|
Level 3 Cloudnet product:Evaluation statistics of Météo France model cloud fractionData Home | Overview of Cloudnet products | Product list | Quicklooks | Conditions of useSummary
Dataset contentsSample NetCDF file: 200304_chilbolton_cloud-fraction-meteo-france-grid-stats.nc The following is a description of the variables in this product, produced automatically from the metadata in the sample file (using the nc2html unix utility): Dataset title: Evaluation of Meteo France cloud fraction at Chilbolton during Apr 2003This dataset contains statistics on the performance of Meteo France cloud fraction, including means as a function of height, probability density function, skill scores and the contingency table to allow other skill scores to be calculated.
Software version:1.2 Dimensions and coordinate variablesheightHeight above ground
Type:single-precision floating-point vector Mean height of model levels above ground
Type:single-precision floating-point vector (No coordinate variable) fraction Cloud fraction
Type:single-precision floating-point vector Variablesheight_coarse_min(height_coarse)Height above ground of the bottom of each range used for PDFs
Type:single-precision floating-point vector Height above ground of the top of each range used for PDFs
Type:single-precision floating-point vector Temporal resolution of model
Type:single-precision floating-point scalar Height of radar above mean sea level
Type:single-precision floating-point scalar Rain rate threshold Measurements above a surface rain rate of greater than this value were excluded due to the possibility of strong attenuation leading to an underestimate of cloud fraction. Units:mm hr-1Type:single-precision floating-point scalar Minimum time since forecast initialization The hourly model forecasts evaluated in this file are from a range of different forecast lead times. This variable is the minimum forecast lead time. Units:hoursType:single-precision floating-point scalar Maximum time since forecast initialization The hourly model forecasts evaluated in this file are from a range of different forecast lead times. This variable is the maximum forecast lead time. Units:hoursType:single-precision floating-point scalar Mean observed cloud fraction This variable is the mean cloud fraction versus height as determined by the radar and lidar. Only data coincident with the model were used, and measurements above a surface rain rate of greater than 2 mm h-1 were not used due to the possibility of strong attenuation leading to an underestimate of cloud fraction. A missing value indicates that in this height range there were no simultaneous model and observational data. Units:dimensionlessType:single-precision floating-point vector Mean model cloud fraction This variable is the mean model cloud fraction versus height. Only data with coincident observations were used, and data above an observed surface rain rate of greater than 2 mm h-1 have not been used due to the possibility of bias in the observations leading to an unfair comparison. A missing value indicates that in this height range there were no simultaneous model and observational data. Units:dimensionlessType:single-precision floating-point vector Mean model cloud fraction modified to remove undetectable cloud This variable is the mean model cloud fraction versus height, after modification to remove ice clouds that are deemed to be below the radar sensitivity threshold. This was done by converting the known minimum detectable radar reflectivity as a function of height into a minimum detectable ice water content. Rather than simply setting the model cloud fraction to zero when the model ice water content falls below this threshold, the Hogan and Illingworth (2003, J. Atmos. Sci., 60, 756-767) formula has been used to estimate the PDF of ice water content to be expected in the model grid box. This modified cloud fraction is also used in the calculation of skill scores. The user is advised to compare this variable with the unmodified mean_model_fraction to see at which heights this modification has had a significant effect. Only data with coincident observations were used, and data above an observed surface rain rate of greater than 2 mm h-1 have not been used due to the possibility of bias in the observations leading to an unfair comparison. A missing value indicates that in this height range there were no simultaneous model and observational data. Units:dimensionlessType:single-precision floating-point vector Mean observed cloud fraction on model grid This variable is the same as mean_observed_fraction except that it was calculated on the original model grid. Units:dimensionlessType:single-precision floating-point vector Mean model cloud fraction on model grid This variable is the same as mean_model_fraction except that it was calculated on the original model grid. Units:dimensionlessType:single-precision floating-point vector Mean model cloud fraction on model grid, modified to remove undetectable cloud This variable is the same as mean_mod_model_fraction except that it was calculated on the original model grid. Units:dimensionlessType:single-precision floating-point vector Mean model cloud fraction on model grid, modified to remove undetectable cloud assuming radar 3 dB more sensitive than best estimate This variable is the same as mean_mod_model_fraction_raw except that in removing undetectable cloud the radar has been assumed to be 3 dB more sensitive. In combination with mean_modmin_model_fraction_raw, this variable provides an estimate of the uncertainty in the procedure of removing undetectable clouds. Units:dimensionlessType:single-precision floating-point vector Mean model cloud fraction on model grid, modified to remove undetectable cloud assuming radar 3 dB less sensitive than best estimate This variable is the same as mean_mod_model_fraction_raw except that in removing undetectable cloud the radar has been assumed to be 3 dB more sensitive. In combination with mean_modmax_model_fraction_raw, this variable provides an estimate of the uncertainty in the procedure of removing undetectable clouds. Units:dimensionlessType:single-precision floating-point vector Mean observed frequency of occurrence on model grid This variable is the mean observed frequency of occurrence of cloud fractions above a range of different values, as indicated by the "fraction" coordinate variable. Units:dimensionlessType:single-precision floating-point array Mean model frequency of occurrence on model grid This variable is the mean model frequency of occurrence of cloud fractions above a range of different values, as indicated by the "fraction" coordinate variable. Units:dimensionlessType:single-precision floating-point array Mean model frequency of occurrence on model grid, modified to remove undetectable cloud This variable is the mean model frequency of occurrence of cloud fractions above a range of different values, as indicated by the "fraction" coordinate variable. The model has been modified to remove undetectable cloud, as described in the comment of the mean_mod_model_fraction variable. Units:dimensionlessType:single-precision floating-point array Mean model frequency of occurrence on model grid, modified to remove undetectable cloud assuming radar 3 dB more sensitive than best estimate This variable is the mean model frequency of occurrence of cloud fractions above a range of different values, as indicated by the "fraction" coordinate variable. The model has been modified to remove undetectable cloud, as described in the comment of the mean_mod_model_fraction variable, but assuming the radar to be 3 dB more sensitive. In combination with foo_modmin_model_raw, it therefore provides an estimate of the uncertainty in this procedure. Units:dimensionlessType:single-precision floating-point array Mean model frequency of occurrence on model grid, modified to remove undetectable cloud assuming radar 3 dB less sensitive than best estimate This variable is the mean model frequency of occurrence of cloud fractions above a range of different values, as indicated by the "fraction" coordinate variable. The model has been modified to remove undetectable cloud, as described in the comment of the mean_mod_model_fraction variable, but assuming the radar to be 3 dB less sensitive. In combination with foo_modmax_model_raw, it therefore provides an estimate of the uncertainty in this procedure. Units:dimensionlessType:single-precision floating-point array Mean observed amount when present on model grid This variable is the mean observed cloud fraction when it exceeds a range of different values, as indicated by the "fraction" coordinate variable. Units:dimensionlessType:single-precision floating-point array Mean model amount when present on model grid This variable is the mean model cloud fraction when it exceeds a range of different values, as indicated by the "fraction" coordinate variable. Units:dimensionlessType:single-precision floating-point array Mean model amount when present on model grid, modified to remove undetectable cloud This variable is the mean model cloud fraction when it exceeds a range of different values, as indicated by the "fraction" coordinate variable. The model has been modified to remove undetectable cloud, as described in the comment of the mean_mod_model_fraction variable. Units:dimensionlessType:single-precision floating-point array Mean model amount when present on model grid, modified to remove undetectable cloud assuming radar 3 dB more sensitive than best estimate This variable is the mean model cloud fraction when it exceeds a range of different values, as indicated by the "fraction" coordinate variable. The model has been modified to remove undetectable cloud, as described in the comment of the mean_mod_model_fraction variable, but assuming the radar to be 3 dB more sensitive. In combination with awp_modmin_model_raw, it therefore provides an estimate of the uncertainty in this procedure. Units:dimensionlessType:single-precision floating-point array Mean model amount when present on model grid, modified to remove undetectable cloud assuming radar 3 dB more sensitive than best estimate This variable is the mean model cloud fraction when it exceeds a range of different values, as indicated by the "fraction" coordinate variable. The model has been modified to remove undetectable cloud, as described in the comment of the mean_mod_model_fraction variable, but assuming the radar to be 3 dB less sensitive. In combination with awp_modmax_model_raw, it therefore provides an estimate of the uncertainty in this procedure. Units:dimensionlessType:single-precision floating-point array PDF of observed cloud fraction This variable is the probability density function of observed cloud fraction in four height ranges, with bin centres indicated by the "fraction" coordinate variable. Only data with coincident model and observations were used, and missing values indicate height ranges where no such data were available. Units:dimensionlessType:single-precision floating-point array PDF of model cloud fraction This variable is the probability density function of model cloud fraction in four height ranges, with bin centres indicated by the "fraction" coordinate variable. Only data with coincident model and observations were used, and missing values indicate height ranges where no such data were available. Units:dimensionlessType:single-precision floating-point array PDF of model cloud fraction modified to remove undetectable cloud This variable is the same as pdf_model_fraction, except that the model data have been modified to exclude undetectable cloud, as described in the comment of the mean_mod_model_fraction variable. Units:dimensionlessType:single-precision floating-point array Number of samples used This variable contains the number of samples at each height used in calculating the contingency table and the skill scores. Each sample is one hour apart in the original data. Units:dimensionlessType:signed two-byte integer vector Number of samples used for variables on model grid This variable contains the number of samples at each height used in calculating the contingency table and skill scores reported on the model grid. Each sample is one hour apart in the original data. Units:dimensionlessType:signed two-byte integer vector Number of samples used for PDFs This variable contains the number of samples in the four coarse height ranges used in calculating the probability density functions of cloud fraction. Units:dimensionlessType:signed four-byte integer vector Number of samples with cloud in model and observations This variable is used with "B", "C" and "D" to calculate various skill scores. It has been calculated for the full range of cloud fraction thresholds (indicated by the "fraction" coordinate variable). Thus for a threshold of 0.05, this variable is the number of samples with cloud fraction greater than 0.05 simultaneously in the model and the observations. Note that the modified model cloud fraction was used in the comparison, as described in the comment of the mean_mod_model_fraction variable. Skill scores for multiple months should be calculated by first summing the values of A, B, C and D for those months. Units:dimensionlessType:signed two-byte integer array Number of samples with cloud in model but not observations See the comment of the "A" variable. Units:dimensionlessType:signed two-byte integer array Number of samples with cloud in observations but not model See the comment of the "A" variable. Units:dimensionlessType:signed two-byte integer array Number of samples with cloud in neither model nor observations See the comment of the "A" variable. Units:dimensionlessType:signed two-byte integer array Equitable threat score This variable is a measure of the skill of the forecasts calculated as ETS=(A-E)/(A+B+C-E), where E is the number of hits that occurred by chance, given by E=(A+B)*(A+C)/(A+B+C+D). A perfect forecast would have an ETS of 1 and a random forecast an ETS of 0. Units:dimensionlessType:single-precision floating-point array Yule's Q skill score This variable is a measure of the skill of the forecasts calculated as Q=(A*D-B*C)/(A*D+B*C). It is closely related to the odds ratio, but ranges from -1 to 1. Units:dimensionlessType:single-precision floating-point array Equitable threat score for all heights This variable is calculated from A, B, C and D at all heights. Units:dimensionlessType:single-precision floating-point vector Yule's Q skill score for all heights This variable is calculated from A, B, C and D at all heights. Units:dimensionlessType:single-precision floating-point vector These pages are maintained by . |