Within the Global Geophysical Fluids Center of the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS) the Special Bureau for the Atmosphere (SBA) is a joint effort of Atmospheric and Environmental Research, Inc. (AER) and the U.S. National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) to provide atmospheric data relevant to the study of the Earth's variable rotation. The SBA is a successor to the Sub-bureau for Atmospheric Angular Momentum, operating within the IERS since 1989.

Our principal data consist of atmospheric angular momentum (AAM) and related quantities from four major meteorological centers: NCEP, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the United Kingdom Meteorological Office (UKMO), and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). Also included are long-term series derived from atmospheric reanalysis efforts. Analysis values up to the most recent month are available at AER. Analysis values and forecasts of AAM, in near-real time, for the most recent 10 days, are available for retrieval from NCEP.

For more information about the Special Bureau for the Atmosphere, or questions about data access, contact:

D. Salstein, Director

C. Long, Co-Director at NCEP

Yonghong Zhou, Associate Scientist, Shanghai Astronomical Observatory