IAEA/WMO Global Network for Isotopes in Precipitation: Isotopes.readme file
---------------------------------------------------------------
               World Data Center A- Paleoclimatology
---------------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: PLEASE CITE ORIGINAL REFERENCES WHEN USING THIS DATA!!!!!


NAME OF DATA SET: IAEA/WMO Global Network  for Isotopes in Precipitation(GNIP)
LAST UPDATE:  01-1994  (Updated data available at http://isohis.iaea.org/)
CONTRIBUTORS: Isotope Hydrology Section, International Atomic Energy 
Agency (IAEA), Vienna, Austria

IGBP PAGES/WDCA Data Contribution Series #:  94-005
SUGGESTED DATA CITATION: 
IAEA/WMO, 1994, Global Network for Isotopes in Precipitation (GNIP) Database.
IGBP PAGES/World Data Center-A for Paleoclimatology Data Contribution 
Series # 94-005.  NOAA/NGDC Paleoclimatology Program, Boulder CO, USA.

ORIGINAL REFERENCES:
IAEA (1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1979, 1983, 1986, 1990), 
Environmental Isotope Data No. 1 - No. 9: World Survey of isotope 
concentration in precipitation.  Technical Report Series, No. 96, 117,
129, 147, 165, 192, 226, 264 and 311.

IAEA (1992) Statistical treatment of data on environmental isotopes in
precipitation.  Technical Report Series No. 311.  781 pages.

Rozanski, K., L. Araguas-Araguas, and R. Gonfiantini, 1993, 
Isotopic Patterns in Modern Global Precipitation, in Climate
Change in Continental Isotopic Records, Geophysical Monograph 78,
p.1-36, American Geophysical Union.

Rozanski, K., L. Araguas-Araguas, and R. Gonfiantini, 1992,
Relation Between Long-Term Trends of Oxygen-18 Isotope Composition
of Precipitation and Climate, Science v258, p981-985.


GEOGRAPHIC REGION: Global Network, 422 Stations
PERIOD OF RECORD: 1957-1991 
LIST OF FILES: 
ASCII files named Region_.dat through Region9.dat.
Each contains concatenated station data for corresponding WMO region.
Regions are:  Europe-R, R1; Asia and Former Soviet Union-R2, R3, R4, R5;
Africa-R6; North America-R7; South America-R8; Pacific Region-R9. 

The data is distributed as self-extracting compressed files for 
DOS computers.  The compressed files named R*INDASC.exe contain 
individual station data files.  The compressed files R*GROASC.exe
contain data grouped by region, and are identical to the region*.dat 
files described above.  The files may be decompressed on a DOS PC by 
typing the name of the *.exe file at the DOS prompt.

The data is also available from IAEA in Lotus 1-2-3 Spreadsheet files.
 
DESCRIPTION:  

Monthly measurements of Oxygen-18, Deuterium, and Tritium abundances
in rainfall, from a world-wide network of stations established in 1961 
by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in cooperation with the 
World Meteorological Organization (WMO).  The network includes 422 sites 
from 66 countries around the globe.  Values of monthly temperature, 
precipitation and type (rain, snow, or mixed), and vapor pressure 
are also recorded.  Not all stations have operated continuously or 
recorded all three isotopic species for the entire study period 
(See station list and original references for discussion).  A few 
stations were making isotopic measurements prior to the establishment 
of the IAEA network, and these slightly longer series are included 
in the database.