[CF-metadata] Standard Name Table - GRIB column

From: Jonathan Gregory <j.m.gregory>
Date: Fri, 21 Oct 2011 13:45:08 +0100

Dear Glenn

> can someone explain what the distinction between standard
> names "land_area_fraction" and "land_binary_mask" is. I have a dataset
> with a GRIB-1 variable value of 81 which would imply a standard_name of
> "land_area_fraction", but the variable is named "Land_cover_land1sea0"
> and only has values "1.0" and "0.0" and standard name"land_binary_mask"
> would seem more appropriate - which has a GRIB variable value listed as
> E172.

In some models, and maybe observational datasets, a land gridbox is one which
has *some* land area. Land gridboxes without complete land cover are also
sea gridboxes. In such a dataset, the land_binary_mask indicates that
land_area_fraction>0.

Cheers

Jonathan
Received on Fri Oct 21 2011 - 06:45:08 BST