PI Product : Climate Modeling Best Estimate (CMBE)

Site(s)
NSA SGP TWP

General Description

The ARM Climate Modeling Best Estimate (CMBE) product is a new ARM datastream specifically tailored to climate modelers for use in evaluation of global climate models. It contains a best estimate of several selected cloud, radiation and atmospheric quantities from the ACRF observations and Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) analysis (for upper air data only).

The data are stored in two different data file streams: CMBE-CLDRAD (former CMBE datastream) for cloud and radiation relevant quantities and CMBE-ATM for atmospheric quantities. Data are averaged over one hour time intervals. Quick look plots and detailed information about the CMBE data can be found at Climate Modeling Working Group web page: http://science.arm.gov/wg/cpm/scm/best_estimate.html.

The CMBE-CLDRAD data are available for the 5 ARM Climate Research Facility sites: SGP.C1 (Lamont, OK), NSA.C1 (Barrow, AK), TWP.C1 (Manus Island, PNG), TWP.C2 (Nauru), and TWP.C3 (Darwin, AU) for the period when these data are available. This data file contains a best estimate of several selected cloud and radiation relevant quantities from ACRF observations:

* Cloud fraction profiles

* Total, high, middle, and low clouds

* Liquid water path and precipitable water vapor

* Surface radiative fluxes

* TOA radiative fluxes

The CMBE-ATM data are currently only available for SGP.C1. This data file contains a best estimate of several selected atmospheric quantities from ACRF observations and NWP analysis data:

* Soundings

* NWP analysis data

* Surface sensible and latent heat fluxes

* Surface precipitation

* Surface temperature, relative humidity, and horizontal winds