GEWEX WEBS "Initiative 1"  (see GAME Letter No. 5)

Agreement at meetings of Sep. 2002, June 2003 and Sep. 2003
(Note: "Initiative 1" is Masuda's terminology, not an official one.)

Budgets (terms) by--------------------------------------------Budgets (terms) by
Global, long-term data sets --> the same target <------------ CSE data sets
  (comparison)
Size of target area: larger than 250 km, typically 1000 km
Time frame: parts of July 1996 - June 2001
Time resolution: monthly (shorter interval for initiatives 2,...)
Global, long-term data sets mainly to be used:
Precipitation: Global Precipitation Climatology Project
1-degree daily 1997-; 2.5-degree monthly 1979-
Radiation: International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project-derived "FD"
Fluxes at top and surface, 2.5 degree, 3-hourly 1983(Jul)-2001(Jun)
Water vapor: NASA water VApor Project 1 degree, daily 1988 - 1999 
Energy and water vapor transport in the atmosphere:
NCEP Reanalysis 2 (alternative: ECMWF 40-year, NCEP/NCAR)
192 x 94 (ca. 2 degree) Gaussian grid, 6-hourly 1979-