Dear Pierre et al, We have already agreed the addition of the following new surface types to the area_type table to accompany the carbon cycle names: primary_evergreen_trees; secondary_deciduous_trees; secondary_evergreen_trees; c3_plant_functional_types; c4_plant_functional_types.
Looking again at the CMIP5 output, area_fractions will be saved for a number of other surface types for which we will also need additions to the area_type table: trees; shrubs; natural_grass; crops; anthropogenic_pasture; burnt_vegetation. I hope Pierre may be able to help with some questions regarding the definitions of these items: 1) What is the difference (in models) between "tree" and "shrub"? Is it a question of canopy height, vegetation density, or other deciding factors? 2) Do "crops" include fruit trees and "anthropogenic pasture" or are these all separate categories? 3) Similarly, do c3 and c4 plants include trees, shrubs, etc., or is the c3/c4 classification entirely independent of plant morphology? The CMIP5 document asks for bare_soil area fraction. We already have an area_type of bare_ground, which actually isn't defined. I suppose it could mean rock outcrops as well as soil. I'd welcome opinions on whether we should introduce bare_soil as a separate surface type. Finally, there is a requirement for a "non-vegetation", "non-bare-soil" land type which covers areas such as urban, ice and lakes. I'm struggling to think of a concise label for this one. Perhaps "inland_water_bodies_and_covered_land_excluding_vegetation" would be an adequate description. Again, does "bare soil" mean only soil or can it include bare rocks? Comments are invited. Best wishes, Alison ------ Alison Pamment Tel: +44 1235 778065 NCAS/British Atmospheric Data Centre Fax: +44 1235 446314 Rutherford Appleton Laboratory Email: [email protected] Chilton, Didcot, OX11 0QX, U.K. -- Scanned by iCritical. _______________________________________________ CF-metadata mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.cgd.ucar.edu/mailman/listinfo/cf-metadata
