UACALPLT
Sections
NAME
uacalplt - Upper air calculation and plotting program
SYNOPSIS
uacalplt [parameters...] filename
PARAMETERS
| Command Line | Resource | Default | Description |
| -h | help | No | Lists basic help information. |
| -df=filename | default | .wxpdef | Sets the name of the resource file. |
| -na=name | name | uacalplt | Specifies the name used in resource file parsing. |
| -ba | batch | No | Run program in batch mode |
| -me=level | message | out2 | Specifies level of messages to be displayed
|
| -fp=filepath | file_path | current directory | Specifies location of database files. |
| -dp=datapath | data_path | current directory | Specifies the location (path) of the input raw data files. This may be modified in the name convention file. |
| -cp=conpath | con_path | current directory | Specifies the location (path) of the input surface converted data files. This may be modified in the name convention file. |
| -rp=rawpath | raw_path | current directory | Specifies the location of the output raw files generated by the program. These files will not be generated unless the out_file resource is specified and the output is plotted data. |
| -ip=imagepath | image_path | current directory | Specifies the default location of the output GIF images generated by the program. |
| -nc=name_conv | name_conv | name_conv | The name convention file specifies how files are named in WXP. This sets which name convention file to use. |
| -if=in_file | in_file | upa_cvt | Specifies the input file name tag. The default is upa_cvt, but it can be modified to any value in the filename convention file. A full name convention can be specified as well. |
| -of=out_file[,out...] | out_file | upa_snd | Specifies what type of raw sounding file to create. By default, no output file is generated when the program. This specifies an output file name tag. The default is upa_snd. A full filename can be specified which can contain name convention tags. |
| -cu=[hour|la] | current | None | This specifies to use current data files. The current filename is based on the name convention. An optional hour can be specified for older data. If la is specified, the program will search back to find the most recent available file. |
| -ho=hour | hour | None | This resource specifies the exact hour that a data file is valid for. This locks in the start hour for a multi-file sequence. |
| -id=identifier | identifier | None | Specifies the station to use in the program.Used to plot a specific observation. If not specified, all stations will be plotted. |
| -pd=domain | plot_domain | None. Full plot |
This specifies the plotting domain. The projection, aspect ratio and the domain size are specified. |
| -pl=plot_type | plot_type | User prompt Batch: skewt |
Specifies the type of output thermodynamic plot. By default, this is a
Skew T diagram. The available plot types are:
|
| -sc=scale_factor | plot_scale | 1.0 | Specifies a scaling factor for all plotted text, symbols, vectors, etc. |
| -fm=format | plot_format | None | Specifies the output format of the plots. This is generally used to specify how many decimal places get displayed on the plot and in the output raw files. |
| -pp=param[,param...] | plot_param | None | Specifies additional plotting parameters. See the plot_param resource for more details. |
| -dr=drawable[,...] | draw | all | Specifies which part of the plot is to be drawn. |
| -la=label[,...] | label | Program defaults | Specifies the labels to be plotted around the plot. By default, labels are generated by the program and plotted above and below the plot. This resource overrides these labels. |
| -fl=font_list | font_list | modern.fnt | Specifies a list of fonts to use in the plots. |
| -ct=color_table | color_table | wxp.clr | Specifies the color table to use in the plot. This maps color names to actual RGB color values. |
| -cot=color[:attr] | color_text | white black for inverse plots. |
Specifies the text color for labels above and below the plot. |
| -coth=color[:attr] | color_therm | blue, blue, green, cyan, yellow | This resource is used to specify the color and attributes for the
thermodynamic plot. There are 5 possible values:
|
| -cott=color[:attr] | color_thrmtxt | lblue, lblue, off, off, yellow | This resource is used to specify the color and attributes for the labels
on the thermodynamic plot. There are 5 possible values:
|
| -cosd=color[:attr] | color_sound | white, white, yellow | This resource is used to specify the color and attributes for the
sounding plot. There are 3 possible values:
|
| -cowd=color[:attr] | color_wind | white black for inverse plots. |
Specifies the color for wind barbs on thermodynamic plots. |
| -coho=color[:attr] | color_hodo | blue, blue, white, cyan, red | This resource is used to specify the color and attributes for the
hodograph plot. There are 5 possible values:
|
| -coht=color[:attr] | color_hodtxt | lblue, lblue, lred | This resource is used to specify the color and attributes for the labels
on the hodograph plot. There are 3 possible values:
|
| -de=device[,...] | device | User prompt Batch: display |
Specifies the output device. |
| -ti=title | title | Program name | Specifies the window title. |
| -ic | icon | Off | Specifies whether to open window in iconified mode. |
| -bg=color | background | black white for inverse plots |
Specifies the background color of the window. |
| -ge=geometry | geometry | 640x480 | Specifies the window and paper geometry. |
| filename[#seq] | filename | None User Pompt Batch: current=la |
The name of the upper air converted data file to be plotted. An optional sequence number can be added to designate the time for non-WXP files. |
DESCRIPTION
This program plots upper air sounding data on a thermodynamic diagram or hodograph. The input to the program is a upper air converted file produced by the uacvt programs.
The programs starts off by prompting the user for input converted file name. The user may specify the input file either via the command line of through the current resource. The input naming convention is specified by the upa_cvt tag but this can be changed with the in_file resource.
Next, the user enters a station identifier. A list of available stations from the converted file is displayed. The stations are listed by their 3/4 letter IDs and not the 5 digit WMO number for ease of selection. Once the station is selected, the program prints out sounding information, and standard sounding parameters and indices.
Text Output
The first section is the station location information which is printed at message level out1a:
Date:0000Z 30 SEP 97 Station: ILX WMO ident: 74560 Latitude: 40.15 Longitude: -89.33 Elevation: 178.00
The next section is the raw sounding data. This is a merged set of mandatory and significant level data. Additional computations are performed. Here is a list of the columns printed (all printed at mess level out1a [see red text] unless specified)
- LEV -- level number. Special levels are denoted with SFC (surface), TRP (tropopause), WND (max wind).
- PRES -- pressure of level in mb
- HGHT -- geopotential height in m (intermediate levels interpolated using hypsometric approximation)
- TEMP -- temperature in C
- DEWP -- dewpoint in C
- RH -- relative humidity in %
- DD -- dewpoint depression in C (mess level out1b)
- WETB -- wetbulb temperature in C (mess level out1b)
- DIR -- wind direction in deg (intermediate levels interpolated using significant wind level data)
- SPD -- wind speed in knt (intermediate levels interpolated using significant wind level data)
- THETA -- potential temperature in K (mess level out1b)
- THE-V -- virtual potential temperature in K (mess level out1b)
- THE-W -- wetbulb potential temperature in K (mess level out1b)
- THE-E -- equivalent potential temperature in K (mess level out1b)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LEV PRES HGHT TEMP DEWP RH DD WETB DIR SPD THETA THE-V THE-W THE-E W
mb m C C % C C deg knt K K K K g/kg
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
0 1000 -1
SFC 980 178 26.4 6.4 28 20.0 14.7 280 19 301.3 302.4 288.6 319.7 6.15
2 925 678 22.2 2.2 27 20.0 11.3 280 47 302.0 302.9 287.6 316.6 4.85
3 850 1403 15.2 -0.8 33 16.0 7.1 280 46 302.1 302.8 287.1 315.0 4.24
4 700 3001 0.0 -6.0 64 6.0 -2.6 295 50 302.5 303.1 286.5 313.2 3.49
...
The next section displays standard sounding parameters and indices. Most of the information is printed at message level out1d except for thickness, lifted, Showalter, total totals and K indices which is at message level out1c (red text).
Sounding variables and indices 1000-500 mb thick: 5631.00 m Freezing level: 700.00 mb = 3001.00 m = 9845.68 ft Wetbulb zero: 740.60 mb = 2536.94 m = 8323.18 ft Precipitable water: 0.65 inches Sfc-500 mean rel hum: 36.73 % Est. max temperature: 27.28 C = 81.10 F Sfc-Lift cond lev (LCL): 729.89 mb = 2656.89 m = 8716.74 ft T: 3.27 C 700-500 lapse rate: 4.68 C/km ThetaE index: 11.23 C Layer 925.0- 598.0 mb Conv cond level (CCL): 689.45 mb = 3121.77 m = 10241.90 ft Mean mixing ratio: 5.11 g/kg Conv temperature: 27.64 C = 81.75 F Cap Strength: 3.86 C Lifted Index: 5.67 C Risk: None Lifted Index @300 mb: 7.03 C Lifted Index @700 mb: 0.59 C Showalter Index: 6.96 C Risk: None Total Totals Index: 39.00 C Risk: None Vertical Totals Index: 27.50 C Cross Totals Index: 11.50 C K Index: 20.70 Risk: 20-40 % chance of thunderstorms Sweat Index: 178.00 Risk: None Energy Index: 1.12 Risk: None
The next section involves a parcel trajectory. The parcel is taken from some initial condition and raised vertically to the top of the sounding. The default parcel uses a 100 mb mean layer above the surface. The parcel type can be changed with the par plot parameter:
par=pres:temp:dew
Temperature and dewpoint are optional. If not specified, the sounding temperature
and dewpoint are used.
| Type | Pres | Temp | Dew |
| pressure level | pres | temp | dew |
| surface level | sfc | temp | dew |
| max temperature | maxt | -- | -- |
| pressure layer | layer | thick | -- |
The data are printed at message level out2b except for CAPE, convective inhibition and cap strength which is printed at level out2a (red text).
Parcel Indices Parcel: using 100 mb layer CAPE (B+): 10.89 J/kg Max Up Vert Vel: 4.67 m/s Conv Inhibition (B-): 30.45 J/kg Cap Strength: 5.49 C Lift Cond Lev (LCL): 696.21 mb = 3044.15 m = 9987.25 ft Lev Free Conv (LFC): 681.21 mb = 3217.42 m = 10555.70 ft Equ Level (EL): 631.21 mb = 3818.50 m = 12527.73 ft B at Equ Level: 7.84 J/kg Max Parcel Lev (MPL): 611.21 mb = 4071.09 m = 13356.44 ft
The next section displays significant wind level data. Storm relative winds are computed based on a mean storm motion. This is computed using the mean wind of the lower 6km of the atmosphere. The storm direction is deflected 30 deg clockwise and the speed is 75% of the 6km mean speed. The output is at message level out3a (red text) except for the storm relative winds which is at out3b.
Wind level data
Storm motion: 325 at 43 knt
----------------------------------------------------------
TRUE/GROUND REL | STORM REL
LEV P H DIR SPD U V | DIR SPD U V
mb m knt m/s | knt m/s
----------------------------------------------------------
0 980 178 280 19 18.7 -3.3 | 170 32 -5.6 31.9
1 966 305 280 30 29.5 -5.2 | 190 30 5.3 30.0
2 932 610 275 46 45.8 -4.0 | 215 38 21.6 31.2
3 925 678 280 47 46.3 -8.2 | 219 35 22.0 27.0
...
The next section is wind parameters and indices. This is printed at message level out2d except for mean winds, storm direction, helicity and energy-helicity index which are at level out2c (red text)
Wind Parameters
Mean winds (0-6000m): 295.4 at 57.0 knts
Storm direction: 325.4 at 42.8 knts
Shear (0-3000m) pos: 2.6 neg: 4.7 tot: 7.3 10-3/s
Storm rel Dir Shear (0-3000m): 69.6 deg
Storm rel helicity (0-3000m) pos: 310.7 neg: -7.0 tot: 303.7 m^2/s^2
ave: 101.2 10^-3 m/s^2 rel: 0.84
Storm rel vorticity (0-3000m) horiz: 8.0 stream: 6.7 10^-3/s
Energy-Hel index: 0.02
Bulk Rich Number: 0.13
Bulk Shear: 85.84 m/s
The next section shows storm layer parameters. All of this information is printed at message level out3c.
Storm Parameters ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Depth Mean Inflow| Shear | Helicity | Vorticity AGL Dir Spd Dir Spd| Pos Neg Tot| Pos Neg Tot Ave Rel | Hor Strm m knt knt| 10^-3/s | m^2/s^2 m/s^2 | 10^-3/s ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 500 278 36 200 32| 0.0 28.8 28.8|225.6 0.0 225.6 451.2 1.00| 29.7 29.6 1000 279 41 210 33| 0.0 14.0 14.0|225.6 -7.0 218.6 218.6 0.94| 15.3 14.4 1500 280 43 213 33| 0.9 9.3 10.2|229.6 -7.0 222.6 148.4 0.88| 11.1 9.8 2000 281 44 215 33| 1.1 7.0 8.1|249.4 -7.0 242.5 121.2 0.89| 9.0 7.9 2500 282 45 217 32| 1.7 5.6 7.3|280.2 -7.0 273.2 109.3 0.89| 8.0 7.1 3000 284 45 219 31| 2.6 4.7 7.3|310.7 -7.0 303.7 101.2 0.84| 8.0 6.7 4000 289 47 225 28| 2.8 4.6 7.3|351.2 -7.0 344.3 86.1 0.75| 7.9 6.0 5000 294 51 237 26| 3.3 4.6 7.9|458.4 -7.0 451.4 90.3 0.73| 8.5 6.2 6000 295 57 248 29| 2.7 5.6 8.4|458.4-100.4 358.0 59.7 0.50| 9.0 4.5
Sounding Plots
After the text is displayed, the user is prompted for the output plot type. The selections are:
- skewt -- Skew T log P diagram
- ema -- Emagram
- stuve -- Stuve diagram
- hodo -- Hodogram
A thermodynamic diagram is plot showing the temperature and dewpoint plotted versus pressure (or height). A hodograph is a plot of wind speed versus direction on a polar grid.
Skew-T log-P: The skew-T log-P diagram is an energy conserving diagram in which the temperature and potential temperature lines are nearly perpendicular. The pressure lines are plotted horizontally in blue and are also on an inverse log scale. The concept of Skew T means that the temperature is not plotted vertically but angles off to the right at a 45 degree angle. The temperature lines of the Skew T are in blue. The dry adiabats slope off to the upper left and are plotted in green. The light blue dashed curved lines are saturation adiabats. The yellow dashed lines are lines of constant mixing ratio.
The sounding is displayed in white, with the white line on the left of the plot representing the dewpoint line and the white data line on the right representing the temperature line. When printed, these are bold lines for easier viewing. The wind barbs on the right-hand side of the diagram represent the winds at various elevations, with the top of the diagram representing north. The winds at mandatory levels are plotted at their pressure levels, whereas the winds at height levels are plotted at their standard atmosphere pressure level.
Emagram: An emagram is very close to a skewT except the temperature lines are vertical, not skewed to the right. It is also an energy conserving diagram.
Stuve: In the Stuve diagram format, the diagram is much the same as the Skew T plot except that the temperature lines are vertical. Pressure lines are spaced so that potential temperature lines are straight. This is not an energy conserving diagram.
Wind plot: The winds at selected levels are plotted on the right side of the diagram. Standard directions are used with up being north and right being to the east. These are plotted in white but can be changed with the color_wind resource.
Data plot: The geopotential heights are plotted at a 50 mb interval on the left side of the plot. The color of the data can be changed with the color_wind resource. On the right side of the plot, specific parameters and indices are plotted. These values are:
Station information:
| WMO | WMO number |
| LAT | Latitude of station |
| LON | Longitude of station |
| EL | Elevation of station in meters |
Key information:
| TP | Tropopause level (mb) |
| MW | Max wind level (mb) |
| FRZ | Lowest freezing level (mb) or BG for below ground |
| WB0 | Wet bulb zero (mb) or BG |
| PW | Precipitable water (in) |
| RH | Mean RH surface to 500 mb (%) |
| MAXT | Estimated max temperature (C) using a 150mb layer |
| TH | 1000-500mb thickness (m) |
| L57 | 700-500mb lapse rate (C/km) |
| LCL | Lift condensation level (mb) from surface data |
| LI | Lifted index (C) using 100 mean layer above surface |
| SI | Showalter index (C) |
| TT | Total totals index |
| KI | K index |
| SW | Sweat index |
| EI | Energy index |
-PARCEL-
This is a parcel trajectory (the yellow line on the sounding) based on 100 mb mean layer.
| CAPE | Convective available potential energy |
| CINH | Convective inhibition (open ended) |
| LCL | Lift condensation level (mb) |
| CAP | Cap strength (C) |
| LFC | Level free convection (mb) |
| EL | Equilibrium level (mb) |
| MPL | Maximum parcel level (mb) |
-WIND-
Wind parameters
| STM | Estimated storm motion (knts) from 0-6000m AG mean layer, spd 75% of mean, dir 30 deg veer from mean. |
| HEL | Storm relative helicity 0-3000m AG (total value) |
| SHR+ | Positive shear magnitude 0-3000m AG (sum of veering shear values) |
| SRDS | Storm relative directional shear 0-3000m AG (directional difference of storm relative winds) |
| EHI | Energy helicity index (prop to positive helicity * CAPE) |
| BRN | Bulk Richardson number 500-6000m AG (prop to CAPE/bulk shear) |
| BSHR | Bulk shear value (magnitude of shear over layer) |
The amount of data plotted can be regulated by using the data plot parameters:
- nodata -- no data plotted
- data -- all data plotted
- data1 -- minimal data plotted
- data2 -- important data plotted
Parcel Trajectory: A parcel trajectory is plotted with each sounding as a thick yellow line. If no parcel trajectory is needed, specifying the noparcel plot parameter will eliminate it from the plot. The type of parcel can changed by specifying the par plot parameter.
Wind hodograph: The wind hodograph is a polar plot of wind speed and direction. The radius directly reflects wind speed. The hodograph is plotted for all mandatory and wind at height levels with the plot annotated with plus signs at each level and labeled with the mandatory level pressures above and to the right of the plus sign. The lowest level data (below 700 mb) is plotted in white.
The plot type can be changed. If the thermodynamic diagram is visible, the hodograph can be plotted by hitting <Meta>n. By hitting <Meta>n again, the thermodynamic plot will reappear.
Sounding Modification
Once the data are plotted, the sounding can be modified. This can be done by moving the cursor to the line which is to be modified, holding down the <Shift-right button> and moving the cursor to where the new value will be. If the cursor is right of the temperature line, the temperature sounding is modified. If the cursor is left of the dewpoint line, the dewpoint is modified. This can only be done on the existing levels. This can also be done on the hodograph.
In many cases, the sounding has too much detail to effectively select a level or data point. It is recommended that the user zoom the plot by using the <Shift-left button> and dragging a box around the area to be zoomed. Remember to start at a corner.
Once the sounding is modified, the plotted data/parameters/indices will update to reflect the changed sounding. The parcel will not automatically update. This can be done with the <Meta>r refresh command. The modified sounding can be saved to a raw file using the <Meta>s save command. This can be read in by uacalplt to be replotted.
Output Files
By default, this program does not produce output files. A raw file can be generated using the <Meta>s command in the plot window. The out_file resource specifies a filename, a file tag (lookup in file name convention file) or a name convention (with wildcards). The output can be GIF file by specifying gif as the file type. It may be desirable to turn plotting of when producing output files. To do this, specify none for the plot_type resource.
EXAMPLES
uacalplt -cu=la -id=ILX -pl=skewt -de=d
This plots a skewT diagram for ILX.
FILES
- upa.cty - the surface station location database file
SEE ALSO
- uacvt - the upper air decoding program
Last updated Sept 29, 1997