List variables of RPN file with description
At UQAM, there is a set of 'vl' (variable list) commands: 'vl3', 'vl4', and 'vl5' (one for each model version) which will give you a list of all the variables in an RPN file.For example:
vl5 rpn_file
There are more than one description per variable. The first description is always correct but rarely contains the unit. For physics fields take the second description with a grain of salt. If it matches the first one, it's unit is correct as well. If it doesn't match, ignore it. However, for all output produced with the UQAM version of GEM a 'per second' needs to get added to all units of accumulators, for example:
precipitation is not in [m] but in [m/s]
radiation fields are not in [J/m2] but in [J/s/m2] so in [W/m2]
Explanation of all physics variables in model listing
Close to the beginning of each model listing you find a list of all physics fields which are available for output. You will find there the name of each variable as used in the code and the name as used in the RPN output files, as well as a brief description and its position and length in the internal model data bus. Note that this list varies depending on the physics schemes used! Just after the physics variable list is a list of the dynamic fields available for output, but unfortunately without description.
Most common fields
Below you find some of the main output fields.
Most common dynamic fields
| TT | Air temperature 2m temperature at level '1hy' resp. '1sg' | C |
| UU | u-component of the wind 10m u-component of the wind at level '1hy' resp. '1sg' | knots |
| VV | v-component of the wind 10m v-component of the wind at level '1hy' resp. '1sg' | knots |
| WW | Vertical momentum | Pa/s |
| UV | Wind modulus | knots |
| GZ | Geopotential height | dam |
| HU | Specific humidity 2m specific humidity at level '1hy' resp. '1sg' | kg/kg |
| HR | Relative humidity 2m relative humidity at level '1hy' resp. '1sg' | % |
| ES | Dew point depression | C |
| P0 | Surface pressure | hPa |
| PN | Sea level pressure | hPa |
| ME | Mountain height | m |
| LA | Geographical latitude | deg |
| LO | Geographical longitude | deg |
Most common physics fields
| USGW | GWD induced surface u-stress | N/m2 |
| VSGW | GWD induced surface v-stress | N/m2 |
| AR | Avg. of EI (outgoing IR energy flux at model lid) | W/m2 |
| AB | Avg. of IV (incoming solar flux at model lid) | W/m2 |
| AU | Avg. of EV (outgoing visible energy flux at model lid) | W/m2 |
| AD | Avg. of FI (IR energy flux towards ground) | W/m2 |
| AS | Avg. of FS (vis. flux absorbed by ground) | W/m2 |
| NF | Avg. of NT (2-dim cloud cover) | 0-1 |
| A1 | Avg. of convective liquid precipitation | m/s |
| A2 | Avg. of stratiform liquid precipitation | m/s |
| A3 | Avg. of convective solid precipitation | m/s |
| A4 | Avg. of stratiform solid precipitation | m/s |
| A8 | Avg. of liquid shallow convective precipitation | m/s |
| A9 | Avg. of solid shallow convective precipitation | m/s |
| AE | Avg. of stratiform precipitation | m/s |
| FR | Avg. of freezing precipitation | m/s |
| PC | Avg. of convective precipitation | m/s |
| PE | Avg. of frozen precipitation | m/s |
| PR | Avg. of total precipitation (= RN+SN = PC+AE) | m/s |
| RN | Avg. of liquid precipitation | m/s |
| SN | Avg. of snow precipitation | m/s |
| RC | Implicit precipitation rate | m/s |
| RT | Total precipitation rate | m/s |
| AH | Avg. of FC (upward surface sensible heat flux) | W/m2 |
| AG | Avg. heat flux in soil | W/m2 |
| AV | Avg. of FV (surface latent heat flux) | W/m2 |
| AI | Avg. of SI (Net IR energy flux at the surface) | W/m2 |
| AW | Avg. of FQ (surf. momentum flux) | N/m2 |
| FQ | Surface momentum flux | N/m2 |
| S7 | Avg. of u-stress | N/m2 |
| S8 | Avg. of v-stress | N/m2 |
| N0 | Avg. of soil surface runoff | mm/s |
| O1 | Avg. of soil base drainage | mm/s |
| TRAF | Avg. of surface runoff for all surface types + agg | mm/s |
| TDRA | Avg. of base drainage for all surface types + agg | mm/s |
| N2 | Avg. of liquid precip. (ISBA) | m/s |
| N3 | Avg. of solid precip. | m/s |
| N4 | Avg. of FB (downward solar flux at surface) | W/m2 |
| O5 | Avg. of bare ground latent heat flux | W/m2 |
| O6 | Avg. of latent heat flux from leaves | W/m2 |
| O7 | Avg. of sublimation from snow | m/s of water |
| O8 | Avg. of vegetation transpiration | kg/m2 |
| O9 | Avg. of evaporation from vegetation | kg/m2 |
| I0 | Surface and soil temperatures | K |
| I1 | Soil volumetric water contents | m3/m3 |
| I7 | Sea ice temperature | K |
| I8 | Sea ice thickness | m |
| I9 | Glacier temperature | K |
| GL | Ice fraction | 0-1 |
| GY | Sea ice fraction (unmodified) | 0-1 |
| SD | Snow depth | cm |
| AL | Visible surface albedo | 0-1 |
| TM | Sea temperature | K |
| J8 | Area-averaged surface temperature | K |
| FC | Upward surface sensible heat flux | W/m2 |
| FV | Upward surface latent heat flux | W/m2 |
| FS | Solar flux absorbed at surface | W/m2 |
| FB | Downward solar flux | W/m2 |
| IV | Incoming solar radiation at model top | W/m2 |
| SI | Net infrared flux at the surface (+ downward) | W/m2 |
| FI | Surface incoming infrared flux | W/m2 |
| EI | Outgoing infrared energy exiting the atmosphere | W/m2 |
| TG | Radiative surface temperature | K |
| MG | Land-sea mask | 0-1 |
| K2 | Avg. of kshal counter | 0-1 |
| DN | Snow density | kg/m3 |
| I2 | Soil volumetric ice contents | m3/m3 |
| I3 | Water retained on the vegetation | kg/m2 |
| I4 | Water in the snow pack | kg/m2 |
| I6 | Albedo of snow | 0-1 |
| HRMX | Screen max. relative humidity | 0-1 |
| HRMN | Screen min. relative humidity | 0-1 |
| QSAV | Screen specific humidity average | kg/kg |
| IMAV | Integrated soil moisture average | kg/m2 |
| P0AV | Surface pressure average | Pa |
| UVAV | Screen wind modulus average | m/s |
| UVMX | Screen max wind modulus | m/s |
| H | Height of boundary layer | m |
| IE | Integrated cloud water/ice | mm |
| IH | Integrated water vapor | mm |
| II | Integrated ice water | mm |
| IWVM | Integrated water vapor avge over last moyhr hours | kg/m2 |
| ICRM | Total LWP for rad avge over last moyhr hours | kg/m2 |
| IIRM | Total IWP for rad avge over last moyhr hours | kg/m2 |
| ACLB | Avg. of net clear sky lw flux at the surface | W/m2 |
| ACLT | Avg. of net clear sky lw flux at the top | W/m2 |
| ACSB | Avg. of net clear sky solar flux at the surface | W/m2 |
| ACST | Avg. of net clear sky solar flux at the top | W/m2 |
| T5 | Min. temperature over the last moyhr hours | K |
| T9 | Max. temperature over the last moyhr hours | K |
| KEHM | Total kinetic energy (per unit area) calculated on hybryd levels | J/m2 |
| TTHM | Temperature (mass-weighted vertically average) calculated on hybryd levels | K |
| AMHM | Total relative angular momentum (per unit area) calculated on hybryd levels | kg/s |
| UG | GWD u tend. avge over the last moyhr hours | m/s2 |
| V6 | GWD v tend. avge over the last moyhr hours | m/s2 |
| X2 | u dif. tend. avge over the last moyhr hours | m/s2 |
| X3 | v dif. tend. avge over the last moyhr hours | m/s2 |
| UQVA | Vertically averaged u-wind * specific humidity | m/s kg/kg |
| VQVA | Vertically averaged v-wind * specific humidity | m/s kg/kg |
| UTVA | Vertically averaged u-wind * temperature | K m/s |
| VTVA | Vertically averaged v-wind * temperature | K m/s |
| CA | Total clouds avge over the last moyhr hours | % |
| CLDR | Total clouds for rad average over last moyhr hours | % |
| IWCR | Cloud ice water for rad average over last moyhr hours | kg/kg |
| LWCR | Cloud liquid water for rad average over last moyhr hours | kg/kg |
| T6 | T2 (vis. heating rate interpo.from T20) avge over the last moyhr hours | K/s |
| T7 | TI (IR heating rate) avge over the last moyhr hrs | K/s |
| W5 | QC (liquid and solid water in the atmosphere) strat. tend. avge over the last moyhr hours | (kg/kg)/s |
| W6 | t conv. tend. avge over the last moyhr hours | K/s |
| W7 | t strat. tend. avge over the last moyhr hours | K/s |
| W8 | HU conv. tend. avge over the last moyhr hours | (kg/kg)/s |
| W9 | HU strat. tend. avge over the last moyhr hours | (kg/kg)/s |
| X1 | QC (liquid and solid water in the atmosphere) conv. tend. avge over the last moyhr hours | (kg/kg)/s |
| X4 | HU dif. tend. avge over the last moyhr hours | (kg/kg)/s |
| X5 | t dif. tend. avge over the last moyhr hours | K/s |
| X6 | Avg. T tendency shallow conv. over the last moyhr hours | K/s |
| X7 | Avg. HU tendency shallow conv. over the last moyhr hours | (kg/kg)/s |
| Y1 | Cloud liquid (and ice) water content avge | kg/kg |
| Y2 | Cloud ice water content avge | kg/kg |
Radiation and Cloud fields
Click on the following link for a pdf with Radiation and Cloud related fields.
Most common physics tendencies
Name of variables and their tendencies for temperature, humidite and winds. Physics version 5.0.4
Last update: 26 January 2010.
Temperature
| Mean | Instantaneous |
|---|---|
| T6: (t2m) | T2:(T2) VIS heating rate |
| T7: (tim) | TI: (Ti) IR heating rate |
| X5: (tdifvm) | TF: (tdifv) T tendency due to vertical diffusion |
| X6: (tshalm) | ST: (tshal) T tendency due to shallow convection |
| W6: (zctem) | CTE: (cte) conv. T tendency bus v |
| 1K :(tfcpm) | T4: (tfcp) T tendency due to deep convection *** note: f(tfcp) ....>zcte ...>v(cte) same as f(tfcp) |
| W7: (zstem) | STE (ste) cond. T tendency bus v ***note: zste not in a bus .....> v(ste) |
| TADM: (tadvm) | TADV (tadv) T advection tendency bus v |
| TPHM (tphytdm) | TPHY: (tphytd) total T tendency due to physics bus v |
Humidity
| Mean | Instantaneous |
|---|---|
| X4: (qdifvm) | Q8: (qdifv) HU tendency due to vert. diffusion bus v |
| X7: (hushalm) | SQ:(hushal) HU tendency due to shallow conv bus v |
| W8: ( zcqem) | CQE:(cqe) conv. HU tendency bus v |
| 2K: (hufcpm) | H3: (hufcp) HU tendency due to deep convection ***note: f(hufcp)...>zcqe ...>v(cqe) |
| W9:(zsqem) | SQE (sqe) cond. HU tendency; bus v ***note zsqe not in a bus ....>v(sqe) |
| none | QA (hucond) HU tendency due to conv./cond (hushal+hucond) bus v |
| QXM (qmetoxm) | QX (qmetox) Hum. tend. due to methane oxidation bus v |
| QADM:(qadvm) | QADV (qadv) HU advection tendency bus v |
| QPHM(huphytdm) | QPHY: (huphytd) total HU tendency due to physics bus v |
U-wind
| Mean | Instantaneous |
|---|---|
| UG: (ugwdm) | GU: (ugwd) U tendency due to gwd bus v |
| NOUM : ( ugnom) | M1: (ugno) U tend. due to non-oro. gwd bus v |
| none | U6: (ufcp) U tend. due to deep convection |
| X2: (udifvm) | TU: (udifv) U tendency due to vert. diffusion bus v |
| UADM:(uadvm) | UADV (uadv) U advection tendency bus v |
| UPHM(uphytdm) | UPHY: (uphytd) total U tendency due to physics bus v |
V-wind
| Mean | Instantaneous |
|---|---|
| V6: (vgwdm) | GV: (vgwd) V tendency due to gwd bus v |
| NOVM: (vgnom) | M2: (vgno) V tend. due to non-oro. gwd bus v |
| none | V7: (vfcp) V tend. due to deep convection |
| X3: (vdifvm) | TV: (vdifv) V tendency due to vert. diffusion bus v |
| VADM:(vadvm) | VADV (vadv) V advection tendency bus v |
| VPHM(vphytdm) | VPHY: (vphytd) total V tendency due to physics bus v |