precipitable water

Does Mcidas have the capability to derive total precipitable water from
Raobs and then plot using something like RAOBCON?

thanks,

Randy

Date:    Mon, 23 Jul 2001 07:12:40 EDT
To:      "'address@hidden'" <address@hidden>

From:    "Craddock, Mary Ellen" <address@hidden>
Subject: [mfd] deriving total precipitable water from raob data

Can anyone comment on how one would derive total precipitable water from
raob data ingested via Noaaport and plot the data out using any combo of
McIDAS commands?  Barry Roth commented that years ago the command STAB did
something similar, writing the output to an MD file. And the command STABIL
plotted the data on a map or satellite image.

Thanks.

Mary Ellen  

Mary Ellen Craddock
Meteorologist
Logicon TASC
4801 Stonecroft Blvd.
Chantilly, VA 20151
(703) 633-8300 x4022
address@hidden

From: Russ Dengel <address@hidden>
Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2001 08:34:08 -0500
Organization: SSEC
To: McIDAS Developers Forum <address@hidden>, address@hidden
Subject: Re: [mfd] deriving total precipitable water from raob data

Mary Ellen,

Barry mentioned this to us last Friday.  I will take a look at the
code for STABIL and see what it needs to bring it up to speed. If we get
STABIL running then the resulting MD file can be plotted/contoured using
standard McIDAS macros (SFCPLOT/SFCCON). The STABIL command accesses the
RAOB MD files for complete sounding info on all stations for a given time
period. Each profile is used to compute a series of atmospheric parameters
which are stored in a resultant MD file. Once these data are stored in a
MD file, the individual parameters can be plotted and contoured over any
supported McIDAS projection/map.

Parameters derived by STABIL are:

           parcel dew point
           parcel potential temperature
           parcel mixing ratio
           precipitable water
           convective temperature
           forecast maximum temperature (12Z only)
           lifted index
           total-totals index
           equilibrium pressure level
           k index
           sweat index

Russ

From: Russ Dengel <address@hidden>
Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2001 09:55:47 -0500
Organization: SSEC
To: McIDAS Developers Forum <address@hidden>
Subject: Re: [mfd] deriving total precipitable water from raob data

Mary Ellen,

I've got it (STAB)!  It compiles,  but seg faults before it writes
the output. I will put it into the MDF source repository as soon as I get it
running.

Russ

From: "Gary S. Wade" <address@hidden>
Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2001 10:03:54 -0500
Organization: NOAA/NESDIS/ORA/ARAD/ASPT at UW-CIMSS
To: address@hidden
CC: Scott Bachmeier <address@hidden>,
   Scott Lindstrom <address@hidden>,
   Tim Schmit <address@hidden>,
   Tom Whittaker <address@hidden>
Subject: Re: [mfd] deriving total precipitable water from raob data

Hi Russ,

As you're checking into STABIL, I wonder if there is (or should be) any
connection with the same type of routines that must be used by
SNDSKEWT.  The parameters you listed for STABIL are also included with
the SNDSKEWT output; moreover, SNDSKEWT also includes CAPE.  It would
seem that that parameter (CAPE) would also often be of interest to users
(and even some other parameters, like CIN).

Perhaps the time is now, for attempting to insure one uniform "package"
across the McIDAS core environment for any sounding or vertical profile
analysis.  Being able to readily plot (and contour), in the horizontal,
derived sounding indicies (PW, LI, CAPE...) from an MD file has long
been lacking, in core McIDAS.  (It would be good not to need "2nd floor"
code to do such displays in McIDAS). 

Thanks for following up on this recent interest.

Gary

From: Russ Dengel <address@hidden>
Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2001 10:21:11 -0500
Organization: SSEC
To: address@hidden, McIDAS Developers Forum <address@hidden>
Subject: Re: [mfd] deriving total precipitable water from raob data

Gary,

Yes, you are right. This program is calling a very old version of the
stability parameter computation routine. It appears that we can insert
the new call (mcsndanl) and get all of original parameters plus these
newer values as well (CAPE and CIN). This means the schema will need to
be updated as well to includeCAPE and CIN, but this will be trivial.

For those of you that are not familiar with the MDF, please follow the
link below to find out more information about the new MUG Development
Forum (MDF).  I strongly urge all of the McIDAS developers to join the
Forum

http://www.ssec.wisc.edu/mug/hot_topics/mdf/MDFTOP.html

Russ