Computer Assignment #2
Assigned: 26 Jan 2004
Due: 02 Feb 2004

Reminder: All maps generated for METR2413 must have your name in the title. Any map not including your name will not be accepted! Oh, and do not forget your cover sheet.

GEMPAK Commands for this lesson

1. Using the Gempak program sfmap, plot and print a surface map for an area of the contiguous USA where there is interesting weather occurring for any synoptic hour. Plot the map using the standard station model. (See Appendix E of Weather Analysis). Station model should include temperature, dewpoint, pressure, cloud cover, current weather (if any), wind speed(m/s) and direction in their proper locations. Temperatures can be either Celsius or Fahrenheit. Use 12 UTC 26 Jan 2004 data.
   
   Hint: Try issuing phelp sfparm when in sfmap to find out the placement of the station model parameters.
   
   Important sfmap parameters:
   

   SFPARM

   SFFILE

   TITLE

   AREA

   GAREA

   PROJ

   FILTER

   DEVICE

   
   Questions:
   1. Is this all the possible data that can be plotted? When would one not want to see all the data?
      
      
      
2. Using the Gempak program snmap, plot and print an upperair map for 500 mb using the standard upperair station model using data from 00 UTC 26 Jan 2004 . Station model should include temperature, dew point, wind speed (knots) and geopotential height in their proper positions. Temperatures are in Celsius
   
   Important snmap parameters:
   

   SNFILE

   LEVELS

   VCOORD

   
   
   Questions:
   1. What are the mandatory levels below 500 mb?
      
   2. What is/are the command(s) one would use to locate orphaned processes?

Unix tips and must dos:

• Graphics windows are closed by issuing the gpend command. DO NOT close graphics displays by closing window.
• Never close a terminal window or session without first exiting using either exit or logout command. (MS and Apple teach bad habits on program termination.)
• Read and familiarize yourself with the instructions found in the Computing Hints 1 link found on the course web site. These instructions are for cleaning up after yourself on rossby and metlabs. Your fellow classmates and sysadmin will be grateful for you cleaning up after yourself. (Otherwise, your name will be mud as your peers and others cannot work because rossby/metlab## is full of your gempak leftovers.)
• Suggest that you work on this assignment on the metlab workstations. They are faster and is easier to view plots using the x-window environment.
• Print command is: lpr [filename] and is for postscript files only.
  This will print your file to the default printer, which for rossby is somhp (map room 1468 SEC) and the metlabs is hpa2 (plaza d).(Please, please, please pick up your print outs. Trees will thank you. SoM will thank you. And I will thank you.)
• Trying this assignment and future Gempak assignments from home will require the use of x-server software (xwin32, cygwin xfree86, apple x-11 or your favorite flavor of Linux).