UK Soil Temperature data - Columns in the ST table

Table Description - Columns in the ST table - How to start filtering the rows of data out

The surface observation data are in a simple ASCII format.

Table Description:

This entity contains soil temperatures reported daily and hourly. Time (hour) is part of the key. Daily soil temperatures are usually measured at 0900Z. NCMs send 30 and 100 cm temperatures. F3208 can send 5, 10, 20, 30, 50 and 100 cm temperatures, but all values are optional. Hourly soil temperatures are usually at 10 cm. Identifier is climatological number (DCNN) or WMO station number.

For the convenience of users, the ST file column headers are available for download in Excel or as a comma separated text file

Columns in the ST table:

PK Attribute Description / Units / Precision
* id  
* id_type Identifier type
* ob_time Date and time of observation
* met_domain_name message type
* version_num Observation version number - Use the row with '1', as this has been quality checked by the Met Office
  src_id Unique source identifier or station site number
  rec_st_ind State indicator for the record**
  q5cm_soil_temp 5cm soil temperature
Unit= 1 deg C, to the nearest 0.1 deg C
  q10cm_soil_temp 10cm soil temperature
Unit=1 deg C, to the nearest 0.1 deg C
  q20cm_soil_temp 20cm soil temperature
Unit=1 deg C to the nearest 0.1 deg C
  q30cm_soil_temp 30 cm soil temperature
Unit=1 deg C to the nearest 0.1 deg C
  q50cm_soil_temp 50cm soil temperature
Unit=1 deg C to the nearest 0.1 deg C
  q100cm_soil_temp 100cm soil temperature
Unit=1 deg C to the nearest 0.1 deg C
  q5cm_soil_temp_q QC code - 5cm soil temperature**
  q10cm_soil_temp_q QC code - 10cm soil temperature**
  q20cm_soil_temp_q QC code - 20cm soil temperature**
  q30cm_soil_temp_q QC code - 30cm soil temperature**
  q50cm_soil_temp_q QC code - 50cm soil temperature**
  q100cm_soil_temp_q QC code - 100cm soil temperature**
  meto_stmp_time Met Office receipt stamp time
  midas_stmp_etime Elapsed time to storage in MIDAS
minutes
  q5cm_soil_temp_j Descriptor - 5cm soil temp**
  q10cm_soil_temp_j Descriptor - 10cm soil temp**
  q20cm_soil_temp_j Descriptor - 20cm soil temp**
  q30cm_soil_temp_j Descriptor - 30cm soil temp**
  q50cm_soil_temp_j Descriptor - 50cm soil temp**
  q100cm_soil_temp_j Descriptor - 100cm soil temp**


** Details available to registered users only.

More information about the Met Office surface data is available in the documentation provided by the Met Office.

How to start filtering the rows of data out:

  1. As the data arrive at the Met Office it undergoes quality control to check that the data are correct and consistent with the surrounding data points. Whether the process has occured or not is indicated by the version number (1 is the one to use as indicated in the table above).

  2. To show the progress of the data through the quality control the various variables will have an associated _q value (e.g. q5cm_soil_temp_q). This _q value will have different values for each record (see details in table above).

  3. While the Met Office MIDAS system overwrites the existing entry in their database the BADC's MIDAS entries do not as the BADC takes snapshots of the the MIDAS database from time to time leading to duplicate entries occuring in our archive. If duplicate records are found, check the associated meto_stmp_time to determine which record is the most recent one - this is the one to use and the other(s) can be ignored.