[gradsusr] opening CAM netcdf files with grads

[Cara-Lyn Lappen]

hi all,

I am fairly new to GraDs. I am trying to use GraDs to open a netcdf file created by the NCAR CAM model. I have tried everything and I can't get it to work. 
sdfopen doesn't work because it has a 365 day calendar. So, I tried xdfopen with a model descriptor file that looks like this (test.ctl)

DSET ^tiltedheat_daily_1980_1997_FLNT_anom.nc
TITLE This is only a test
UNDEF -999
XDEF lon 144	LINEAR 0.0 2.5
YDEF lat 96 LINEAR -90. 1.9 
TDEF 6206 LINEAR 00Z1jan1980 1dy
VARS 1
OLR=>FLNT_anom 0 x,y OLR
ENDVARS

-----------------------------------------------------------

The ncdump -h output for this file looks like this:

netcdf tiltedheat_daily_1980_1997_FLNT_anom {
dimensions:
	time = UNLIMITED ; // (6206 currently)
	lat = 38 ;
	lon = 144 ;
variables:
	double time(time) ;
		time:long_name = "time" ;
		time:units = "days since 1980-01-01 00:00:00" ;
		time:calendar = "noleap" ;
		time:bounds = "time_bnds" ;
	double lat(lat) ;
		lat:long_name = "latitude" ;
		lat:units = "degrees_north" ;
	double lon(lon) ;
		lon:long_name = "longitude" ;
		lon:units = "degrees_east" ;
	float FLNT_anom(time, lat, lon) ;
		FLNT_anom:_FillValue = -999.f ;
		FLNT_anom:long_name = "OLR Anomalies from Raw Daily Climatology" ;
		FLNT_anom:units = "W/m2" ;
	float FLNT_anom_sm(time, lat, lon) ;
		FLNT_anom_sm:_FillValue = -999.f ;
		FLNT_anom_sm:long_name = "FLNT Anomalies from Smooth Daily Climatology" ;
		FLNT_anom_sm:units = "W/m2" ;

// global attributes:
		:creation_date = "Wed Sep  5 13:44:55 CDT 2012" ;
		:title = "FLNT: Daily Anomalies: 1980-1997" ;
}

----------------------------------------------------

The error I keep getting when I type "open test.ctl" is:

Scanning description file:  test.ctl
Open Error:  Missing or invalid dimension size.
  --> The invalid description file record is: 
  --> XDEF lon 144	LINEAR 0.0 2.5
  The data file was not opened. 


What is wrong with the xdef line? it seems so basic to implement, but it won't work.

any help that anyone has would be much appreciated,

thanks,

Cara-Lyn










Cara-Lyn


***************************************************
Dr. Cara-Lyn Lappen 
Dept. of Atmos. Sciences              ,__o
Texas A&M University                 _ -\ _<;
Phone: (970) 382-2290              (*) /' (*)
Cell Phone: (970) 946-6134
Email: lappen7 at gmail.com
***************************************************