES Space Environment Data (price unknown):
  This disk includes data from January 1986 - April 1994 in 1-minute and
5-minute averages.  Includes measurements of the 3 components of the
Earth's magnetic field, whole-sun X-ray fluxes for the 0.5-to-4.0 and
1-to-8 Angstrom wavelength bands, photon, alpha particle, and electron fluxes.
  The CD-ROM includes software to display and analyze the Space Environment
Monitor data.  DOS and IDL (Interactive Data Language) versions of the
software allow the use of data on many platforms.
  Contact:  Solar-Terrestrial Physics Division, National Geophysical Data
Center, NOAA Code E/GC2, 325 Broadway, Boulder, CO  80303.  303/497-6761,
fax [phone], email [e-mail].

---------------
Subject: Data Centers

These sites maintain data archives for use by scientists.  Usually,
researchers affiliated with a data center can use the data on-site for
free, but other researchers who require tapes or other media must
pay a small charge for data transfer.

Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC):
  Research and distribution center for data related to carbon dioxide,
methane, and other trace gas emissions; the carbon cycle; and other
climate-change topics.  You can access catalog information by FTP (see
part 1).  Datasets are available on various media including CD-ROM and
magnetic tape.  They also publish a free newsletter.
  Contact: CDIAC, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, P. O. Box 2008, Oak Ridge,
TN  37831-6335. 615/574-0390, FAX [phone], email [e-mail].

Langley Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC):
  Archive and distribution center for radiation budget, cloud, aerosol, and
tropospheric chemistry data.  You can access catalog information by telnet
(see part 1).  Data are available via FTP, tape and CD-ROM.
  Contact:  Langley DAAC, NASA Langley Research Center, MS 157B, Hampton,
VA  23681-0001 804/864-8656, FAX [phone],
email [e-mail].

NASA Space Science Data Center (NSSDC):
  Astronomical and atmospheric data.  You can access catalog information by
FTP or telnet (see part 1).
  Contact: NSSDC, Code 933.4, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt,
MD  20771.  301/286-6695.

National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR):
  Over 400 datasets available to the research community on various media.
You can access catalog information by FTP (see part 1).
  Contact: NCAR Data Support Section, PO Box 3000, Boulder, CO  80307.
303/497-1219, FAX [phone], email [e-mail].
  (DISCLAIMER:  NCAR is a non-profit government organization operated by
UCAR under a grant from the NSF.  Our charges reflect the actual cost of
data retrieval and magnetic media.  I receive no benefit from you ordering
data.  Please, research-related inquiries only.)

National Climatic Data Center (NCDC):  NCDC, Federal Building, Asheville,
NC 28801.  704/271-4800, FAX [phone], email [e-mail].

National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC):  NGDC, 325 Broadway, Boulder,
CO  80303.  303/497-6958,  [e-mail].

United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)/Global Resource Information
Database (GRID):
  Digital environmental data and information related to the Earth's
surface, oceans and atmosphere, free of charge to non-commercial users.
Typical global data sets include elevation, hydrology, soils, life zones,
vegetation, wetlands, climate, natural/physical boundaries, earthquake
hazards, vegetation index (NOAA/GVI), human population etc.
  For a free catalog of global datasets, contact:  Facility Manager,
UNEP/GRID-Geneva, 6 rue de la Gabelle, CH-1227 Carouge, Geneva SWITZERLAND.
(0041-22) 343-8660, FAX [phone], email [e-mail]
or [e-mail].
  For a free catalog of datasets for Africa and Latin America, contact:
Facility Manager, UNEP/GRID-Nairobi, P. O. Box 30552, Nairobi, KENYA.
(00254-2) 230-800, FAX [phone].
--
/\    There is no doubt in my mind that there is a connection between alien
  \_][  visitation and excessive consumption of bad coffee -- colin newell
      \___http://www.ucar.edu/dss/[e-mail]