[CF-metadata] seeking CF name for total water column height

From: Jonathan Gregory <j.m.gregory>
Date: Tue, 2 Feb 2010 18:22:55 +0000

Dear Jeff and Roy

I agree, it is arbitrary whether it is called
sea_floor_depth_below_sea_surface
or
sea_surface_height_above_sea_floor
and I agree with Roy that consistency with existing names would suggest
the former.

It's interesting that this kind of ambiguity hasn't arisen before. What you
want to name is the distance between two named surfaces. In other names, we
call the vertical distance between two surfaces a "thickness" e.g.
ocean_mixed_layer_thickness. That doesn't have an associated "direction"
(upward or downward) and so avoids this problem. By that analogy the quantity
you want to name might be called thickness_of_ocean but I suspect most people
would find that less obvious. What we are aiming at principally is clarity.

The procedure for adding names is that Alison Pamment, the manager of standard
names, will consider them and add them. She is dealing with CMIP5 names at
present, I believe, so it might be a while before she gets to this. If no-one
else objects soon or makes an alternative proposal, I'd suggest you use this
name on the assumption that it will be added to the stdname table in due
course.

Best wishes

Jonathan
Received on Tue Feb 02 2010 - 11:22:55 GMT