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Level 3 Cloudnet product:Evaluation statistics of Met Office Global model ice water contentData Home | Overview of Cloudnet products | Product list | Quicklooks | Conditions of useSummary
Dataset contentsSample NetCDF file: 200304_chilbolton_iwc-Z-T-met-office-global-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 Met Office global ice water content at Chilbolton during Apr 2003This dataset contains statistics on the performance of Met Office global ice water content, including means as a function of height, probability density function, skill scores and the contingency table to allow other skill scores to be calculated.
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) iwc_bin (No coordinate variable) 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 Ice water content bin minimum This variable provides the ice water content thresholds for the contingency tables and the skill scores, and the minimum of the bins used in the ice water content probability density functions. Units:kg m-3Type:single-precision floating-point vector Ice water content nominal bin centre This variable provides the nominal centres of the bins used in the ice water content probability density functions, evenly spread in logarithmic space. It therefore does not strictly correspond to the centre of the first bin (which has a minimum at 0) or the last bin (which has a maximum at infinity). Units:kg m-3Type:single-precision floating-point vector 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 ice water content This variable is the mean ice water content versus height as determined by the radar and lidar. Only data coincident with the model were used, and measurements above any surface rain were not used due to the possibility of strong attenuation leading to an underestimate of ice water content. A missing value indicates that in this height range there were no simultaneous model and observational data. Units:kg m-3Type:single-precision floating-point vector Mean model ice water content This variable is the mean model ice water content versus height. Only data with coincident observations were used, and data above any observed surface rain 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:kg m-3Type:single-precision floating-point vector Mean model ice water content modified to remove undetectable cloud This variable is the mean model ice water content 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 ice water content 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 ice water content is also used in the calculation of skill scores. The user is advised to compare this variable with the unmodified mean_model_iwc to see at which heights this modification has had a significant effect. Only data with coincident observations were used, and data above any observed surface rain 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:kg m-3Type:single-precision floating-point vector Mean observed ice water content on model grid This variable is the same as mean_observed_iwc except that it was calculated on the original model grid. Units:kg m-3Type:single-precision floating-point vector Mean model ice water content on model grid This variable is the same as mean_model_iwc except that it was calculated on the original model grid. Units:kg m-3Type:single-precision floating-point vector Mean model ice water content on model grid, modified to remove undetectable cloud This variable is the same as mean_mod_model_iwc except that it was calculated on the original model grid. Units:kg m-3Type:single-precision floating-point vector Mean model ice water content 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_iwc_raw except that in removing undetectable cloud the radar has been assumed to be 3 dB more sensitive. In combination with mean_modmin_model_iwc_raw, this variable provides an estimate of the uncertainty in the procedure of removing undetectable clouds. Units:kg m-3Type:single-precision floating-point vector Mean model ice water content 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_iwc_raw except that in removing undetectable cloud the radar has been assumed to be 3 dB less sensitive. In combination with mean_modmax_model_iwc_raw, this variable provides an estimate of the uncertainty in the procedure of removing undetectable clouds. Units:kg m-3Type:single-precision floating-point vector Mean model ice water content on model grid, including when no observations were available due to uncorrected attenuation This variable is the mean model ice water content for all periods that the radar was operating, including those for which no retrieval was possible due to uncorrected attenuation by rain, melting ice, and liquid cloud with unknown liquid water path. By comparison with the variable mean_model_iwc_raw, this variable indicates how much of the total ice mass for the period has not been characterised by the observations. Units:kg m-3Type:single-precision floating-point vector Mean observed frequency of occurrence on model grid This variable is the mean observed frequency of occurrence of ice water contents above a range of different values, as indicated by the iwc_bin_min 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 ice water contents above a range of different values, as indicated by the iwc_bin_min 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 ice water contents above a range of different values, as indicated by the iwc_bin_min variable. The model has been modified to remove undetectable cloud, as described in the comment of the mean_mod_model_iwc 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 same as foo_mod_model_raw except that in removing undetectable cloud the radar has been assumed to be 3 dB more sensitive. In combination with foo_modmin_model_raw, this variable provides an estimate of the uncertainty in the procedure of removing undetectable clouds. 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 same as foo_mod_model_raw except that in removing undetectable cloud the radar has been assumed to be 3 dB less sensitive. In combination with foo_modmax_model_raw, this variable provides an estimate of the uncertainty in the procedure of removing undetectable clouds. Units:dimensionlessType:single-precision floating-point array Mean model frequency of occurrence on model grid, including when no observations were available due to uncorrected attenuation This variable is the mean model frequency of occurrence of ice water contents above a range of different values, as indicated by the iwc_bin_min variable. The ice water content distribution included all periods that the radar was operating, including those for which no retrieval was possible due to uncorrected attenuation by rain, melting ice, and liquid cloud with unknown liquid water path. By comparison with foo_model_raw, this variable indicates how well the radar-derived statistics represent the whole distribution of ice water content. Units:dimensionlessType:single-precision floating-point array Mean observed amount when present on model grid This variable is the mean observed ice water content when it exceeds a range of different values, as indicated by the iwc_bin_min variable. Units:kg m-3Type:single-precision floating-point array Mean model amount when present on model grid This variable is the mean model ice water content when it exceeds a range of different values, as indicated by the iwc_bin_min variable. Units:kg m-3Type:single-precision floating-point array Mean model amount when present on model grid, modified to remove undetectable cloud This variable is the mean model ice water content when it exceeds a range of different values, as indicated by the iwc_bin_min variable. The model has been modified to remove undetectable cloud, as described in the comment of the mean_mod_model_iwc variable. Units:kg m-3Type: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 same as awp_mod_model_raw except that in removing undetectable cloud the radar has been assumed to be 3 dB more sensitive. In combination with awp_modmin_model_raw, this variable provides an estimate of the uncertainty in the procedure of removing undetectable clouds. Units:kg m-3Type:single-precision floating-point array Mean model amount when present on model grid, modified to remove undetectable cloud assuming radar 3 dB less sensitive than best estimate This variable is the same as awp_mod_model_raw except that in removing undetectable cloud the radar has been assumed to be 3 dB less sensitive. In combination with awp_modmax_model_raw, this variable provides an estimate of the uncertainty in the procedure of removing undetectable clouds. Units:kg m-3Type:single-precision floating-point array Mean model amount when present on model grid, including when no observations were available due to uncorrected attenuation This variable is the mean model ice water content when it exceeds a range of different values, as indicated by the iwc_bin_min variable. The ice water content distribution included all periods that the radar was operating, including those for which no retrieval was possible due to uncorrected attenuation by rain, melting ice, and liquid cloud with unknown liquid water path. By comparison with awp_model_raw, this variable indicates how well the radar-derived statistics represent the whole distribution of ice water content. Units:kg m-3Type:single-precision floating-point array PDF of observed ice water content This variable is the probability density function of observed ice water content in four height ranges, with bin minima indicated by the iwc_bin_min 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 ice water content This variable is the probability density function of model ice water content in four height ranges, with bin minima indicated by the iwc_bin_min 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 ice water content modified to remove undetectable cloud This variable is the same as pdf_model_iwc, except that the model data have been modified to exclude undetectable cloud, as described in the comment of the mean_mod_model_iwc variable. Units:dimensionlessType:single-precision floating-point array PDF of model ice water content including when no observations were available due to uncorrected attenuation This variable is the probability density function of model ice water content in four height ranges, with bin minima indicated by the iwc_bin_min variable. Unlike pdf_model_iwc, it includes all periods that the radar was operating, including those for which no retrieval was possible due to uncorrected attenuation by rain, melting ice, and liquid cloud with unknown liquid water path. By comparison with the pdf_model_iwc it indicates what part of the distribution of ice mass for the period has not been characterised by the observations. 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 mean_model_all_raw This variable contains the number of samples at each height used in calculating the the variable mean_model_all_raw. 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 ice water content. Units:dimensionlessType:signed four-byte integer vector Number of samples used for pdf_all_model_iwc This variable contains the number of samples in calculating the variable pdf_all_model_iwc. 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 ice water content thresholds (indicated by the iwc_bin_min variable). Thus for a threshold of 1e-08 kg m-3, this variable is the number of samples with ice water content greater than 1e-08 kg m-3 simultaneously in the model and the observations. Note that the modified model ice water content was used in the comparison, as described in the comment of the mean_mod_model_iwc 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 . |