<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">You did not include the ncdump output that shows the metadata for the coordinate axis "lev" -- it may have been insufficient. If that is the case, then GrADS won't recognize variables that use that coordinate axis. Furthermore, you need to include the version of GrADS you are using, since the sdfopen interface has changed over time and this information may be quite relevant. After you have sdfopen'ed your file, try a 'q file' and see if it has found a z-axis with levels that match the ncdump output. If not, then you will need to write a descriptor file, either a short version for the xdfopen command, or a complete one for the open command. The documentation is at <a href="http://iges.org/grads/gadoc/SDFdescriptorfile.html">http://iges.org/grads/gadoc/SDFdescriptorfile.html</a><div>--Jennifer</div><div><br><div><br><div><div>On Jul 21, 2011, at 7:37 PM, Charles Seman wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><div>Jonathan,<br><br>This sounds familiar... GrADS may not be able to display both 3D and 4D <br>fields if they are in the same netCDF file (don't know why)... One thing <br>to try is to extract the 4D fields into a separate netCDF file (e.g. <br>using "ncks" if you have it).<br><br>Hope this helps,<br>Chuck<br><br>SMITH, JONATHAN WYNN. (GSFC-6133) wrote:<br><blockquote type="cite">Hello:<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">I have a netcdf file with many variables<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">/ float Q(time, lev, lat, lon) ;<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"> Q:units = "KG/KG" ;<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"> float SA1_VMR_inst(time, lev, lat, lon) ;<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"> SA1_VMR_inst:units = "VMR" ;<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"> float SOA_VMR_inst(time, lev, lat, lon) ;<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"> SOA_VMR_inst:units = "VMR" ;<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"> float T(time, lev, lat, lon) ;<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"> T:units = "K" ;<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"> float TOLUENE_VMR_inst(time, lev, lat, lon) ;<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"> TOLUENE_VMR_inst:units = "VMR" ;<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"> float TROPLEV(time, lat, lon) ;<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"> TROPLEV:units = "KM" ; <br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">float U(time, lev, lat, lon) ;<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"> U:units = "M/S" ;<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"> float V(time, lev, lat, lon) ;<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"> V:units = "M/S" ;<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"> char current_mss(nchar) ;<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"> current_mss:long_name = "MSS pathname of this file" ;<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"> int date(time) ;<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"> date:long_name = "current date as 6 digit integer (YYMMDD)" ;<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"> int datesec(time) ;<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"> datesec:long_name = "seconds to complete current date" ;<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"> datesec:units = "s" ;<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"> int days(time) ;<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"> days:long_name = "elapsed simulation days for this case" ;<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"> char first_mss(nchar) ;<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"> first_mss:long_name = "MSS pathname of first file for this case"/<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">I use the following script:<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">/* B Vs -VTL<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">'reinit'<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">'sdfopen <br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">/Volumes/JWS/MOZART_OUTPUT/LARGE_DOMAIN/mozart4-20110721100736853957.nc <br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><<a href="http://mozart4-20110721100736853957.nc">http://mozart4-20110721100736853957.nc</a>>'<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">'set mpdset hires'<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">'set display color white'<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">'run rgbset.gs <<a href="http://rgbset.gs">http://rgbset.gs</a>>'<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">'c'<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">"set parea 1 10 1 7.5"<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">"set LON -30 59"<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">"set LAT -12 30"<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">"set LEV 1"<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">'set grads off'<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">'set gxout shaded'<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">"set rgb 24 255 120 120"<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">"set clevs 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240"<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">"set ccols 9 14 4 11 5 13 3 10 7 12 8 2 24"<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">'d days'<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">'set string 1 l 3'<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">'draw string 7.5 8.0' _analysis<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">"run cbar.gs <<a href="http://cbar.gs">http://cbar.gs</a>>"<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">'draw title 22 May 2006 MOZART L3\OzoneMixing Ratio (ppbv)'<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">'printim /Users/jonathanwsmith/MOZART/mozart_22may.gif'/<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">For what ever reason I am only able to plot the one and three <br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">dimensional variable like days (1-D) or PS (3-D. I am am unable to plot <br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Q or SOA_VMR_inst which are 4-D?<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">What could be going wrong?<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">*Jonathan Wynn Smith*<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">/Student Trainee/<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><a href="mailto:_jonathan.smith@nasa.gov_">_jonathan.smith@nasa.gov_</a><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Code 613.3-Atmospheric Chemistry and Dynamics Branch<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Greenbelt, MD 20771<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">301-614-5956<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">/Doctoral Candidate/<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><a href="mailto:jonathan.smith@bison.howard.edu">jonathan.smith@bison.howard.edu</a><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Howard University Program in Atmospheric Sciences<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">2355 6th St NW/408 Thirkield Bldg.<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Washington, DC 20059<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">------------------------------------------------------------------------<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">_______________________________________________<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">gradsusr mailing list<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><a href="mailto:gradsusr@gradsusr.org">gradsusr@gradsusr.org</a><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><a href="http://gradsusr.org/mailman/listinfo/gradsusr">http://gradsusr.org/mailman/listinfo/gradsusr</a><br></blockquote><br>-- <br><br>Please note that <a href="mailto:Charles.Seman@noaa.gov">Charles.Seman@noaa.gov</a> should be considered my NOAA<br>email address, not <a href="mailto:cjs@gfdl.noaa.gov">cjs@gfdl.noaa.gov</a>.<br><br>********************************************************************<br> Charles Seman <a href="mailto:Charles.Seman@noaa.gov">Charles.Seman@noaa.gov</a><br> U.S. Department of Commerce / NOAA / OAR<br> Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory voice: (609) 452-6547<br> 201 Forrestal Road fax: (609) 987-5063<br> Princeton, NJ 08540-6649 <a href="http://www.gfdl.noaa.gov/~cjs/">http://www.gfdl.noaa.gov/~cjs/</a><br>********************************************************************<br><br>"The contents of this message are mine personally and do not reflect any<br>official or unofficial position of the United States Federal Government,<br>the United States Department of Commerce, or NOAA."<br>_______________________________________________<br>gradsusr mailing list<br><a href="mailto:gradsusr@gradsusr.org">gradsusr@gradsusr.org</a><br>http://gradsusr.org/mailman/listinfo/gradsusr<br></div></blockquote></div><br><div apple-content-edited="true"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><div>--</div><div>Jennifer M. Adams</div><div>IGES/COLA</div><div>4041 Powder Mill Road, Suite 302</div><div>Calverton, MD 20705</div><div><a href="mailto:jma@cola.iges.org">jma@cola.iges.org</a></div><div><br class="khtml-block-placeholder"></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></span></span></div></span> </div><br></div></div></body></html>