[CF-metadata] CMIP5 cryosphere standard names

From: Jonathan Gregory <j.m.gregory>
Date: Fri, 17 Sep 2010 13:57:41 +0100

Dear Alison

> surface_downward_heat_flux_in_snow; Wm-2

I think there is a need to have distinct surface heat fluxes in the media on
either side of the surface because there might be a phase change going on
actually at the interface, so there would then be a vertical divergence in
heat flux at the interface.

> 2. sea_ice_surface_temperature; K
> The CMIP5 long_name for this quantity is 'Temperature at Interface
> Between Sea Ice and Snow'. I would like to amend my suggestion for this
> name to be temperature_at_interface_between_sea_ice_and_snow which I
> think makes the meaning clearer and far less likely to be confused with
> sea ice temperature at the interface with the atmosphere (which is just
> surface_temperature).

I think I prefer your original suggestion, because there might not be any
snow. If all the snow melts, your new quantity seems to become meaningless.
However, the sea_ice_surface_temperature still exists, and is identical with
the surface_temperature.

> 3. sea_ice_transport OR sea_ice_transport_across_line; kg s-1
> The CMIP5 output document asks for 'Sea Ice Mass Transport Through Fram
> Strait'. We already have the standard name
> sea_ice_transport_across_line defined as 'Transport across_line means
> that which crosses a particular line on the Earth's surface; formally
> this means the integral along the line of the normal component of the
> transport.' I am not sure how the Fram Strait transport is defined - is
> it calculated along a notional line or do we need a more general
> quantity?

I think sea_ice_transport_across_line is sufficiently general. Any application
which wants to use it will have to define the line. The exact definition of
the line across the Fram Strait in a model will be model-dependent, but the
idea is well defined.

Best wishes

Jonathan
Received on Fri Sep 17 2010 - 06:57:41 BST