Dear all!

Now we have a final list of variables to be stored for the global runs of your GCMs within ENSEMBLES! It is as close as possible to the output list for the RCMs (I developed it in co-operation with Ole Bøssing Christensen and Burkhardt Rockel) and it shows consistency to the IPCC-AR4 data already stored at PCMDI.

 
I attached the named list (excel) to this mail. The first sheet contains the list of variables, the second sheet contains the pressure levels for the 3-dimensional data and the third sheet contains a list of acronyms (see below).

You can also find the list of output variables at our website:
www.mad.zmaw.de/projects-at-md/ensembles/output-variables

 
It would be very helpful for me when you could tell me who in your centre is the responsible person for the data transfer, so that I can mail to her/him for future issues.

Besides the data we need to get some information concerning the centre, person to contact, model, experiments, runs etc. to create metadata. Please tell me who I should ask this questions, too. I will soon come back to this issue.

 
Here comes the essential - technical - information for the data storage, you can find this - and more - information on the website:
www.mad.zmaw.de/projects-at-md/ensembles/technical-details

- which data?
===========================================

We will store variables of all ENSEMBLES-experiments (existing at this time: SRESA1B, SRESA2, SRESB1, 1PCTTO2X, 1PCTTO4X, 20C3M) of all existing runs.

Monthly mean data of all variables are mandatory. Please take from the list of variables the information which time intervals for which variable is to be stored additionally.

 
- the data has to be in netCDF-Format
===========================================

You already know the procedure of converting your data from the files you submitted to PCMDI for IPCC-AR4. It will be very helpful for ENSEMBLES when you use the same convention (CMOR) as you used for those data.

If you don't use CMOR, please have in mind to provide the attributes (global attributes, coordinate attributes and variable attributes) specified for CMOR (http://www-pcmdi.llnl.gov/software/cmor/cmor_users_guide.pdf, pages4,5) with your datasets.

- data per file
===========================================

Per file only one variable on one level. Separate files for monthly mean, daily mean, diurnal cycle values and other frequencies where required.

- filenames
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The filenames have to be composed as follows:
- centre/model acronym (e.g. MPEH5: Max-Planck-Institute/Echam5)
- scenario acronym (e.g. 1PTO2X: 1PCTTO2X)
- run number (e.g. 1: run 1)
- time interval (MM:monthly mean, DM:daily mean, DC:diurnal cycle, 6H:6 hourly, 12h:12hourly)
- variable acronym [with level value if not surface] (e.g. hur850: relative humidity, 850 hPa)
          --> example: MPEH5_1PTO2X_1_MM_hur850

 
(you can find a list of centre/model acronyms and scenario acronyms on the third sheet of the excel list I attached, the variable acronyms are the "short names" in the first column of the list of variables)

I hope this is all you have to know to create the datafiles which are to be stored in the CERA database for ENSMBLES.

Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or comments.
 

Kind regards
Silke