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https://github.com/observingclouds/eurec4a_snd

Collaborative sounding software during EUREC4A/ATOMIC
https://github.com/observingclouds/eurec4a_snd

bufr eurec4a mwx radiosonde sounding

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Collaborative sounding software during EUREC4A/ATOMIC

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README 

        
# eurec4a_snd



[![Software](https://img.shields.io/badge/Software-10.5281%2Fzenodo.4391098-blue)](https://zenodo.org/badge/latestdoi/213821146) [![Data](https://img.shields.io/badge/Data-10.25326%2F137-green)](https://doi.org/10.25326/137)



During the EUREC4A/ATOMIC campaign many radiosondes were launched from different platforms and partners. This collection of scripts has been used to convert, visualize and interpolate the data in a common way.



This repository has been created before the start of the campaign and evolved further in the postprocessing phase. It therefore contains scripts to

- convert and visualize BUFR and Vaisala MW41 rawdata (`.mwx`)

- interpolate sounding data

- correct and quality control soundings



A generalized version of this repository has evolved at https://github.com/observingClouds/pysonde.



While most of the scripts can be applied to every sounding that exists in the BUFR or mwx format, some of the postprocessing scripts are specific to the EUREC4A campaign and can only serve as a guidance for other studies.



## What's new

Changes to the software and produced data can be found [here](docs/whats-new.rst)



## Installation



The package can be installed with `conda` ([Miniconda](https://docs.conda.io/en/latest/miniconda.html) or [Anaconda](https://www.anaconda.com/distribution/)):



The best option is to create a new environment to not run into dependency problems with pre-installed package:



```bash

conda create --name field_campaign

```



Activate the new environment with



```bash

conda activate field_campaign

```

or

```bash

source activate field_campaign

```



The actual package can than be installed with

```bash

conda install -c observingclouds -c conda-forge eurec4a_snd

```



## First execution

To convert BUFR files, simply run `sounding_converter -i your_sounding.bfr` after the installation. During the first execution you will be asked to give meta-information which will be included in the output files.



These include e.g. `contact_person` and `platform` name which are probably helpful after the exchange of these files with other scientists.



It is also possible to copy the `config/meta_information_template.ini` to one's favorite folder and change the files content accordingly. If the file is not renamed `meta_information.ini` and is in the home directory, the option `-c` has to be used during the call of `sounding_converter` otherwise it will not recognize the configuration.



(macOS or linux)

```python

sounding_converter -i your_sounding.bfr -c /your/path/to/meta_information.ini

```



(windows)

```python

sounding_converter.exe -i your_sounding.bfr -c /your/path/to/meta_information.ini

```



## Update



Please check for updates at the beginning of the campaign by running

```bash

conda install -c observingclouds -c conda-forge eurec4a_snd

```



## Change meta-information

The meta-information which is used in the netCDF files and in order to create a reasonable filename, can always be changed by either



- remove the file `meta_information.ini` in `$HOME` and run `sounding_converter` again, as if it would be your first execution

- edit the file `~/meta_information.ini` directly



## Visualization

### Panoply

The converted dat files are netCDF files which conform to the CF-Conventions as far as possible and make use of the `discrete sampling geometry`. The sounding data can therefore easily be drawn as trajectories without extra efforts. One example is the software [Panoply](https://www.giss.nasa.gov/tools/panoply/)



![Trajectory visualization with panoply](docs/panoply_visualization_traj.png?raw=true "Trajectory visualization with panoply")



### Simple Plotting

The package also includes a few plotting routines that can be called with e.g.



(macOS or linux)

```bash

sounding_visualize -i converted/file/sounding.nc

```



(windows)

```bash

sounding_visualize.exe -i converted/file/sounding.nc

```



### SkewT Plotting

A skewT diagram can be created with



(macOS or linux)

```bash

sounding_skewT -i converted/file/sounding.nc

```



(windows)

```bash

sounding_skewT.exe -i converted/file/sounding.nc

```

Further examples on how to create a skewT diagram can be found in `eurec4a_snd/examples/visualizing`. Have a look at [Skew-T examples](eurec4a_snd/examples/visualizing/README.md)



## Example



Examples of the input `.bfr` files and the converted `.nc` file can be found in `examples/data`.



## Interpolation

To concatenate the soundings and for an easier analysis, the converted soundings (output of `sounding_converter`) can be interpolated on a common altitude grid by

```bash

sounding_interpolate -i /path/to/converted/soundings*.nc

```



## Trouble shooting



  ImportError: DLL load failed: The specific module could not be found

  


  Windows users might get the above error message when trying to visualize the soundings. The error is caused in pillow. Unfortunately there is not a very good solution yet, but the following might work for you:

  
conda remove --force pillow
pip install pillow


  



 



  Commands `sounding_convert` and `sounding_visualize` cannot be found!

  


  It seems something went wrong with the installation via `conda`. Although it is recommended to install this package via anaconda because it comes with the benefit that all dependencies should be resolved, you can also download this git repository and run within the `eurec4a_snd` folder:

  
python L1_rs41.py -i your_sounding.bfr


or for quicklooks

  
python make_quicklooks_rs41.py -n converted/file/sounding.nc


  



  Slow internet connection: Download failed

  


  In case of a slow internet connection, the command `conda install some_package` might fail due to connection timeout. In this case it might be a good option to download the failing package manually.



  In this case the `eurec4a_snd` package for OSX is downloaded and installed manually:

  
wget -c https://anaconda.org/observingClouds/eurec4a_snd/v2.0.0/download/osx-64/eurec4a_snd-v2.0.0-py37_0.tar.bz2


The path needs to be adapted depending on the operating system and the version that should be downloaded. You may actually see the path you need to download in the error message of `conda install eurec4a_snd`.



The installation follows simply with

  
conda install -c observingClouds eurec4a_snd-v2.0.0-py37_0.tar.bz2



  ECCODES_DEFINITION_PATH defined incorrectly

  


  In case there appears an error, that the variable ECCODES_DEFINITION_PATH is not defined or not correctly set, the easiest solution is to insert the following two lines at the beginning of the script L1_bufr.py.

  
import os


  
os.environ["ECCODES_DEFINITION_PATH"] = r"C:\Users\...\envs\field_campaign\Library\share\eccodes\definitions"


  The path needs to be adapted to your environment of course.