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The NASA TC4 (Tropical Composition, Cloud and Climate Coupling) mission investigates the structure, properties and processes in the tropical Eastern Pacific. A-train satellite observations provide crucial information on the spatial and temporal variations of this region, however, carefully planned TC4 aircraft observations are required, both to validate satellite data and to provide critical observations not available from the satellites. High altitude aircraft will collect tropopause data while the medium altitude aircraft will provide profiles and structure measurements of the tropical upper troposphere and lower stratosphere.

The GMAO is supporting the TC4 mission from July 12 to August 12, 2007 with real-time analyses and forecasts using GEOS-5. In addition to the meteorological analyses and forecasts, real-time estimates and forecasts of aerosols, CO and CO2 tracers will be provided with the 1/2 degree system.  An additional 1/4 degree meteorological forecast is being provided to aid flight planning.

Below you will find information on how to access the assimilation and forecast data, as well as several on-line visualization tools. This forecasting support activity is a team effort involving the GMAO, the Atmospheric Chemistry and Dynamics Branch and the Software Integration and Visualization Office (SIVO). Make sure to read the important note below regarding the research nature of these forecasts.

Read more about the TC4 mission at the ESPO TC4 Home Page.

• GEOS-5 Meteorological Forecasts
• GEOS-5 Aerosol/CO Forecasts
• NASA/MSFC's WRF Forecasts
• Documentation
• Other TC4 Links

GEOS-5 Meteorological Forecasts

• WxMaps: Interactive Weather Maps
• WMS Server/Viewer: horizontal maps, GoogleEarth KML and access to data snapshot in NetCDF or GeoTIFF.
• 1/2° Forecast: 3-hourly instantaneous fields
• 1/2° Forecast: 3-hourly averaged fields
• 1/4° Forecast: 3-hourly instantaneous fields
• 1/4° Forecast: 3-hourly averaged fields
• OpenDAP server: on-line access to forecast data
• 1/2° Assimilation: 1/2 x 2/3 (Lat x Lon) Degree Resolution
• 1/2° Forecast: 1/2 x 2/3 (Lat x Lon) Degree Resolution
• 1/4° Forecast: 1/4 x 1/3 (Lat x Lon) Degree Resolution
• FTP data access: use your e-mail as password
• 1/2° Assimilation: 1/2 x 2/3 (Lat x Lon) Degree Resolution
• 1/2° Forecast: 1/2 x 2/3 (Lat x Lon) Degree Resolution
• 1/4° Forecast: 1/4 x 1/3 (Lat x Lon) Degree Resolution

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GEOS-5 Aerosol/CO Forecasts

IMPORTANT: Notice that no CO/CO2/Aerosol data is being assimilated in this version of the system. The word assimilation below simply indicates that the contituents are being transported with the assimilated meteorology.

• Aerosol, CO and CO2 Viewer: Horizontal maps, cross-sections, animations at GSFC's Code 613.3
• WMS Server/Viewer: horizontal maps, GoogleEarth KML and access to data snapshot in NetCDF or GeoTIFF.
• 1/2° Forecasts: hourly averaged fields for hyperwall
• 1/2° Forecast: 3-hourly averaged fields
• OpenDAP server: on-line access to forecast data
• 1/2° Assimilation: 1/2 x 2/3 (Lat x Lon) Degree Resolution
• 1/2° Forecast: 1/2 x 2/3 (Lat x Lon) Degree Resolution.
• FTP data access: use your e-mail as password
• 1/2° Assimilation: 1/2 x 2/3 (Lat x Lon) Degree Resolution
• 1/2° Forecast: 1/2 x 2/3 (Lat x Lon) Degree Resolution

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NASA/MSFC's WRF Forecasts

• WMS Server/Viewer: horizontal maps and access to data snapshot in NetCDF or GeoTIFF.
• FTP data access: use your e-mail as password

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DOCUMENTATION

• GEOS-5 File Specification for TC4: HTML or MS Word Format
• GEOS-5 System Home Page: documentation, references and general information about the GEOS-5 climate model and data assimilation system.

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Other TC4 Links

• NASA ES Project Office TC4 website: http://www.espo.nasa.gov/tc4/
• ESPO data archive ( tc4, VivaCR). Mirror site will be set up at CR: http://espoarchive.nasa.gov/archive/
• Leslie Lait's GEOS-5 meteorological analysis plots: http://code916.gsfc.nasa.gov/Missions/TC4/
• Ken Pickering's displays of traj lightning influence, NCEP met, OMI data, etc: http://croc.gsfc.nasa.gov/tc4/tc4.html
• Joanna Joiner's AIRS CO retrieval plots: http://hyperion.gsfc.nasa.gov/People/Joiner/my_gifs/tc4/
• Lenny Pfister's TC4 products page including convective influence traj plots (under ARC Traj Products): http://bocachica.arc.nasa.gov/TC4/TC4.html
• Real-time mission monitor, many products in Google Earth (restricted) http://rtmm.nsstc.nasa.gov/current_missions.html
• SCIAMACHY and GOME-2 nrt NO2 and O3 over TC4 region: http://www.iup.uni-bremen.de/doas/tc4.htm
• OMI nrt SO2 images from UMBC: http://so2.umbc.edu/omi/
• OMI nrt NO2 from KNMI: http://www.temis.nl/airpollution/no2col/no2regioomi.php