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[NOAA bullet] How are the CM2.0 model output files arranged in directories on the GFDL Data Portal?  

On the GFDL Data Portal, CM2.0 model output is stored as netCDF files in directories that are arranged as follows under http://nomads.gfdl.noaa.gov/dods-data/gfdl_cm2_0/

 ../gfdl_cm2_0/{GfdlExperimentName}/pp/{component}/{ts:static:av}/... 

Possible values for gfdl_cm2_0 GfdlExperimentName:
(i.e., directories under http://nomads.gfdl.noaa.gov/dods-data/gfdl_cm2_0/)

  CM2Q_Control-1860_d2
  CM2Q_Control-1990_e2
  CM2Q-d2_1861-2000-AllForc_h1
  CM2Q-d2_1861-2000-AllForc_h2
  CM2Q-d2_1861-2000-AllForc_h3
  CM2Q-d2_1PctTo2x_i1
  CM2Q-d2_1PctTo4x_j1
  CM2Q-h1_SresA1B_x2
  CM2Q-h1_SresA2_w2
  CM2Q-h1_SresB1_y2
  CM2Q-h1_Stable-2000_s2

The GFDL CM2.0 experiment names can be associated with the IPCC/PCMDI experiment names by referring to the table on the CM2.0 experiments and metadata web page.


The meaning of pp is post-processed, indicating that the raw output of the model has been processed to get it into the form being served.


Possible values for component:

  atmos
  ice_interp
  ice_tripolar
  land
  ocean_interp
  ocean_tripolar
Model output files for the ocean and sea ice model components are available either on the native, tripolar grid used by those model components or interpolated onto a more regular, latitude x longitude grid. The horizontal grid locations of tripolar vs interp only differ north of ~65N.

Meanings of the directory names ts, static and av:

  • ts - time series - model output files found under ts directories contain information for multiple time levels of a single variable. Most of the CM2.0 model output data served on the GFDL data portal is in time series form. Additional subdirectories located under ts are used to group data according to the time interval between the time levels of info contained in the file. They are...
         /ts/3hr     -> time levels of info are separated by 3 hours
         /ts/daily   -> time levels of info are separated by 1 day
         /ts/monthly -> time levels of info are separated by 1 month
  • static - time independent - the relatively small model output files found under ts directories each contain a single time independent variable.
  • av - (reserved but not currently used)

Questions related to the GFDL CM2.x models may be directed to…


[email GFDL.Climate.Model.Info at noaa dot gov]