[IDV #OVR-601731]: IDV Problems Using CF Compliant WRF Files

> Hi,
> 
> 
> 
> I previously had a variety of problems trying to get my WRF output loaded
> and usable by IDV so I bought a new Windows 10 computer, installed Linux
> bash and installed NCL, all so I could use the wrfout_to_cf.ncl script
> (http://foehn.colorado.edu/wrfout_to_cf/) to post-process my WRF files
> because the script writeup said "IDV can readily read CF compliant NetCDF
> files." The script appears to have properly de-staggered the u and v fields
> and de-perturbed the pressure, geopotential and theta fields, but I am still
> having problems with IDV using my data:
> 
> 
> 
> 1) I cannot now produce vertical cross sections even though I could with my
> original data. I now get the error message: "Couldn't get data - Unable to
> find center point variables."
> 
> 
> 
> 2) Available derived variables no longer appear in my Fields pane even
> though they did with my original data. See the first two attachments, where
> the first and second show the Fields panes for my original and CF compliant
> WRF files, respectively.
> 
> 
> 
> 3) Variables interpolated to pressure levels by wrfout_to_cf.ncl load into
> IDV, in a sense that all variables show up in the Fields pane and all
> pressure levels are listed where expected, but all variables show up as
> having "missing" values.
> 

Jim,

The ncdump of wrfpost.nc shows the output is in sigma coordinate, not pressure, 
but you miss the p_sfc variable in 
your file. Somehow, in your file, you have slp, and this shoud be named as 
p_sfc, according to the attribute of eta variable.
You can also change this attribute instead of changing the variable name.


Yuan


> 
> 
> I used ncdump to compare the original and CF compliant NetCDF WRF data (see
> last two attachments) and find that the wrfout_to_cf.ncl script:
> 
> 
> 
> a) Passes through almost none of the global attributes.
> 
> 
> 
> b) Does not write the ZNU, ZNW and F variables.
> 
> 
> 
> I suspect that wrfout_to_cf.ncl is not writing sufficient data to its output
> file that IDV needs. Since I can modify wrfout_to_cf.ncl or use NCO to add
> what IDV might yet need, can you tell me what IDV needs, that is now missing
> from my CF compliant WRF file, to properly handle what I describe in items
> 1), 2) and 3)? The pair of ncdump listings should be helpful to discern what
> is missing, since items 1) and 2) previously functioned with my original WRF
> files.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> 
> 
> Jim
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> James A. Schiavone
> 
> Independent Scientist*
> 
> Bridgewater, NJ
> 
> Phone: 908-658-3158
> 
> 
> 
> * Collaborating with Rutgers University, Cray and NCAR
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 


Ticket Details
===================
Ticket ID: OVR-601731
Department: Support IDV
Priority: Normal
Status: Open
===================
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