Initial Results from the WMO Radiosonde Intercomparison, Yangjiang, China, July 2010 John Nash1, Tim Oakley1, Mark Smees1, S.Kurnosenko2and Li Wei3 1Met Office, Fitzroy Road, Exeter, EX1 3PB, UK 2skurnosenko@gmail.com 3Meteorological Observation Centre, China Meteorological Administration No. 46 Zhongguacun, Nandajie, BEIJING 100081, China © Crown copyright Met Office Li Wei, Chinese Project Leader Project Leader Tim Oakley Remote sensing, Mark Smees, Data handling, Gonzague Romanens WMO team, Project Leader Tim Oakley Remote sensing, Mark Smees WMO team, Data manager, Sergey Kurnosenko Holger Vomel, Scientific Sounding Systems Leader Test took place from 13 July to 1 August at the Atmospheric Observatory, Yangjiang, Guangdong, China 62 Quality Radiosonde Test flights 10 Scientific Sounding test flights balloons and flight rig prepared by 15 Chinese radiosonde test experts selected from radiosonde stations across China Burst Height (m) & Pressure Burst Height Burst Pressure 45000 200.0 40000 180.0 160.0 35000 H 30000 e i g 25000 h t 20000 140.0 ( 80.0 120.0 100.0 m ) 15000 60.0 10000 40.0 5000 20.0 0 0.0 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41 43 45 47 49 51 53 55 57 59 61 63 65 67 69 71 P r e s s u r e Company Ground System Radiosonde Temperature sensor Humidity sensor Intermet iMet-3200 iMet2 Bead thermistor Thin film Capacitor(E+E) Modem SR2K2 M2K2DC Bead thermistor Capacitive polymer Graw GS-E DFM-09 Thermistor Thin film Capacitor(E+E) Meteolabor ARGUS 37 SRS-C34 Thermocouple Hygroclip Rotronic *Snow White hygrometer Nanjing L-Band GFE1 type GTS1-2 digital Cylindrical thermistor HS02 Humicap Jin Yang GL-5000PB RSG-20A NTC Thermistor Thin film Capacitor(E+E) Mesei Co. LTD RD-06G RS-06G Thermistor Capacitance polymer Vaisala Oyj DigiCora, MW31 RS92-SGP Capacitive wire Thin film capacitor, heated twin sensor Beijing GPS Radiosounding System CF-06-A Bead resistance Thin film Capacitor China HuaYun HY-GTS(U) GTS(U)1-1 Bead thermistor Thin film Capacitor(E+E) Lockheed Martin Sippican INC LMG6 GPSLMS6 Radiosonde GPS Multithermistor LMS6 Radiosonde Chip thermistor Thin film Capacitor(E+E) Radiosonde GmbH Da Qiao Machine Co Ltd Chang Feng Surface Acoustic wave Co. Changfeng Huayun LMS Daqiao Vaisala Graw Intermet Jinyang Meteolabor Meisei Highest measurement Balloon rate of ascent, m.s-1 Merged preliminary results for quality radiosondes • Not to be reproduced Preliminary simultaneous nighttime temperature differences [K], Yanjiang,2010 1.40 1.20 1.00 TEMPERTAURE DIFFERENCE [K] 0.80 MEISEI 0.60 VAISALA DAQIAO 0.40 CHANGF 0.20 HUAYUN 0.00 LM INTERMSA -0.20 MODEM -0.40 GRAW -0.60 ML JINYANG -0.80 -1.00 -1.20 -1.40 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 HEIGHT[KM] 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 Estimates of random error in nighttime temperature measurements [K] Yangjiang, 2010 1.20 Estimate of random error in Temperature [K] 1.00 MEISEI VAISALA 0.80 DAQIAO CHANGF HUAYUN 0.60 LM INTERMSA MODEM GRAW 0.40 ML JINYANG 0.20 0.00 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 Height [km] 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 Preliminary simultaneous daytime temperature differences [K], Yangjiang 2010 1.40 1.20 1.00 LM Temperature difference (K) 0.80 VAISALA 0.60 DAQIAO 0.40 CHANGF HUAYUN 0.20 INTERMSA 0.00 MODEM GRAW -0.20 MEISEI -0.40 ML JINYANG -0.60 MEIS_REF -0.80 3THERM -1.00 VAIS_REF -1.20 -1.40 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 Height (km) 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 Estimates of random error in nighttime temperature measurements [K], Yangjiang, 2010 1.20 LM Estimate of ranom error in temperature [K] 1.00 VAISALA DAQIAO CHANGF 0.80 HUAYUN INTERMSA MODEM 0.60 GRAW MEISEI ML 0.40 JINYANG MEIS_REF 3THERM 0.20 VAIS_REF 0.00 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 Height [km] 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 Preliminary simultaneous geopotential height differences [gpm], Yangjiang , 2010 60.00 40.00 Geopotential height difference [gpm] 20.00 LM VAISALA 0.00 DAQIAO CHANGF -20.00 HUAYUN INTERMSA -40.00 MODEM GRAW -60.00 MEISEI ML -80.00 JINYANG 3therm -100.00 -120.00 -140.00 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 Height [km] 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 Estimates of random error in geopotential height measurements [gpm], Yangjian, China, 2010 220.0 Estimate of random error in geopotential height [ gpm] 200.0 180.0 LM 160.0 VAISALA DAQIAO 140.0 CHANGF HUAYUN 120.0 INTERMSA 100.0 MODEM GRAW 80.0 MEISEI ML 60.0 JINYANG 40.0 20.0 0.0 0 5 10 15 20 Height [km] 25 30 35 40 Relative humidity night time differences as a function of relative humidity at pressure greater than 500 hPa (Temperatures greater than 0 deg C), Yangjiang 14 12 10 LM Relative humidity difference [ per cent] 8 VAISALA DAQIAO 6 CHANGF 4 HUAYUN INTERMSA 2 MODEM GRAW 0 MEISEI -2 ML JINYANG -4 ML_SW -6 -8 -10 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 Relative humidity [per cent] 70 80 90 100 Relative humidity differences as a function of relative humidity at pressures greater than 500 hPa, [Temperatures higher than 0 deg C], daytime, Yangiang 14.0 12.0 10.0 LM VAISALA relative humidity difference [per cent] 8.0 DAQIAO 6.0 CHANGF HUAYUN 4.0 INTERMSA MODEM 2.0 GRAW meisei-LM 0.0 ML-LM -2.0 JINYANG ML_SW -4.0 -6.0 -8.0 0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0 60.0 Relative humidity [per cent] 70.0 80.0 90.0 100.0 Estimates of random error in nighttime relative humidity measurements at pressures higher than 500 hPa [temperatures higher than 0 deg C], Yanjiang, 2010 8 Estimated random relative humidiity errror [per cent] 7 LM 6 VAISALA DAQIAO CHANGF 5 HUAYUN INTERMSA 4 MODEM GRAW 3 MEISEI ML JINYANG 2 ML_SW 1 0 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 Relative Humidity [per cent] 70 80 90 100 Estimates of random error in daytime realtive humidity measurements at pressures higher than 500 hPa [temperatures higher than 0 deg C], Yangjiang, 2010 Estimated random error in relative humidity [per cent] 8 7 LM 6 VAISALA DAQIAO CHANGF 5 HUAYUN INTERMSA 4 MODEM GRAW 3 MEISEI ML JINYANG 2 ML_SW 1 0 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 Relative humidity [per cent] 70 80 90 100 Relative humidity differences as a function of relative humidity pressures between 200 and 500 hPa [Temperatures between 0 and -40 deg C approx], nighttime, Yangjiang 22 20 18 16 Relative Humidity difference [per cent] 14 LM 12 VAISALA DAQIAO 10 CHANGF 8 HUAYUN INTERMSA 6 MODEM GRAW 4 MEISEI 2 ML JINYANG 0 ML_SW -2 -4 -6 -8 -10 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 Relative humidity [per cent] 70 80 90 100 Relative humidity differences as a function of relative humidity .pressures between 200 and 500 hPa [Temperatures between 0 and -40 degC approx] daytime, Yangjiang 22 20 18 16 14 LM Relative humdity difference [ per cent] 12 VAISALA DAQIAO 10 CHANGF 8 HUAYUN INTERMSA 6 MODEM GRAW 4 MEISEI 2 ML JINYANG 0 ML_SW -2 -4 -6 -8 -10 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 Relative humidity [per cent] 70 80 90 100 Estimated random error in relative humidity measurements, night time, pressure between 200 and 500 hPa, Yangjiang, 2010 20 18 Random error in relative humidity [per cent] 16 LM 14 VAISALA DAQIAO 12 CHANGF HUAYUN INTERMSA 10 MODEM GRAW MEISEI 8 ML JINYANG 6 ML_SW 4 2 0 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 Relative humidity [per cent] 70 80 90 100 Estimated random error in relative humdity measurements, day time, pressure between 200 and 500 hPa, Yangjiang, 2010 20.0 18.0 Estimated random error in relative humidity [per cent] 16.0 LM 14.0 VAISALA DAQIAO 12.0 CHANGF HUAYUN INTERMSA 10.0 MODEM GRAW MEISEI 8.0 ML JINYANG 6.0 ML_SW 4.0 2.0 0.0 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 Relative Humidity [per cent] 70 80 90 100 Radiosondes allowed on Scientific sounding instrument (SSI) flights were: Cryogenic Frost point hygrometer (CFH) Meisei fast response temperature sensor LMS Multithermistor LMS6 Radiosonde Vaisala reference radiosonde ( DryCap frost point measurement) Graw DFM-09 radiosonde [limited number of flights] Science flight night Science flight night Science flight day Science flight day