[CF-metadata] Standard names for Glaciology and ice-sheet modeling: land_ice, sea_ice, floating_ice, ice shelves...

From: Jonathan Gregory <j.m.gregory>
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 2009 10:26:13 +0100

Dear Bryan

> > I see that the existing standard names of land_ice say that it means resting
> > on bedrock. They were introduced before the floating_ice, which was intended
> > from an atmospheric or oceanic point of view, when sea-ice and ice-shelves may
> > have to be treated similarly. I propose that we redefine land_ice to mean
> > glaciers, ice-sheets and ice-shelves; floating_ice can continue to mean sea-ice
> > or ice-shelves, and we can introduce ice_shelf or grounded_land_ice if we
> > need them.
>
> Without knowing the details I don't like the sound of "redefining". Would there
> be cases of existing data marked up with land_ice which would fall foul of
> such a change?

Good question. I should have said, looking at those names, that I suspect not.
I don't think CF is currently widely used for land ice (Glimmer supports it)
and I think this issue would have come up before if someone wanted to deal with
ice-shelves specifically. But if anyone knows of a case where making this
redefinition would be a problem, they should speak up. I was responsible for
the land_ice names, with Magnus Hagdorn, some years ago, and I guess that the
intention of saying "resting on bedrock" was to make doubly clear we meant
land-ice, not sea-ice, rather than to exclude ice-shelves. Magnus may have a
view.

Best wishes

Jonathan
Received on Tue Sep 29 2009 - 03:26:13 BST