[gradsusr] GrADS v2.0.a7.oga.3: modifying time axis units

Jennifer Adams jma at cola.iges.org
Tue Mar 30 15:46:27 EDT 2010


On Mar 30, 2010, at 12:28 PM, Charles Seman wrote:

> Thanks, Jennifer,
>
> I didn't think of using a descriptor file to open the source netCDF  
> file!
>
> "open" file: was able to get the "open" file descriptor file to work  
> as
> desired...
Great!

> gadsdf: Lev dimension level is not an SDF dimension.
> ...
> the xdf file contains (dset path omitted):
> dset ...
> zdef level 1 levels 0
> tdef time 1 linear 00Z01JAN1998 3hr
>
> Is the xdfopen file set up correctly?

The name of the dimension axis has to be one that exists in the file.  
Since your variable has no Z or T dimension, use the name of the lon  
or lat axis instead of "level" and "time". It doesn't matter what  
values those axes contain, since you are overriding them completely  
with your own metadata.

--Jennifer

>
> Thanks for your help!
> Chuck
>
> Jennifer Adams wrote:
>> Hi, Charles --
>> Good question! The units of the time axis cannot be changed with the
>> 'set sdfattr' command. The units attribute will always be written out
>> as 'minutes since' and the base time will always be the time value of
>> the first time step in your defined variable. The way to fix this
>> problem is to assign a time value of 1jan1998 to netcdf variable in
>> the first place instead of allowing it to default to 1jan0001. Use a
>> descriptor file (for xdfopen or open) that has a tdef statement with
>> the time you wish to assign. Then when you define your variable and
>> write it out with sdfwrite, it will have the correct time value.
>> --Jennifer
>>
>> On Mar 29, 2010, at 7:58 PM, Charles Seman wrote:
>>>
>>> I'm unable to modify the time axis units for an sdfwrite netCDF file
>>> using the following command:
>>> 'set sdfattr time String units "minutes since 1998-01-01 00:00:00"'
>>> the units remain at "minutes since 0001-01-01 00:00"
>>>
>>> Here are the commands used to generate "nc_file" (the original  
>>> file had
>>> only lat/lon axes; no "z" or "t" axes...)
>>>
>>> 'set sdfwrite -4d 'nc_file
>>> 'set sdfattr level String long_name height'
>>> 'set sdfattr level String units m'
>>> 'set sdfattr time String units "minutes since 1998-01-01 00:00:00"'
>>> 'set sdfattr rprecip String long_name regridded precipitation'
>>> 'set sdfattr rprecip String units mm/h'
>>> 'set undef 'undef_value ;* change from default -9.99e8 to use source
>>> netCDF file undef
>>> say
>>> 'q sdfwrite'
>>> say result
>>> 'sdfwrite rprecip'
>>> 'c sdfwrite'
>>>
>>> Here's the "q sdfwrite" output (except for the SDFwrite file name):
>>>
>>> SDFwrite format is NetCDF
>>> SDFwrite output undef value is set to -9999.900000
>>> SDFwrite file will have at least 4 dimensions
>>> SDFwrite attribute metadata:
>>> level String long_name height
>>> level String units m
>>> time String units "minutes since 1998-01-01 00:00:00"
>>> rprecip String long_name regridded precipitation
>>> rprecip String units mm/h
>>>
>>> Here's output from the "\ncdump -c" on the output "nc_file"... the
>>> "level" and "rprecip" attributes were modified as desired, but not  
>>> the
>>> time units:
>>>
>>> dimensions:
>>>       longitude = 144 ;
>>>       latitude = 50 ;
>>>       level = 1 ;
>>>       time = 1 ;
>>> variables:
>>>       double longitude(longitude) ;
>>>               longitude:units = "degrees_east" ;
>>>               longitude:long_name = "Longitude" ;
>>>       double latitude(latitude) ;
>>>               latitude:units = "degrees_north" ;
>>>               latitude:long_name = "Latitude" ;
>>>       double level(level) ;
>>>               level:units = "m" ;
>>>               level:long_name = "height" ;
>>>       double time(time) ;
>>>               time:long_name = "Time" ;
>>>               time:units = "minutes since 0001-01-01 00:00" ;
>>>       double rprecip(time, level, latitude, longitude) ;
>>>               rprecip:missing_value = -9999.9 ;
>>>               rprecip:long_name = "regridded precipitation" ;
>>>               rprecip:units = "mm/h" ;
>>> data:
>>>
>>> longitude = 1.25, 3.75, 6.25, 8.75, 11.25, 13.75, 16.25, 18.75,  
>>> 21.25,
>>>   23.75, 26.25, 28.75, 31.25, 33.75, 36.25, 38.75, 41.25, 43.75,  
>>> 46.25,
>>>   48.75, 51.25, 53.75, 56.25, 58.75, 61.25, 63.75, 66.25, 68.75,  
>>> 71.25,
>>>   73.75, 76.25, 78.75, 81.25, 83.75, 86.25, 88.75, 91.25, 93.75,  
>>> 96.25,
>>>   98.75, 101.25, 103.75, 106.25, 108.75, 111.25, 113.75, 116.25,  
>>> 118.75,
>>>   121.25, 123.75, 126.25, 128.75, 131.25, 133.75, 136.25, 138.75,
>>> 141.25,
>>>   143.75, 146.25, 148.75, 151.25, 153.75, 156.25, 158.75, 161.25,
>>> 163.75,
>>>   166.25, 168.75, 171.25, 173.75, 176.25, 178.75, 181.25, 183.75,
>>> 186.25,
>>>   188.75, 191.25, 193.75, 196.25, 198.75, 201.25, 203.75, 206.25,
>>> 208.75,
>>>   211.25, 213.75, 216.25, 218.75, 221.25, 223.75, 226.25, 228.75,
>>> 231.25,
>>>   233.75, 236.25, 238.75, 241.25, 243.75, 246.25, 248.75, 251.25,
>>> 253.75,
>>>   256.25, 258.75, 261.25, 263.75, 266.25, 268.75, 271.25, 273.75,
>>> 276.25,
>>>   278.75, 281.25, 283.75, 286.25, 288.75, 291.25, 293.75, 296.25,
>>> 298.75,
>>>   301.25, 303.75, 306.25, 308.75, 311.25, 313.75, 316.25, 318.75,
>>> 321.25,
>>>   323.75, 326.25, 328.75, 331.25, 333.75, 336.25, 338.75, 341.25,
>>> 343.75,
>>>   346.25, 348.75, 351.25, 353.75, 356.25, 358.75 ;
>>>
>>> latitude = -49, -47, -45, -43, -41, -39, -37, -35, -33, -31, -29,  
>>> -27,
>>> -25,
>>>   -23, -21, -19, -17, -15, -13, -11, -9, -7, -5, -3, -1, 1, 3, 5, 7,
>>> 9, 11,
>>>   13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33, 35, 37, 39, 41, 43,  
>>> 45,
>>> 47, 49 ;
>>>
>>> level = 0 ;
>>>
>>> time = 0 ;
>>>
>>> Thanks for your help,
>>> Chuck
>>>
>>> -- 
>>>
>>> Please note that Charles.Seman at noaa.gov
>>> <mailto:Charles.Seman at noaa.gov> should be considered my NOAA
>>> email address, not cjs at gfdl.noaa.gov <mailto:cjs at gfdl.noaa.gov>.
>>>
>>> ********************************************************************
>>> Charles Seman                                Charles.Seman at noaa.gov
>>> <mailto:Charles.Seman at noaa.gov>
>>> U.S. Department of Commerce / NOAA / OAR
>>> Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory         voice: (609) 452-6547
>>> 201 Forrestal Road                              fax: (609) 987-5063
>>> Princeton, NJ  08540-6649            http://www.gfdl.noaa.gov/~cjs/
>>> <http://www.gfdl.noaa.gov/%7Ecjs/>
>>> ********************************************************************
>>>
>>> "The contents of this message are mine personally and do not  
>>> necessarily
>>> reflect any position of the Government or NOAA."
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> gradsusr mailing list
>>> gradsusr at gradsusr.org <mailto:gradsusr at gradsusr.org>
>>> http://gradsusr.org/mailman/listinfo/gradsusr
>>
>> --
>> Jennifer M. Adams
>> IGES/COLA
>> 4041 Powder Mill Road, Suite 302
>> Calverton, MD 20705
>> jma at cola.iges.org <mailto:jma at cola.iges.org>
>>
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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>> gradsusr at gradsusr.org
>> http://gradsusr.org/mailman/listinfo/gradsusr
>>
>
> -- 
>
> Please note that Charles.Seman at noaa.gov should be considered my NOAA
> email address, not cjs at gfdl.noaa.gov.
>
> ********************************************************************
> Charles Seman                                Charles.Seman at noaa.gov
> U.S. Department of Commerce / NOAA / OAR
> Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory         voice: (609) 452-6547
> 201 Forrestal Road                              fax: (609) 987-5063
> Princeton, NJ  08540-6649            http://www.gfdl.noaa.gov/~cjs/
> ********************************************************************
>
> "The contents of this message are mine personally and do not  
> necessarily
> reflect any position of the Government or NOAA."
>
> _______________________________________________
> gradsusr mailing list
> gradsusr at gradsusr.org
> http://gradsusr.org/mailman/listinfo/gradsusr

--
Jennifer M. Adams
IGES/COLA
4041 Powder Mill Road, Suite 302
Calverton, MD 20705
jma at cola.iges.org



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