[CF-metadata] request for new standard name

From: Jonathan Gregory <j.m.gregory>
Date: Wed, 19 Sep 2012 15:45:17 +0100

Dear David and Christophe

> Thinking ahead, I tried to put dobson into cf-python's CF Udunits data
> base, but couldn't since it was already there (at Udunits version
> 2.1.24):
>
> <unit>
> <def>446.2 micromoles/meter^2</def>
> <aliases>
> <name> <singular>dobson</singular> </name>
> <symbol>DU</symbol>
> </aliases>
> </unit>
>
> Would it be too unexpected to give units of "mole/area" to a standard
> name which started "equivalent_thickness_"?

Thanks for that interesting discovery! mole metres-2 does not have the same
physical dimensions as metres, so it must be given a different standard name.
At present we have many atmosphere_mass_content names in kg m-2, and many
tendency_of_ocean_mole_content names in mol m-2 s-1, so I'd suggest the
consistent name for this quantity would be atmosphere_mole_content_of_ozone
in mol m-2, and DU would be dimensionally equivalent to that.

Cheers

Jonathan
Received on Wed Sep 19 2012 - 08:45:17 BST