[CF-metadata] Standard names for sea level change

From: Jonathan Gregory <j.m.gregory>
Date: Fri, 6 Jul 2012 12:49:36 +0100

Dear all

Regarding the existing standard_name global_average_sea_level_change and the
corresponding ones for steric and thermosteric:

It is anomalous to have "global" and "average" in a standard name because, as
Philip says, we usually put these kinds of thing in cell_methods. The reason
for having them in the standard name in these cases is that these global
quantities are commonly referred to without being regarded as the global
average of something. You can imagine other quantities which refer to the whole
world; for example we might have a standard name for the age of the Earth.

Although it's a fuzzy distinction, it's not quite like global average
air temperature change, for example. We do not have a standard name for that,
because people do regard it as the global average of local air temperature
change. That is how it is computed. Global average sea level change, before
satellite altimetry began, is estimated from sparse measurements by various
methods.

However, we could change to using more systematic names, although it would be
a bit more obscure. global_average_sea_level_change could be described by a
standard_name of change_in_ocean_thickness with cell_methods of "area: mean
over sea" for the whole world. global_average_thermosteric_sea_level_change
could be change_in_ocean_thickness_due_to_thermosteric_change. Should we make
that change (with aliases)?

Cheers

Jonathan
Received on Fri Jul 06 2012 - 05:49:36 BST