TRANSMISSOMETER DATA README FILE - OCTOBER 2004
This CD contains level-1 hourly transmissometer-based visibility data from the 17
transmissometer sites (listed below) in the IMPROVE visibility monitoring network. The data
included are from 1/1/03 through 12/31/03. As with all level-1 transmissometer data, careful
attention should be paid to the validity interference codes, which indicate a variety of
uncertainties in the processed measurements.
DATA FILE FORMAT KEY
The data file format key for all transmissometer data files is included in this folder and is
available in:



MS Word format
Adobe Acrobat format
Text only
(transkeyNov2003.doc)
(transkeyNov2003.pdf)
(transkeyNov2003.txt)
FILE NAMING CONVENTIONS
Quarterly data files are named XXXXX_T1W.YYS, where XXXXX is the site abbreviation, YY
is the year, and S is the calendar season:
1.
2.
3.
4.
=
=
=
=
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
(January, February, and March)
(April, May, and June)
(July, August, and September)
(October, November, and December)
For example, CANY1_T1W.031 contains Canyonlands National Park transmissometer data for
the period January 1, 2003 through March 31, 2003. The average size of a quarterly
transmissometer file is 202 Kb.
SITE SPECIFIC NOTES FOR TRANSMISSOMETER DATA (1/1/2003 – 12/31/2003)
BADL1 – many extinction readings affected by alignment drift caused by soil
saturation/movement from 2/19/03 – 3/20/03.
BAND1 - extinction readings possibly too low and not matching actual conditions with lamp#
2849 from 1/9/03 – 3/11/03. Power problem at transmitter from 8/19/03 – 9/16/03. Transmitter
chopper failure from 9/30/03 – 10/9/03.
BIBE1 – invalid extinction readings 1/9/03 – 1/15/03 and 6/8/03 – 8/27/03; not matching actual
conditions and not tracking BIBE2. Instrument removed and site deactivated 8/27/03.
BIBE2 – no readings from 9/25/03 – 10/16/03 due to timing problem.
SITE SPECIFIC NOTES FOR TRANSMISSOMETER DATA (1/1/2003 – 12/31/2003)
BRID1 – many extinction readings possibly too low and not matching actual conditions with
LPV-019 from 1/1/03 – 6/18/03. No data from 5/30/03 – 6/18/03 due to DCP malfunction and
photometer damage from lightning. Invalid extinction readings from 10/02/03 – 10/07/03 due to
receiver timing problem.
CHIR3 – instrument removed and site deactivated 12/16/03.
GLAC1 – many extinction readings affected by birds nesting at transmitter from late May to
late June. Wildfires affected extinction readings from 7/20/03 – 9/10/03 (receiver unit removed
7/27/03 – 08/4/03 when fire approached receiver shelter). Receiver power out from 10/30/03 –
11/3/03. Transmitter power out from 12/2/03 – 12/10/03.
GRBA1 – extinction readings possibly too low and not matching actual conditions with lamp#
2997 from 7/29/03 – 9/4/03. Transmitter chopper failure from 9/16/03 – 9/25/03.
GRCW1 - no readings from 8/22/03 – 9/5/03 due to receiver computer damage from lightning.
GUMO1 – no readings from 5/13/03 – 5/16/03 due to misalignment at receiver. No readings
6/27/03 – 07/9/03 due to power outage at receiver.
PEFO2 – mostly invalid readings from 10/1/03 – 10/28/03 due to transmitter power problem and
control box malfunction.
SAGO1 – invalid extinction readings from 8/28/03 – 9/2/03 due to extremely dirty optics
(window at receiver). No readings from 10/26/03 – 11/1/03 due to power outage at transmitter.
SHEN2 – invalid extinction readings from 8/27/03 – 9/2/03 due to tree branches interfering with
transmitter light. No readings from 7/10/03 – 7/17/03 & 9/18/03 – 9/24/03 due to power outages.
Instrument removed and site deactivated 10/30/03.
YOSE2 – extinction readings possibly too low and not matching actual conditions with lamp#
2578 from 1/8/03 – 3/7/03. No readings from 4/6/03 – 4/30/03 due to transmitter malfunction.
Invalid extinction readings from 7/21/03 – 7/28/03 due to tree branches in site path. Wildfires
affected extinction readings from ~6/11/03 – mid November.
* From late October through early November (~10/26/03 - ~11/5/03), California wildfires
affected extinction readings at many western sites.
TRANSMISSOMETER SITES IN THE IMPROVE VISIBILITY MONITORING
NETWORK:
1) BADL1 – Badlands National Park, SD
2) BAND1 – Bandelier National Monument, NM
3) BIBE1 – Big Bend National Park, TX
4) BIBE2 – Big Bend National Park (Grapevine Hills), TX
5) BRID1 – Bridger Wilderness, WY
6) CANY1 – Canyonlands National Park, UT
7) CHIR3 – Chiricahua National Monument, AZ
8) GLAC1 – Glacier National Park, MT
9) GRBA1 – Great Basin National Park, NV
10) GRCA1 – Grand Canyon National Park (South Rim), AZ
11) GRCW1 – Grand Canyon National Park (In-Canyon), AZ
12) GUMO1 – Guadalupe Mountains National Park, TX
13) PEFO2 – Petrified Forest National Park, AZ
14) ROMO2 – Rocky Mountain National Park, CO
15) SAGO1 – San Gorgonio Wilderness, CA
16) SHEN2 – Shenandoah National Park, VA
17) YOSE2 – Yosemite National Park, CA