TC-OBS Database | References

References for the Tropical Cyclone Observations-Based Structure (TC-OBS) Database

This page provides guidance on how to cite the TC-OBS Database, as well as references that users may find useful when citing the database in scholarly works. Because the TC-OBS Database includes the full parameter suite from the HURDAT2 and NHC post-season archive Best Track b-decks, users are encouraged to cite the relevant articles/documentation for these source databases, as well as any relevant references for the TC-OBS Database itself. In most cases, it should suffice to include a citation to one or two of the most relevant papers in the list for each dataset used.

How to cite the TC-OBS Database

When data from the TC-OBS Database are used in a scholarly article or presentation, we request that you provide a data citation to the TC-OBS Database. The suggested format for a data citation is:

        Vigh, J. L., E. Gilleland, C. L. Williams, D. R. Chavas, N. M. Dorst, 2016: TC-OBS: The Tropical Cyclone Observations-Based 
             Structure Database (version 0.42, an alpha-level release). Tropical Cyclone Data Project, National Center for Atmospheric Research, 
	     Research Applications Laboratory, Boulder, Colorado. 
	     [Available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.5065/D6BC3X95.] 
	     Accessed* dd mmm yyyy.

where * dd mmm yyyy is the date which you last accessed the dataset (e.g., 09 Feb 2018).

Relevant references for any use of the TC-OBS Database

Dr. Vigh plans to publish full documentation on the methods used in the TC-OBS Database in a future NCAR Technical Report. A more general scientific article about the database is also planned. The focus of this article will be to compare TC-OBS and HURDAT2 across the entire dataset, as well as for cases studies for well-known landfalling TCs, and finally, to examine what impact TC-OBS has on return periods. Until these publications are available, please cite the following extended abstract which provides an overview with some technical details on the methods used to construct the TC-OBS Database.

  • Vigh, J. L., E. Gilleland, C. L. Williams, D. R. Chavas, N. M. Dorst, J. Done, G. Holland, and B. G. Brown: 2016: A New Historical Database of Tropical Cyclone Position, Intensity, and Size Parameters Optimized for Wind Risk Modeling. Extended Abstract (pdf file), 32nd Conf. on Hurricanes and Tropical Meteorology, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Amer. Meteor. Soc., Paper 12C.2, doi:10.13140/RG.2.1.3720.5361. [Recorded presentation given 20 April 2016; pdf of presentation].

Relevant references for the HURDAT2/Best Track Database

  • Jarvinen, B. R., C. J. Neumann, and M. A. S. Davis, 1984: A Tropical Cyclone Data Tape for the North Atlantic Basin, 1886-1983: Contents, Limitations, and Uses. NOAA Tech. Memo. NWS/NHC 22, 21 pp. [Available from NOAA/NWS/NHC, Miami, FL 33165.]
  • McAdie, C. J., C. W. Landsea, C. J. Neumann, J. E. David, E. S. Blake, and G. R. Hammer, 2009: "Tropical Cyclones of the North Atlantic, 1851--2006 (6th Ed.). Historical Climatology Series 6-2, 238 pp. [Available from the National Climatic Data Center, 151 Patton Avenue, Room 120, Asheville, NC 28801-5001. Also available online at: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/abouttrackbooks.shtml].
  • Landsea, C. W. and J. L. Franklin, 2013: Atlantic Hurricane Database Uncertainty and Presentation of a New Database Format. Mon. Wea. Rev., 141, 3576-3592, doi:10.1175/MWR-D-12-00254.1.

 


This page was last updated 11 Feb 2018 by Jonathan Vigh.