UGAMP
GROUP NEWS
BADC News: Met Data and UTLS
There have been a number of significant changes to the Met. Office data sets held at the BADC in the last few months which reflect changes made at the Met. Office. The old Met. Office climate archive has been retired (we do not lament its passing) and has been replaced with a new archive which uses a relational database.
This new archive (known as MIDAS) gives us much more flexible access to a wider range of observational data sets. After a few minor teething problems, we have been able to extend both the range of data offered (we now have raingauge data for example) and the frequency of updates: many data sets are now updated daily. On a separate front, we have also negotiated access to high resolution (2 second) radiosonde data from the Met Office. These data, which are archived at the individual radiosonde stations, will start to arrive at the BADC shortly. We are expecting data from most of the UK stations back to 1990.
Lesley Gray and I went along to the UTLS meeting in Cambridge at the end of December to discuss data management for the UTLS programme. There was general agreement that the UTLS projects should use the BADC to archive and share data. As a result of this meeting we are also working to provide general access to the mesoscale data from the Met Office Unified Model which is being made available to the "Dynamics and Chemistry of Frontal Zones" project at Reading via the JCMM.
Last, but by no means least, Dr. Jamie Kettleborough has joined us from the University of Washington in Seattle. Many of you will know Jamie from his days in the Centre for Atmospheric Science in Cambridge. I am sure you will join me in wishing him well at the BADC.
Simon Williams
Project Manager
British Atmospheric Data Centre
s.r.williams@rl.ac.uk
