Hi Matthias! I support the direction of this request.
I note the resemblance to the 'downward_mass_flux_...' standard names recently requested, and I have assumed that phrase is a common CF way of saying the same thing. (Oddly, I missed the sinking_ ones when formulating my request.)
Perhaps we should see if one or the other is more dominant and move toward a single phrasing?
With regard to units, I think the list would say 'request what you use and need'. Some people will measure mole_flux, some will measure mass_flux. (No?)
John
On Oct 9, 2013, at 16:16, Matthias Lankhorst <mlankhorst at ucsd.edu> wrote:
> Dear CF community,
>
> in the OceanSITES project, we would like to publish data from sediment traps
> in files, using the CF conventions. Sediment traps are devices moored
> underwater in the ocean, which collect sinking particles (detritus) in a
> funnel and into sample bottles for later analyses. Analyses can be done for a
> variety of substances. It looks like we need a few more standard names for
> these, and possibly a discussion whether some of them should be expressed as
> mass fluxes or as substance amount (mole) fluxes.
>
> I noticed that CF already has these standard names, all as mole fluxes with
> canonical units of mol m-2 s-1:
>
> sinking_mole_flux_of_aragonite_expressed_as_carbon_in_sea_water
> sinking_mole_flux_of_calcite_expressed_as_carbon_in_sea_water
> sinking_mole_flux_of_particulate_iron_in_sea_water
> sinking_mole_flux_of_particulate_organic_matter_expressed_as_carbon_in_sea_water
> sinking_mole_flux_of_particulate_organic_nitrogen_in_sea_water
> sinking_mole_flux_of_particulate_organic_phosphorus_in_sea_water
> sinking_mole_flux_of_particulate_silicon_in_sea_water
>
> Here is the list of quantities that we need to address in OceanSITES. My
> initial proposal is to introduce them all as mass fluxes with canonical units
> of kg m-2 s-1. If we should rather go with mole fluxes like the ones above,
> please chime in.
>
> Total/organic mass:
> Propose new standard names:
> sinking_mass_flux_of_particulate_matter_in_sea_water
> sinking_mass_flux_of_particulate_organic_matter_in_sea_water
> (I suppose these are understood as dry mass, i.e. weighed after water has
> evaporated.)
>
> Particulate organic, inorganic, total carbon:
> Propose new standard names:
> sinking_mass_flux_of_particulate_organic_carbon_in_sea_water
> sinking_mass_flux_of_particulate_inorganic_carbon_in_sea_water
> sinking_mass_flux_of_particulate_carbon_in_sea_water
> (or should we include "total" somewhere in the latter?)
>
> Particulate organic, inorganic, total nitrogen:
> Propose new standard names:
> sinking_mass_flux_of_particulate_organic_nitrogen_in_sea_water
> sinking_mass_flux_of_particulate_inorganic_nitrogen_in_sea_water
> sinking_mass_flux_of_particulate_nitrogen_in_sea_water
> (or should we include "total" somewhere in the latter?)
>
> Other particulate substances from a list:
> Propose new standard names for each of the following, to be constructed as:
> sinking_mass_flux_of_particulate_XXX_in_sea_water,
> where XXX is:
> - aluminum
> - iron
> - phosphorous
> - silica
> - biogenic_silica
> - lithogenic_silica
> - calcium
> - titanium
> - manganese
> - barium
> - magnesium
>
> Your expert comments are highly appreciated!
>
> Respectfully, Matthias
>
>
> --
> _______________________________________
>
> Dr. Matthias Lankhorst
> Scripps Institution of Oceanography
> 9500 Gilman Drive, Mail Code 0230
> La Jolla, CA 92093-0230
> USA
>
> Phone: +1 858 822 5013
> Fax: +1 858 534 9820
> E-Mail: mlankhorst at ucsd.edu
> http://www-pord.ucsd.edu/~mlankhorst/
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Received on Wed Oct 09 2013 - 18:17:21 BST
