Vocabulary
Climate and Forecast Area Types
| URI | http://vocab.nerc.ac.uk/collection/P29/current/ |
|---|---|
| Description | Terms used to describe the characteristics of regions of the Earth's Surface or their representation in a numerical simulation in the CF metadata conventions for data stored in NetCDF. |
| Creator | Climate and Forecast Standard Names Committee |
| Modified | 2023-07-06 |
| Version Info | 11 |
| Identifier | P29 |
| Register Manager | British Oceanographic Data Centre |
| Register Owner | Climate and Forecast Standard Names Committee |
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Members
| ID ↑ | Preferred Label ↑ | Definition ↑ | Date ↑ |
|---|---|---|---|
| CFATAIR0 | air | The area type of "air" distinguishes the atmospheric portion of a domain from the land portion (or any other non-air portion). It is needed when a variable such as wind speed is reported, for example, on a surface at mean sea level pressure. At most locations over land, this surface would be underground and would need to be excluded from consideration, which could be indicated by specifying a cell_ methods "where air". | 2023-07-05 |
| all_area_types | all area types | 2013-01-08 | |
| bare_ground | bare ground | 2013-01-08 | |
| cfbuvegs | burnt vegetation | 2013-07-11 | |
| c3plfuty | c3 plant functional types | A plant that utilizes the C3 carbon fixation pathway as the sole mechanism to bind CO2 before photosynthesis reactions take place. All trees are C3 type. Grasses and crops can be C3 or C4. | 2013-07-11 |
| c4plfuty | c4 plant functional types | A plant that utilizes the C4 carbon fixation pathway in which the CO2 is first bound to a compound containing four carbon atoms before photosynthesis reactions take place. All trees are C3 type. Grasses and crops can be C3 or C4. | 2013-07-11 |
| clear_sky | clear sky | 2013-01-08 | |
| cloud | cloud | 2013-01-08 | |
| cfcropss | crops | The definition of "crops" is model dependent, for example, some models may include fruit trees as crops. | 2013-07-11 |
| ATCC3PFT | crops of c3 plant functional types | The definition of "crops" is model dependent, for example, some models may include fruit trees as crops. A "c3 plant" is one that utilizes the C3 carbon fixation pathway as the sole mechanism to bind CO2 before photosynthesis reactions take place. All trees are C3 type. Grasses and crops can be C3 or C4. | 2018-03-13 |
| ATCC4PFT | crops of c4 plant functional types | The definition of "crops" is model dependent, for example, some models may include fruit trees as crops. A "c4 plant" is one that utilizes the C4 carbon fixation pathway in which the CO2 is first bound to a compound containing four carbon atoms before photosynthesis reactions take place. All trees are C3 type. Grasses and crops can be C3 or C4. | 2018-03-13 |
| cfdustaa | dust aerosol | An area_ type of "dust_ aerosol" indicates that dust aerosol is present at some level within the atmospheric column above an area of the surface of the Earth. | 2015-07-08 |
| cfbmfire | fire | An area_ type of "fire" indicates that biomass fire, either smouldering, flaming or both, is present. | 2015-07-08 |
| floating_ice | floating ice | All ice floating on water including lake-ice, sea-ice, ice-shelves and icebergs. | 2013-01-08 |
| cfat5fis | floating ice shelf | An area type of "floating ice shelf" indicates where ice shelves are present. Ice shelves are the component of ice sheets that flow over the ocean. | 2017-01-24 |
| ATV9FRFW | fresh free water | An area type of "fresh_ free_ water" means a free interface between freshwater and the atmosphere without vegetation or other obstructions. | 2018-08-06 |
| cfat5gis | grounded ice sheet | An area type of "grounded ice sheet" indicates where the ice sheet rest over bedrock and is thus grounded. It excludes ice-caps, glaciers and floating ice shelves. | 2017-01-24 |
| cfherbvg | herbaceous vegetation | Herbaceous plants are plants with very flexible stems. Their leaves and stems die down to soil level at the end of every growing season. Herbaceous plants can be annual, biennial or perennial. | 2018-07-10 |
| ATV9IASL | ice and snow on land | The area type "ice_ and_ snow_ on_ land" means ice in glaciers, ice caps, ice sheets (grounded and floating shelves), river and lake ice, any other ice on a land surface, such as frozen flood water, and snow lying on such ice or on the land surface. | 2018-08-06 |
| cficfrla | ice free land | 2013-07-11 | |
| ice_free_sea | ice free sea | 2013-01-08 | |
| ATV9IOLA | ice on land | The area type "ice_ on_ land" means ice in glaciers, ice caps, grounded ice sheets (grounded and floating shelves), river and lake ice, and any other ice on a land surface, such as frozen flood water. This is distinct from the area type 'land ice' which has a narrower definition. | 2018-08-06 |
| cfat5ish | ice sheet | An area type of "ice sheet" indicates where ice sheets are present. It includes both grounded ice sheets resting over bedrock and any ice shelves flowing over the ocean that are attached to grounded ice sheets. The ice sheet area type excludes ice-caps and glaciers and any floating ice shelves and ice tongues attached to them, but the land_ ice area type includes those as well as the ice_ sheet area. | 2023-07-05 |
| lake_ice_or_sea_ice | lake ice or sea ice | Floating ice excluding ice-shelves and icebergs. | 2013-01-08 |
| land | land | 2013-01-08 | |
| land_ice | land ice | "Land ice" means glaciers, ice-caps, grounded ice sheets resting on bedrock and floating ice-shelves. | 2017-02-21 |
| CFA4MFSI | melt pond free sea ice | The area occupied by type "sea_ ice" is the sum of the areas of types "sea_ ice_ melt_ pond" and "melt_ pond_ free_ sea_ ice". | 2016-05-17 |
| cfnatgra | natural grasses | "Natural grasses" means grasses growing in areas of low productivity, often situated on rough or uneven ground. This can include rocky areas, briars and heathland. | 2018-03-13 |
| ANGC3PFT | natural grasses of c3 plant functional types | "Natural grasses" means grasses growing in areas of low productivity, often situated on rough or uneven ground. This can include rocky areas, briars and heathland. A "c3 plant" is one that utilizes the C3 carbon fixation pathway as the sole mechanism to bind CO2 before photosynthesis reactions take place. All trees are C3 type. Grasses and crops can be C3 or C4. | 2018-03-13 |
| ANGC4PFT | natural grasses of c4 plant functional types | "Natural grasses" means grasses growing in areas of low productivity, often situated on rough or uneven ground. This can include rocky areas, briars and heathland. A "c4 plant" is one that utilizes the C4 carbon fixation pathway in which the CO2 is first bound to a compound containing four carbon atoms before photosynthesis reactions take place. All trees are C3 type. Grasses and crops can be C3 or C4. | 2018-03-13 |
| cfpastur | pastures | Pastures are assumed to be anthropogenic in origin. They include anthropogenically managed pastureland and rangeland. | 2017-01-24 |
| ATPC3PFT | pastures of c3 plant functional types | Pastures are assumed to be anthropogenic in origin. They include anthropogenically managed pastureland and rangeland. A "c3 plant" is one that utilizes the C3 carbon fixation pathway as the sole mechanism to bind CO2 before photosynthesis reactions take place. All trees are C3 type. Grasses and crops can be C3 or C4. | 2018-03-13 |
| ATPC4PFT | pastures of c4 plant functional types | Pastures are assumed to be anthropogenic in origin. They include anthropogenically managed pastureland and rangeland. A "c4 plant" is one that utilizes the C4 carbon fixation pathway in which the CO2 is first bound to a compound containing four carbon atoms before photosynthesis reactions take place. All trees are C3 type. Grasses and crops can be C3 or C4. | 2018-03-13 |
| CFAT10PF | permafrost | An area type of "permafrost" indicates where soil or rock has remained at a temperature at or below zero degrees Celsius throughout the seasonal cycle for two or more years. | 2020-06-22 |
| cfat5psl | primary and secondary land | "Primary and secondary land" is land that is not in use as crop land or pasture land, including forests, grasslands, bare ground and vegetated wetlands. "Primary land" is land that has not undergone lulcc (land use or land cover change) due to human disturbance. "Secondary land" is land that has previously been used for agriculture, urban development or logging and has subsequently been abandoned. Reference: Hurtt et al. (2011), Climatic Change, 109 - 117, Harmonization of land-use scenarios for the period 1500–2100: 600 years of global gridded annual land-use transitions, wood harvest, and resulting secondary lands, doi: 10.1007/s10584-011-0153-2. "Primary and secondary land" refers to land use or management, rather than to specific categories of vegetation cover, e.g. the primary and secondary succession of plant species. | 2017-02-21 |
| primdetr | primary deciduous trees | A primary forest is a naturally regenerated forest of native species, where there are no clearly visible indications of human activities and the ecological processes are not significantly disturbed. Reference: 'Global Forest Resources Assessment: Terms and Definitions', Forestry Department of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, Rome 2010, www.fao.org/forestry/14241-0d7b74f45b0d2cfef31599cc17e4c28cd.pdf. Deciduous trees lose their leaves seasonally, for example, during winter in high latitudes or following seasonal variations in rainfall. | 2013-07-11 |
| primevtr | primary evergreen trees | A primary forest is a naturally regenerated forest of native species, where there are no clearly visible indications of human activities and the ecological processes are not significantly disturbed. Reference: 'Global Forest Resources Assessment: Terms and Definitions', Forestry Department of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, Rome 2010, www.fao.org/forestry/14241-0d7b74f45b0d2cfef31599cc17e4c28cd.pdf. Evergreen trees have leaves in all seasons. | 2013-07-11 |
| cfrainac | rain | An area_ type of "rain" indicates that falling rain is present at some level within the atmospheric column above an area of the surface of the Earth. | 2015-07-08 |
| sea | sea | The area occupied by type "sea" is equal to the sum of the areas of types "ice_ free_ sea" and "sea_ ice". | 2016-05-17 |
| sea_ice | sea ice | The area occupied by type "sea_ ice" is the sum of the areas of types "sea_ ice_ melt_ pond" and "melt_ pond_ free_ sea_ ice". The area occupied by type "sea" is equal to the sum of the areas of types "ice_ free_ sea" and "sea_ ice". | 2016-05-17 |
| CFAT04MP | sea ice melt pond | The area classified as type "sea_ ice" within a grid cell is unaltered when an area of type "sea_ ice_ melt_ pond" is also present because melt ponds occur on top of the existing sea ice. | 2016-05-17 |
| ATSIRIDG | sea ice ridges | Sea ice "ridging" occurs in rough sea conditions. The motion of the sea surface can cause areas of sea ice to deform and fold resulting in ridged upper and lower surfaces. The ridges can be as much as twenty metres thick if thick ice is deformed. | 2018-03-13 |
| secodetr | secondary deciduous trees | A secondary forest is a forest that has been logged and has recovered naturally or artificially. Reference: 'Report of the ad hoc technical expert group on forest biological diversity', United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, www.cbd.int/forest/definitions.shtml. Deciduous trees lose their leaves seasonally, for example, during winter in high latitudes or following seasonal variations in rainfall. | 2013-07-11 |
| secoevtr | secondary evergreen trees | A secondary forest is a forest that has been logged and has recovered naturally or artificially. Reference: 'Report of the ad hoc technical expert group on forest biological diversity', United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, www.cbd.int/forest/definitions.shtml. Evergreen trees have leaves in all seasons. | 2013-07-11 |
| cfshrubs | shrubs | The distinction between trees and shrubs is model dependent. | 2013-07-11 |
| cfsmokes | smoke | An area_ type of "smoke" indicates that smoke aerosol is present at some level within the atmospheric column above an area of the surface of the Earth. | 2015-07-08 |
| snow | snow | 2013-01-08 | |
| cfsnfrla | snow free land | 2015-07-08 | |
| CFAT11SC | stratiform cloud | This area type complements the "convective_ cloud" area type, which is the other major category of cloud. The "cloud" area type is a more general term and includes both convective_ cloud and stratiform_ cloud types. | 2023-07-05 |
| cftreess | trees | The distinction between trees and shrubs is model dependent. All trees are C3 plant functional type. | 2013-07-11 |
| ATV9UFZS | unfrozen soil | An area type of "unfrozen_ soil" means that the soil at the surface is unfrozen. Frozen soil may be present at lower levels within a soil model. | 2018-08-06 |
| cfat5urb | urban | Urban land is comprised of areas where much of the land is covered by structures. Included in this category are cities, towns and villages. Reference: Anderson, J.R, E. E. Hardy, J. T. Roach and R. E. Witmer (1976), A Land Use And Land Cover Classification System For Use With Remote Sensor Data, Appendix C Land Use Definitions, Geological Survey Professional Paper 964, A revision of the land use classification system as presented in U.S. Geological Survey Circular 671, https://www.usbr.gov/lc/socal/reports/SMappend_ C.pdf. | 2017-02-21 |
| vegetation | vegetation | 2013-01-08 | |
| cfvoascl | volcanic ash cloud | An area_ type of "volcanic_ ash_ cloud" indicates that volcanic ash aerosol is present at some level within the atmospheric column above an area of the surface of the Earth. | 2015-07-08 |
| ATWETLND | wetland | Wetlands are areas where water covers the soil, or is present either at or near the surface of the soil all year or for varying periods of time during the year, including during the growing season. | 2018-03-13 |
