The NOAA Paleoclimatology Program provides many array (gridded) data sets in
ascii special format, usually with the file extension asc.  This is an ASCII
text file, with information about the array at the top of the file.  Ascii
special format can be read by text editors like microsoft word, spreadsheet
programs like lotus and excel, automatically by software such as the
Spyglass data visualization tools (shareware and commercial versions are
available) and by custom programs.  Source code to read ascii special is
provided at the bottom of this file.

The first line contains a header (optional), second line the number of rows
and number of columns, the third line the maximum data value and minimum
data value (optional- can be zero), fourth line, the row labels, fifth line,
the column labels, and on the sixth and additional lines, the data arranged
as an array separated by tabs or spaces.

header_line
rows cols
max_val min_val
row1 row2 row3 row4
col1 col2 col3 col4
data1 data2 data3 data4

Example:
Header for sample data set
5 10
9.9e0 0.0e0
10.0  20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0
1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.0
2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 3.0
3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 3.0
6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 6.9 7.0

**********************************************************************

Example format used to write Levitus monthly SST climatology files.
Each monthly climatology (SST, degrees C) is 180 (latitude, from 89.5 to
-89.5) x 360 (longitude, -179.5 to 197.5) with missing values (e.g. land
masses) flagged as -99.9.

              write(20,450)infile(imon), latmax, lonmax
  450    format('0  1x1 degree levitus sea surface climatology, ',a41/
     *   2i8/ ' 0 0 ')

         write(20,'(25f7.1)') (rlat(ival),ival=latmax,1,-1)
         write(20,'(25f7.1)') (rlon(ival),ival=1,lonmax)
          do 500 ilat=latmax,1,-1
c            write(*,'(a1,2i8)') '+',ilat
            write(20,'(20f8.3)') (temp(ilat,ilon),ilon=181,lonmax,1),
     *                      (tem
p(ilat,ilon),ilon=1,180,1)
  500     continue

**********************************************************************
Example Fortran Code for GISS model output
Each monthly climatology is 24 (latitude, from 90 to -90) x 36 (longitude,
-180 to 170).

             write(20,450)infile(imon), latmax, lonmax
  450     format('0  giss 8x10 gcm paleoclimate experiment, ',a41/2i8/ ' 0 0 ')
             write(20,'(25f7.1)') (rlat(ival),ival=latmax,1,-1)
             write(20,'(25f7.1)') (rlon(ival),ival=1,lonmax)
             do 500 ilat=latmax,1,-1
c           write(*,'(a1,2i8)') '+',ilat
             write(20,'(20f8.3)') (temp(ilat,ilon),ilon=181,lonmax,1),
     *                    
  (temp(ilat,ilon),ilon=1,180,1)
  500     continue