HadRT: Hadley Centre Radiosonde Temperature dataset

This product has been replaced by our new radiosonde temperature data set HadAT. These pages are provided for the benefit of existing and past users of HadRT. New and existing users are now encouraged to use HadAT instead. Please note that it is a term of usage of this dataset that it is used in conjunction with our HadAT dataset

Brief description of the data

The Met Office Hadley Centre's mean radiosonde temperature dataset, HadRT, is a data set of monthly fields of radiosonde temperature anomalies at standard pressure levels on a 5 degree latitude by 10 degree longitude grid from 1958 to present.The HadRT data sets consist of monthly or seasonal temperature anomalies. Anomalies are calculated with respect to 1971-1990 climatology. Anomalies are available for 9 standard levels (850, 700, 500, 300, 200, 150, 100, 50, 30hPa) as well as tropospheric (850 - 300hPa) and stratospheric (150 - 30hPa) averages. In some versions bias corrections linked to instrumental or operational discontinuities have been applied to data, by weighting in the vertical to simulate Microwave Sounding Unit (MSU) retrievals MSU2 - troposphere and MSU4 - stratosphere.

Radiosonde observations are taken from the Met Office archive of monthly CLIMAT TEMP reports received in near-real time. The currently available versions of HadRT are:

• HADRT2.0: Unadjusted data
  
• HADRT2.1: As HadRT2.0 but with bias corrections made to many station time series world-wide. The adjustments were calculated by reference to MSU data products, but only for known changes in instrumental or operational procedures for the period post 1979. No data are available for the 30hPa level in this version.
• HADRT2.1s: This is a combination of HadRT2.0 in the troposphere (up to and including 200hPa) and HadRT2.1 in the stratosphere (above 200hPa).
• HADRT2.2: This is an eigenvector reconstructed grid data set from 1958 - 2000, on a 10 degree latitude by 20 degree longitude grid, created from HadRT2.1. The eigenvector reconstruction was used to infill missing seasons or years in boxes with 70% of seasonal or annual data available.
• HADRT2.2u: As HadRT2.2, but created from HadRT2.0.
• HADRT2.3: This is a globally complete dataset based on HadRT2.1 1958-2000, but with gaps filled in by reference to the second derivative of the corresponding NCEP reanalysis temperature fields, using the Laplacian technique of  R.W. Reynolds 1988: 'A real-time Global Sea Surface Temperature Analysis',J.Climate, 1, 75-86
• HADRT2.3s: As HadRT2.3 but using HadRT2.1s.

Data are available from the download page without charge for the purposes of private study and scientific research, but please read the terms and conditions. Commercial and media enquiries You can access the Met Office Customer Centre, any time of the day or night by phone, fax or e-mail. Trained staff will help you find the information or products that are right for you. Contact the Met Office Customer Centre References When using the data set in a paper, the following is the correct citation to use: D.E.Parker, Gordon, M., Cullum, D.P.N., Sexton, D.M.H., Folland, C.K., and Rayner, N. 1997: 'A New Gridded Radiosonde Temperature Data Base and Recent Temperature Trends'. Geophys. Res. Letters, 24, 1499-1503

Dataset produced in collaboration with:

Maintained by: Peter Thorne Last updated: 06/03/2007 Expires: 06/03/2008 Hosted by: Met Office Hadley Centre for Climate Change

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