Virtual Doppler Lidar data from "virtual tower" output

Virtual tower output and wrfout variables are processed following Newsom et al. (2019), the vertical velocity statistics profile data from Doppler Lidar and boundary layer height.

domains

• only those from the inner domain (d02)

file location

/global/cfs/cdirs/m3314/ksa/simulations/{date}/{casename}/tsfiles_ld

W statistics

Frequency: 10 minutes

file info

Each file contains 1400-2150 UTC (0800-1550 LT) period for all the virtual towers (will be extended to 1700 LT)

File name format:

wrfout_{domain}_{casenam}_vtower_ld.all.WW.{date-time period}.v{process version}.nc

e.g.,

wrfout_d02_0518_03_vtower_ld.all.WW.2016-05-18_1400-2150.v1_0_0.nc

dimensions:

height = 304 ;
time = UNLIMITED ; // (48 currently)
bound = 2 ;
site = 89 ;
nchars = 5 ;

variables:

char st_pfx(site, nchars) ;
    st_pfx:_Encoding = "ascii" ;
    st_pfx:longname = "name of virtual towers" ;
double time(time) ;
    time:long_name = "Time offset from midnight" ;
    time:units = "seconds since 2016-05-18 00:00:00" ;
    time:bounds = "time_bounds" ;
double time_bounds(time, bound) ;
float height(time, height, site) ;
    height:long_name = "Height above ground level to mid-point of WRF grid box" ;
    height:units = "m" ;
float w(time, height, site) ;
    w:long_name = "Median vertical velocity" ;
    w:units = "m/s" ;
    w:missing_value = NaNf ;
float w_25(time, height, site) ;
    w_25:long_name = "Vertical velocity, 25th percentile" ;
    w_25:units = "m/s" ;
    w_25:missing_value = NaNf ;
float w_75(time, height, site) ;
    w_75:long_name = "Vertical velocity, 75th percentile" ;
    w_75:units = "m/s" ;
    w_75:missing_value = NaNf ;
float w_mean(time, height, site) ;
    w_mean:long_name = "Mean vertical velocity" ;
    w_mean:units = "m/s" ;
    w_mean:missing_value = NaNf ;
float w_variance(time, height, site) ;
    w_variance:long_name = "Vertical velocity variance" ;
    w_variance:units = "m^2 s^-2" ;
    w_variance:missing_value = NaNf ;
float w_skewness(time, height, site) ;
    w_skewness:long_name = "Vertical velocity skewness" ;
    w_skewness:units = "unitless" ;
    w_skewness:missing_value = NaNf ;
float w_kurtosis(time, height, site) ;
    w_kurtosis:long_name = "Vertical velocity kurtosis" ;
    w_kurtosis:units = "unitless" ;
    w_kurtosis:missing_value = NaNf ;

PBL height

• Frequency: 30 minutes

file info

Each file contains 1400-2150 UTC period for all the virtual towers

File name format:

wrfout_{domain}_{casenam}_vtower_pblh.all.{date-time period}.v{process version}.nc

e.g.,

wrfout_d02_0518_03_vtower_pblh.all.2016-05-18_1400-2150.v1_0_0.nc

dimensions:

time = UNLIMITED ; // (48 currently)
bound = 2 ;
site = 89 ;
nchars = 5 ;

variables:

double time(time) ;
    time:long_name = "Time offset from midnight" ;
    time:units = "seconds since 2016-05-18 00:00:00" ;
    time:bounds = "time_bounds" ;
double time_bounds(time, bound) ;
float zi(time, site) ;
    zi:long_name = "mixing layer depth / PBL height" ;
    zi:units = "m" ;
    zi:missing_value = NaNf ;
float wstar(time, site) ;
    wstar:long_name = "convective velocity scale" ;
    wstar:units = "m/s" ;
    wstar:missing_value = NaNf ;
char st_pfx(site, nchars) ;
    st_pfx:_Encoding = "ascii" ;
    st_pfx:longname = "name of virtual towers" ;