This page only gives details about the latest data products. Click here to find out more about
earlier, deprecated versions of MST radar data products.
Follow the file format links for fuller details about the file
contents.
Click here to find out about the
data locations.
PRIMARY DATA PRODUCTS
MST radar Cartesian data files - file format page:
These contain altitude profiles (from approximately 2 - 20 km at 150 m
intervals) of the eastward, northward and upward components of the
wind velocity and the following radar return parameters: vertical beam
signal power, aspect sensitivity, spectral width and beam-broadening
corrected spectral width. All data have been mapped onto a single
altitude grid. The profiles are separated at intervals of
approximately 3 minutes in time. A radar-derived tropopause altitude and
sharpness is given for each set of profiles. These files are
recommended for most purposes.
MST radar radial data files - file
format page:
These contain the radar return parameters (noise power, signal power,
Doppler shift and spectral width) from which the Cartesian data are
derived. The data are recorded in the same sequence as the
observations were made - as a series of observations in different beam
pointing directions.
AUXILLIARY DATA PRODUCTS
Surface meteorological data files: - file format page
These contain surface measurements of temperature, pressure, humidity,
rainfall, and incoming solar radiation at 10 minute intervals.
Surface wind data files - file
format page:
These contain measurements of the eastward and northward components of
the wind, and the minimum and maximum gust speed factors, measured
from a 10 m tower. The data are recorded at 1 minute intervals.
Laser ceilometer cloud base data files - file format
page:
These contain measurements of the cloud base
altitudes for up to three cloud layers. The data are recorded at 1
minute intervals.
Sky-camera image files - file format
page:
These contain individual jpg images of the sky
conditions above the radar site recorded at 1 minute intervals.
FMCW cloud radar backscatter data files - file format
page:
These contain altitude profiles of 78 GHz radar
backscatter.
Met Office boundary-layer wind-profiler data files - file format page:
These contain measurements of horizontal wind speed and direction and
the following radar return parameters: the radial velocities and
signal-to-noise ratios along the 3 beam pointing
directions. Observations are made in a low-mode, covering the
approximate altitude range 0.1 - 2.0 km at 100 m intervals, and a
high-mode, covering the approximate altitude range 0.2 - 8.0 km at 200
m intervals. The data for both modes represent 30 minute consensus
averages.
Met Office GPS integrated water vapour data files - file format page:
These contain 1 hour averages of the integrated water vapour.
RAW MST RADAR DATA PRODUCTS
MST radar Doppler spectra files - file format page:
These contain the spectral data from which the radial data are derived.
MST radar I&Q files - file format page:
These contain the in-phase and quadrature components of the radar
return signals (after coherent integration and pulse decoding have
been applied) from which the Doppler spectra are derived. They are the
lowest level MST radar data products and are only recorded upon
request.
THE NERC MST RADAR FACILITY AT ABERYSTWYTH