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African Easterly Wave Climatology, Version 1

Metadata Updated: September 19, 2023

The AEWC dataset was created using a new algorithm developed by researchers at Georgia Tech and represents the first attempt to produce a standard easterly wave tracking dataset for the East Pacific, Atlantic, and Africa. The algorithm uses curvature vorticity anomalies to identify the location of easterly waves as a function of time. The dataset provides 6-hourly coverage over a 63-year period (January 1948-December 2010) in the region bounded by 35S-35N x 140W-40E. Data files are derived using four separate atmospheric reanalysis products including: 1) the ERA-40 dataset (covers the period January 1958 to December 2001); 2) the ERA-Interim dataset (covers the period January 1979 to December 2010); the CFS-R dataset (covers the period January 1979 to December 2010); and the NCEP/NCAR I dataset (covers the period January 1948 to December 2010). Other data sources used in the production of the AEWC are the Remote Sensing Systems SSM/I Total Precipitable Water, Rain Rate, and Cloud Liquid Water content products, Claus Brightness Temperature, and Outgoing Longwave Radiation from the NCDC Daily OLR CDR. Each netCDF file contains all the easterly waves that originate in a given year, the isobaric level for easterly wave tracking (600hPa, 700hPa, and 850hPa) and the zone from which the easterly wave began its development. Zones include: Africa (AFR), Central America (CAM), North Atlantic (NAL), Northeast Pacific (NEP), South Atlantic (SAL), South America (SAM), Southeast Pacific (SEP), and Other (OTH). For each easterly wave, the following variables are provided including: wave observation count, wave trajectory id, wave time, wave trough centroid latitude, wave trough centroid longitude, wave trough maximum latitude, mean longitude of wave trough maximum latitude, wave trough minimum latitude, mean longitude of wave trough minimum latitude, wavelength, mean wave trough relative vorticity, maximum wave trough relative vorticity, minimum wave trough relative vorticity, standard deviation wave trough relative vorticity,mean wave trough curvature vorticity, maximum wave trough curvature vorticity, minimum wave trough curvature vorticity, standard deviation wave trough curvature vorticity, mean wave trough shear vorticity, maximum wave trough shear vorticity, minimum wave trough shear vorticity, standard deviation wave trough shear vorticity, mean wave trough Claus brightness temperature, standard deviation wave trough Claus brightness temperature, wave trough Claus brightness temperature area fraction, mean wave trough total precipitable water, standard deviation wave trough total precipitable water, wave trough total precipitable water area fraction, mean wave trough rain rate, standard deviation wave trough rain rate, wave trough rain rate area fraction, mean wave trough cloud liquid water, standard deviation wave trough cloud liquid water, wave trough cloud liquid water area fraction, mean wave trough outgoing longwave radiation, standard deviation wave trough outgoing longwave radiation, wave trough outgoing longwave radiation area fraction, mean wave trough outgoing longwave radiation anomaly, standard deviation wave trough outgoing longwave radiation anomaly.

Access & Use Information

License: No license information was provided. If this work was prepared by an officer or employee of the United States government as part of that person's official duties it is considered a U.S. Government Work.

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Dates

Metadata Date June 23, 2023
Metadata Created Date June 30, 2023
Metadata Updated Date September 19, 2023
Reference Date(s) September 17, 2014 (publication)
Frequency Of Update notPlanned

Metadata Source

Harvested from ncdc

Graphic Preview

Easterly wave track density per year for the ERA-Interim reanalysis during the period June to November 1995-2010.

Additional Metadata

Resource Type Dataset
Metadata Date June 23, 2023
Metadata Created Date June 30, 2023
Metadata Updated Date September 19, 2023
Reference Date(s) September 17, 2014 (publication)
Responsible Party The Weather Company, an IBM business (Point of Contact); DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI > National Centers for Environmental Information, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce (Point of Contact)
Contact Email
Guid gov.noaa.ncdc:C00784
Access Constraints Cite as: Belanger, James I., Jelinek, Mark T., Curry, Judith A. (2014): "African Easterly Wave Climatology, Version 1." NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. [indicate subset used]. https://doi.org/10.7289/V5ZC80SX [access date]., Distribution liability: NOAA and NCEI make no warranty, expressed or implied, regarding these data, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. NOAA and NCEI cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in these data. If appropriate, NCEI can only certify that the data it distributes are an authentic copy of the records that were accepted for inclusion in the NCEI archives., Use liability: NOAA and NCEI cannot provide any warranty as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of furnished data. Users assume responsibility to determine the usability of these data. The user is responsible for the results of any application of this data for other than its intended purpose.
Bbox East Long 40.0
Bbox North Lat 35.0
Bbox South Lat -35.0
Bbox West Long -140.0
Coupled Resource
Frequency Of Update notPlanned
Graphic Preview Description Easterly wave track density per year for the ERA-Interim reanalysis during the period June to November 1995-2010.
Graphic Preview File https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/metadata/images/C00784_aewc_graphic.png
Graphic Preview Type PNG
Harvest Object Id 4fafd350-3413-42d6-8295-ff2d5795eac4
Harvest Source Id 2cb3ef77-1683-4c2a-9119-dc65e50917c6
Harvest Source Title ncdc
Licence
Lineage For more information about data creation, please review the associated documentation.
Metadata Language eng; USA
Metadata Type geospatial
Old Spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[-140.0, -35.0], [40.0, -35.0], [40.0, 35.0], [-140.0, 35.0], [-140.0, -35.0]]]}
Progress completed
Spatial Data Service Type
Spatial Reference System
Spatial Harvester True
Temporal Extent Begin 1948
Temporal Extent End 2010

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