"QCRAD" VAP Process
Instrument Categories: Radiometric
Description: Data Quality Assessment for ARM Radiation Data
The QCRad VAP has been developed to assess the data quality, and to enhance data continuity, for the ARM radiation data collected at all ARM Central and Extended facilities. The QCRad methodology in essence uses climatological analyses of the surface radiation measurements to define reasonable limits for testing the data for unusual data values. The main assumption here is that the majority of the measurements are "good" data, which for field sites operated with care such as those of the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program is a reasonable assumption. Then data which fall outside the normal range of occurrences are labeled either "questionable" or "bad", depending on how far outside the normal range the particular datum reside. The methodology not only sets fairly standard maximum and minimum value limits, but includes many cross-comparisons based on what we have learned about how these instruments behave in the field in developing other VAPs such as the Diffuse IR Loss Correction VAP (Younkin and Long, 2004) and the Best Estimate Flux VAP (Shi and Long, 2002).
The output files from the QCRad VAP—particularly the S1 files for general users—are now the recommended source for all ARM surface radiation measurement data. For the SGP Central Facility, the "qcradbeflux1long" data stream contains the best results and should given first consideration for use.
Additional Information on the QCRad VAP
- Quick Reference for Data Availability and Access
- QCRad1Long: Data Quality Assessment for ARM Radiation Data Web Page
- ARM Technical Report: The QCRad Value Added Product: Surface Radiation Measurement Quality Control Testing, Including Climatology Configurable Limits
- List of Related Publications
Value-Added Products (VAPs) Produced
- qcrad1long - Surface Radiation Measurement Quality Control testing, including climatologically configurable limits
- qcradbeflux1long - Surface Radiation Measurement (BEFLUX input) QC testing, incl. climatologically configurable limits
- qcradbrs1long - Surface Radiation Measurement (BRS input) QC testing, incl. climatologically configurable limits
Primary Measurements
The following measurements are those considered scientifically relevant. Refer to the datastream (netcdf) file headers for the list of all available measurements, including those recorded for diagnostic or quality assurance purposes.
- Longwave broadband downwelling irradiance
- Longwave broadband upwelling irradiance
- Shortwave broadband diffuse downwelling irradiance
- Shortwave broadband direct downwelling irradiance
- Shortwave broadband total downwelling irradiance
- Shortwave broadband total upwelling irradiance
Sites / Facilities
Note: Click the "" to expand/collapse the list.
- North Slope Alaska (NSA)
- Central Facility, Atqasuk AK (C2)
- Central Facility, Barrow AK (C1)
- Southern Great Plains (SGP)
- Ashton, KS (E9)
- Byron, OK (E11)
- Central Facility, Lamont, OK (C1)
- Coldwater, KS (E8)
- Cordell, OK (E22)
- Cyril, OK (E24)
- Earlsboro, OK (E27)
- El Reno, OK (E19)
- Elk Falls, KS (E7)
- Halstead, KS (E5)
- Hillsboro, KS (Extended) (E2)
- Lamont, OK (Extended) (E13)
- Larned, KS (E1)
- LeRoy, KS (E3)
- Meeker, OK (Extended) (E20)
- Morris, OK (Extended) (E18)
- Okmulgee, OK (E21)
- Pawhuska, OK (E12)
- Plevna, KS (E4)
- Ringwood, OK (E15)
- Seminole, OK (E25)
- Towanda, KS (E6)
- Tyro, KS (E10)
- Vici, OK (Extended) (E16)
- Tropical Western Pacific (TWP)
- Central Facility, Darwin, North Australia (C3)
- Central Facility, Manus I., PNG (C1)
- Central Facility, Nauru Island (C2)