TWP/MWR/C2 - Uncertainty in clock time

At ARCS2, the MWR computer clock was not being updated because no NTP time service 
software was installed on the computer. During Nauru99, on 6/24/99, the clock was found to be 3 
minutes and 17 seconds fast. 

Assuming that the time was properly set at installation on 10/26/98 (which is not 
indicated in the installation report) and never reset until 6/24/99, the rate of time drift on 
the computer was about +0.8 seconds per day. However, if the time was not reset since 
integration at AIS on 1/14/98 (which is recorded in my integration notes), then the rate of 
drift is about +0.4 seconds per day.

The computer was replaced and time service started on 7/30/99.

• 31.4 GHz sky signal(sky31)
• Noise injection temp at 31.4 GHz adjusted to tkbb(tnd31)
• 23.8 GHz blackbody+noise injection signal(bbn23)
• Mixer kinetic (physical) temperature(tkxc)
• Blackbody kinetic temperature(tkbb)
• Water on Teflon window (1=WET, 0=DRY)(wet_window)
• Temperature correction coefficient at 23.8 GHz(tc23)
• Mean 23.8 GHz sky brightness temperature(tbsky23)
• 31.4 GHz blackbody(bb31)
• MWR column precipitable water vapor(vap)
• 23.8 GHz sky signal(sky23)
• Ambient temperature(tkair)
• IR Brightness Temperature(ir_temp)
• base time(base_time)
• Noise injection temp at nominal temperature at 23.8 GHz(tnd_nom23)
• 31.4 GHz blac2body+noise injection signal(bbn31)
• Noise injection temp at 23.8 GHz adjusted to tkbb(tnd23)
• Mean 31.4 GHz sky brightness temperature(tbsky31)
• Averaged total liquid water along LOS path(liq)
• Noise injection temp at nominal temperature at 31.4 GHz(tnd_nom31)
• 23.8 GHz Blackbody signal(bb23)
• (tknd)
• Actual Azimuth(actaz)
• Time offset of tweaks from base_time(time_offset)
• Actual elevation angle(actel)
• Sky Infra-Red Temperature(sky_ir_temp)
• Temperature correction coefficient at 31.4 GHz(tc31)

• 31.4 GHz sky signal(tipsky31)
• Noise injection temp at 31.4 GHz derived from this tip(tnd31I)
• 31.4 GHz goodness-of-fit coefficient(r31)
• Actual Azimuth(actaz)
• 23.8 GHz sky signal(tipsky23)
• 31.4 GHz blac2body+noise injection signal(bbn31)
• 31.4 GHz blackbody(bb31)
• Noise injection temp at nominal temperature at 23.8 GHz(tnd_nom23)
• Ambient temperature(tkair)
• (tknd)
• base time(base_time)
• Blackbody kinetic temperature(tkbb)
• Noise injection temp at 23.8 GHz adjusted to tkbb(tnd23)
• Noise injection temp at 31.4 GHz adjusted to tkbb(tnd31)
• Water on Teflon window (1=WET, 0=DRY)(wet_window)
• 23.8 GHz goodness-of-fit coefficient(r23)
• Time offset of tweaks from base_time(time_offset)
• Actual elevation angle(actel)
• Temperature correction coefficient at 23.8 GHz(tc23)
• Noise injection temp at nominal temperature at 31.4 GHz(tnd_nom31)
• 23.8 GHz Blackbody signal(bb23)
• Noise injection temp at 23.8 GHz derived from this tip(tnd23I)
• 23.8 GHz blackbody+noise injection signal(bbn23)
• Mixer kinetic (physical) temperature(tkxc)
• Temperature correction coefficient at 31.4 GHz(tc31)

TWP/C2/SMET Temperature spike

There was a brief -4 C spike in the temperature at approximately
21.5 Z on December 3.  This spike also showed up in the vapor pressure
which is calculated from the temperature and relative humidity.

• Mean Air Temperature or Hardware Error(temp_mean)
• Std Dev of Air Temperature(temp_sd)
• Temperature minimum(temp_min)
• Vapor pressure standard deviation(vappress_sd)
• Temperature maximum(temp_max)
• Vapor pressure mean(vappress_mean)

• Temperature maximum(temp_max)
• Vapor pressure standard deviation(vappress_sd)
• Vapor pressure mean(vappress_mean)
• Mean Air Temperature or Hardware Error(temp_mean)
• Std Dev of Air Temperature(temp_sd)
• Temperature minimum(temp_min)

TWP/SMET/C2 - Negative rainfall rates

Due to limitations of the Zeno dataloggers all voltage measurements
from the optical rain gauge (ORG) were converted to rainfall rates. 
This resulted in negative values for rain rates.  Any value below
0.10 mm/hr should be considered to be 0 mm/hr.  New dataloggers 
alleviated this problem.

• Precipitation maximum(precip_max)
• Precipitation mean(precip_mean)
• precipitation minimum(precip_min)
• Precipitation standard deviation(precip_sd)

TWP/MWR/C2 - software upgrade (version 3.29)

The MWR operating program was upgraded to version 3.29 on 30 July 1999. This version 
included a beam width correction as well as provided the capability to automatically level the 
elevation mirror (that is, to automatically detect and correct offsets in the elevation 
angle stepper motor position.)
   
The improvement in the quality of the tip curves resulting from the auto-leveling has been 
dramatic: differences in the brightness temperatures at 3 airmasses (19.5 and 160.5 
degrees) have been reduced from +/- 5 K to +/- 0.5 K. In order to take full advantage of this 
improvement to detect and reject cloudy tip curves, the minimum value of the 
goodness-of-fit coefficient for a valid tip curve has been increased from 0.995 to 0.998.

The data prior to July 30 1999 do not include beam-width and mirror-leveling corrections.

• Mean 23.8 GHz sky brightness temperature(tbsky23)
• MWR column precipitable water vapor(vap)
• Mean 31.4 GHz sky brightness temperature(tbsky31)
• Averaged total liquid water along LOS path(liq)

TWP/SMET/C2 - Reprocess: Barometric Data Changed from hPa to kPa

Barometric pressure data was converted from hPa to kPa in order to standardize the 
measurement units among ARM sites and to conform to accepted standard units determined by the 
scientific community.

• Barometric Pressure(atmos_pressure)

TWP/SMET/C2 - Reprocess: Tipping bucket rain gauge added

A tipping bucket rain gauge was added to the TWP.C2 SMET suite of instruments on 20061129. 
Effective 20060926, two new variables (count and rain amount) were added to the end of 
the twpsmet60sC2.b1 datastream.  Between 9/26 and 11/29, the data for these two variables 
are filled with zeros.  Users should not use the data during this period as the zeros are 
not representative of the rain fall at the site.  When reprocessing of this datastream 
occurs these variables will be added for the 19981021-20060926 and data from 
19981021-20061129 will be filled with -9999 (missing).

• base time(base_time)