[CF-metadata] Correct name for aerosol size distribution expressedin numbers ?

From: Jonathan Gregory <j.m.gregory>
Date: Wed, 24 Nov 2010 12:30:15 +0000

Dear Bruno

> I love simple solutions.
As physicists, we always think simplicity and elegance imply correctness!

> As for the name of the coordinate variable, I would prefer diameter
> over size.
What about radius? There are existing names for radii of cloud particles,
and these are analogous.

> It is usual to call the size classe "bins", so we might come to
> particle_bins_mid_diameter.
But here we are discussing the name of a geophysical quantity, which you happen
to be using as an independent coordinate variable. So I think it's better to
call it the aerosol particle size/radius/diameter in the standard name. The
fact that you are using it in bins is evident from the structure of the data:

dimensions:
  aerosol_particle_bins=30;
  two=2;
variables:
  int size30(aerosol_particle_bins);
         size30:long_name = "index values from 1 up to 30" ;
  float mic_conctab_SPP200_sync_1(time, aerosol_particle_bins);
         mic_conctab_SPP200_sync_1:units = "count/cm3" ;
         mic_conctab_SPP200_sync_1:coordinates = "size30";
         mic_conctab_SPP200_sync_1:standard_name =
                     "number_concentration_of_ambient_aerosol_in_air" ;
  float aerosol_particle_bins(aerosol_particle_bins);
    aerosol_particle_bins:long_name="median diameter of size class";
    aerosol_particle_bins:units="SOMETHING";
    aerosol_particle_bins:standard_name="aerosol_particle_radius";
    aerosol_particle_bins:bounds="aerosol_particle_bin_bounds";
  float aerosol_particle_bin_bounds(aerosol_particle_bins,two);

where the last variable specifies the range of size/diameter/radius for each
bin.

Best wishes

Jonathan
Received on Wed Nov 24 2010 - 05:30:15 GMT