[CF-metadata] vertical coordinate for bed stratigraphy / sediment layers

From: Jonathan Gregory <j.m.gregory>
Date: Mon, 29 Feb 2016 17:18:28 +0000

Dear Bert and Roy

> In my view this surface could be considered as the top of the ice, not the bottom and then it can be used as the reference for ice core data.

That is true. I suppose that sediments under ice would be more likely to be
referred to bedrock (as a surface name) anyway.

> The problem with naming something like this is that so many different communities are involved so any name with a semantic content will attract criticism. Could we possibly circumvent this by using a namespace-based approach such as cf_solid_surface?

I suppose so, but we have not done so in any other standard name. In many of
them we use words and phrases with meaning which is precise in CF, although
consistent with the vaguer meaning the word/phrase might have elsewhere. I hope
we can do the same in this case.

I think soil is an odd word for the bottom of the ocean or for the land surface
in regions with no soil. Bert thinks sediments are not solid. We need to think
further about this then! The surface to be named is the bottom of the ocean in
ocean regions, the bottom of the atmosphere over land. I called this "solid"
because it's not gas or liquid, referring to the classes gas/liquid/solid. Are
there any synonyms for "solid" in that sense?

Best wishes

Jonathan
Received on Mon Feb 29 2016 - 10:18:28 GMT