TWP/C2/Sonde Missing Data

There were no sondes launced during this period because there was
no helium on site and the hydrogen generator was not working.  The
hydrogen generator was repaired and launches resumed.

• Raw data stream - documentation not supported(Raw data stream - documentation not supported)

• base time(base_time)
• lon(lon)
• Wind Direction(deg)
• Ascent Rate(asc)
• Mean Wind Speed(wspd)
• Relative humidity inside the instrument enclosure(rh)
• Dry bulb temperature(tdry)
• Surface dew point temperature(dp)
• Wind Status(wstat)
• Dummy altitude for Zeb(alt)
• lat(lat)
• Retrieved pressure profile(pres)
• Time offset of tweaks from base_time(time_offset)

• Raw data stream - documentation not supported(Raw data stream - documentation not supported)

• Dry bulb temperature(tdry)
• Time offset of tweaks from base_time(time_offset)
• U-component(u_wind)
• lon(lon)
• lat(lat)
• Relative humidity inside the instrument enclosure(rh)
• Retrieved pressure profile(pres)
• Ascent Rate(asc)
• Wind Direction(deg)
• Surface dew point temperature(dp)
• Dummy altitude for Zeb(alt)
• Wind Status(wstat)
• base time(base_time)
• Mean Wind Speed(wspd)
• V-component(v_wind)

TWP/C1 - Incorrect elevation reported in Manus Data

(From Bill Clements) We have been using 6m MSL as the station
elevation of Momote (Manus).  This was based on information
posted near the station barometer in the Momote Weather Service
Office.  It turns out that the official WMO station elevation
for Momote is 4m MSL and the upper air elevation is 5m MSL.

All Manus instruments except the sonde station are at 4m MSL.
The sonde launching station is at 5m MSL.

• Dummy altitude for Zeb(alt)

TWP/C1 - Incorrect elevation reported in Manus Data

(From Bill Clements) We have been using 6m MSL as the station
elevation of Momote (Manus).  This was based on information
posted near the station barometer in the Momote Weather Service
Office.  It turns out that the official WMO station elevation
for Momote is 4m MSL and the upper air elevation is 5m MSL.

All Manus instruments except the sonde station are at 4m MSL.
The sonde launching station is at 5m MSL.

• Dummy altitude for Zeb(alt)

TWP/SONDE/C2  - Broken Temperature Sensor

The temperature sensors on these radiosondes broke at launch.  All
the temperature-related data are incorrect.

• Relative humidity inside the instrument enclosure(rh)
• Dry bulb temperature(tdry)
• Surface dew point temperature(dp)

• Surface dew point temperature(dp)
• Dry bulb temperature(tdry)
• Relative humidity inside the instrument enclosure(rh)

TWP/SONDE/C1  - Broken Temperature Sensor

The temperature sensor on these radiosondes broke after launch.
All the temperature related data are incorrect.

• Surface dew point temperature(dp)
• Relative humidity inside the instrument enclosure(rh)
• Dry bulb temperature(tdry)

• Relative humidity inside the instrument enclosure(rh)
• Dry bulb temperature(tdry)
• Surface dew point temperature(dp)

TWP/Sonde/C1 - Bad RH Values

The RH values from the surface to approximately 11.5 km oscillate between reasonable 
values and zero.  This is apparently caused by a failure in the RH sensor heating process.  
Although the oscillation stops when the heating stops (at temperatures below ~ -45degC) I 
think the values must be viewed as suspect.

• Surface dew point temperature(dp)
• Relative humidity inside the instrument enclosure(rh)

• Relative humidity inside the instrument enclosure(rh)
• Surface dew point temperature(dp)

TWP/SONDE/C2 - Bad RH Data (AIRS Validation Sonde)

The RH sensor heating circuit failed on this sonde.  This results in
oscillation of reported RH between reasonable values and values near zero.
This was an AIRS validation sounding.

• Relative humidity inside the instrument enclosure(rh)
• Surface dew point temperature(dp)

• Surface dew point temperature(dp)
• Relative humidity inside the instrument enclosure(rh)

TWP/SONDE/C1 - Questionable RH

It appears that the RH sensor heating circuit failed during this portion of the sounding 
(approximately between 5km and 10km).  The RH oscillates rapidly between low (~5 %RH) and 
not so low (~50 %RH) and the oscillation seems to stop when the temperature is below ~35 
degC.  According to Vaisala these are symptoms of failure in the ASIC (application 
specific integrated circuit) that controls the heating.

• Surface dew point temperature(dp)
• Relative humidity inside the instrument enclosure(rh)

• Relative humidity inside the instrument enclosure(rh)
• Surface dew point temperature(dp)

TWP/SONDE/C1 - Bad RH

The RH sensor heating circuit failed on this radiosonde.  The RH-related values obtained 
between 0 and 10000 meters oscillate between near-zero and reasonable ambient values.  
Above 10000 the RH values are likely correct.

• Surface dew point temperature(dp)
• Relative humidity inside the instrument enclosure(rh)

• Relative humidity inside the instrument enclosure(rh)
• Surface dew point temperature(dp)

TWP/SONDE/C1 - Broken temperature sensor

The temperature sensor on this radiosonde broke after launch.  All the temperature-related 
data are incorrect.

• Surface dew point temperature(dp)
• Relative humidity inside the instrument enclosure(rh)
• Dry bulb temperature(tdry)

• Relative humidity inside the instrument enclosure(rh)
• Dry bulb temperature(tdry)
• Surface dew point temperature(dp)

TWP/SONDE/C2  - Failure of RH sensor

It appears that the RH sensor heating circuit failed during this sounding.  The RH 
oscillates rapidly between low (~0 %RH) and not so low (ambient %RH) and the oscillation seems 
to stop when the temperature is below ~35 degC.  According to Vaisala these are symptoms 
of failure in the ASIC (application specific integrated circuit) that controls the heating.

• Relative humidity inside the instrument enclosure(rh)
• Surface dew point temperature(dp)

• Surface dew point temperature(dp)
• Relative humidity inside the instrument enclosure(rh)

TWP/SONDE/C2 - Strange problem with data -

This is very strange.  The data has what appears to be a pressure jump at launch (from 
1007.2 to 956.5 hPa) but the sounding temperature and RH data clearly look to be 
interpolated between the surface and tropopause.  By examining the absolutely raw data, I found that 
the system assigned an elapsed time of 408 seconds (since system start up) to the launch 
point, but there is no raw data between 410 and 532 seconds.  The raw pressure value at 
410 seconds is 1007.6 hPa and that at 532 seconds is 40.9 hPa!  Unless this sounding was 
done by using a rocket-powered balloon (maybe even then), it would be impossible for the 
sonde to get to 40.9 hPa in 2 minutes.  Because the apparent gap is only two minutes, the 
system was able to interpolate but is not sophisticated enough to understand that the 
limits of the interpolation are unreasonable.

I can't imagine what went wrong - I've not seen anything like this before.

• Raw data stream - documentation not supported(Raw data stream - documentation not supported)

• Dry bulb temperature(tdry)
• Ascent Rate(asc)
• lon(lon)
• lat(lat)
• Wind Status(wstat)
• Mean Wind Speed(wspd)
• V-component(v_wind)
• Retrieved pressure profile(pres)
• Time offset of tweaks from base_time(time_offset)
• Relative humidity inside the instrument enclosure(rh)
• Surface dew point temperature(dp)
• base time(base_time)
• U-component(u_wind)
• Wind Direction(deg)
• Dummy altitude for Zeb(alt)

• Raw data stream - documentation not supported(Raw data stream - documentation not supported)

TWP/SONDE/C2 - RH sensor bad

It appears that the RH sensor heating circuits failed during these
soundings.  The RH oscillates rapidly between low (~0 %RH) and not
so low (ambient %RH) and the oscillation seems to stop when the
temperature is below ~35 degC.  According to Vaisala these are
symptoms of failure in the ASIC (application specific integrated
circuit) that controls the heating.

• Relative humidity inside the instrument enclosure(rh)
• Surface dew point temperature(dp)

TWP/SONDE/C2 - Broken temperature sensors

The temperature sensors on these radiosondes broke after launch.  All
temperature-related data are incorrect.

• Relative humidity inside the instrument enclosure(rh)
• Dry bulb temperature(tdry)
• Surface dew point temperature(dp)

TWP/SONDE/C1 - Bad RH sensor

It appears that the RH sensor heating circuit failed during this portion of the sounding 
(approximately between the surface and 11km).  The RH oscillates rapidly between low (~0 
%RH) and high (~80 %RH) and the oscillation seems to stop when the temperature is below 
~40 degC.  According to Vaisala these are symptoms of failure in the ASIC (application 
specific integrated circuit) that controls the heating.

• Surface dew point temperature(dp)
• Relative humidity inside the instrument enclosure(rh)

• Relative humidity inside the instrument enclosure(rh)
• Surface dew point temperature(dp)

TWP/SONDE/C2 - Failure of RH sensor

The RH sensor ASIC that controls the sensor heating failed.  As a result the RH at the 
beginning of the sounding oscillates between near-zero and ambient values.  The RH heating 
cycle stops when the ambient temperature reaches below -30 degC; above this level RH 
values should be valid.

• Relative humidity inside the instrument enclosure(rh)
• Surface dew point temperature(dp)