Upper-Air Data

About Upper-Air Data Products at NCDC

Weather data from the atmosphere above the earth's surface (greater than 3 meters to 1000s of meters above the surface) are stored at the NCDC. This data is obtained from instrument packages (radiosondes, rawinsondes, and rocketsondes) that are carried aloft by weather balloons, rockets, etc., that transmit the data back to a receiving station on the ground. This "upper air" data consists of temperature, relative humidity, atmospheric pressure, and wind. Vertical profiles of atmospheric measurements (atmospheric soundings) are available. Upper atmospheric data from around the world are archived at NCDC.

Upper-Air Data Products

• Upper Air Charts
  (Graphics / Selection of numerous surface and upper air charts)
• NOAA Operational Model Archive and Distribution System (NOMADS)
  (Numerical weather prediction models and climate models)
• Integrated Global Radiosonde Archive (IGRA)
  (Quality-controlled historical records of soundings and monthly means at 1,500 radiosonde stations)
• Radiosonde Atmospheric Temperature Products for Assessing Climate (RATPAC)
  (Time series of annual, seasonal, and monthly radiosonde temperature anomalies suitable for studies of long-term climate change)
• Dataset Documentation (Upper Air Dataset Documentation)
• Utility Software (decompression software, etc)
• Conversion Charts (units conversions, etc)

Research and Monitoring

Contact

• Frequently Asked Questions
• Contact information