Hello all,
I have a question about how to record the land-cover type data from a model. We have a regional model that has, for each grid cell, an array of canopy types and a soil fraction for each cover type. For example, in this model a cell might be 60% deciduous, 20% urban, and 15% coniferous. (The remaining 5% would be considered bare soil.)
We're using CF 1.0, standard name table v 8, and as I read the entry for the land_cover standard name, it assumes that every grid cell is uniform and can be described with a single string, or by an integer indexing into an array of strings. Moreover, in v 11 of the standard name table, it appears this usage has gone away completely, and we now have area_type instead. Area_type data has to be a value from the area_type table, and the only thing resembling an area_type table that I can find is the discussion of trac ticket 17, which lists allowable types as some variation on "land", "sea", and "all". (I never did manage to figure out what the final set of names was.)
So, is there a CF-compliant way to record this land-cover information? Or is it now outside the scope of CF?
Thanks much,
--Seth
----
Seth McGinnis
mcginnis at ucar.edu
NARCCAP Data Manager
Associate Scientist
ISSE / NCAR
----
Received on Tue Nov 18 2008 - 14:01:54 GMT
