[ncl-talk] weighted averages

[Dennis Shea]

Some references that ma/may-not be of help:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaussian_grid
http://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/pdf/10.1175/1520-0493%
281999%29127%3C1872%3ASAMDF%3E2.0.CO%3B2

*Question 1:  *Is it appropriate to apply the gaussian weights method to my
grid?

Yes. T42  (64 lat x 128 lon) is a gaussian grid where a spectral Triangular
truncation has been applied.
The gaussian weights should be on the file [likely named: *gwt*].

In short, use the gaussian weights.
---

If grid point weights (gaussian or, say, cos(lat)) are not provided you
must calculate them:

(a) Gaussian Weights: https://www.ncl.ucar.edu/Document/Functions/
Contributed/latGauWgt.shtml
      This uses a fortran code that that yields gaussian weights such that
global integrals will be exact.
       The output matches what the models use.

(b) Latitudinal weighting: https://www.ncl.ucar.edu/Document/Functions/
Contributed/latRegWgt.shtml


*Question 2: *What is not clear to me is why do we write dy(0) =
abs(lat(2)-lat(1))*rr?

Why do we not write dy(0) = abs(lat(1)-lat(0))*rr instead?

---

Well if they are equally spaced it does not make any difference.
Likely, when I wrote this documentation I was mentally using fortran
subscripting/indexing (1-based) rather the C- which uses 0-based
subscripting.


On Fri, Oct 27, 2017 at 7:44 AM, Amanda Frigola <afrigola at marum.de> wrote:

> Dear all,
>
> I was trying to calculate a weighted average with a gaussian grid (CAM
> model, T42).
>
> I found this link:
> http://www.ncl.ucar.edu/Document/Functions/Built-in/wgt_areaave.shtml
>
> The first example described in there suggests three possible different
> methods:
> 1. cell area method
> 2. gaussian weights method
> ​3. cos(lat) method.
>
> I would like to use either the first or the second methods.
> I would have two questions.
>
> *Question one*: Is it appropriate to apply the gaussian weights method to
> my grid? The appropriateness of this method is based on the assumption that
> the gaussian weights are proportional to the cell areas. What are the
> gaussian weights? How are they calculated? And why are they proportional to
> the cell areas?
>
> *Question two*: The code provided in the link above to calculate the
> weighted average using the cell area method is as follows:
>
>   lat   = f->lat
>   lon   = f->lon
>
>   jlat  = *dimsizes* <http://www.ncl.ucar.edu/Document/Functions/Built-in/dimsizes.shtml>( lat )
>
>   rad    = 4.0**atan* <http://www.ncl.ucar.edu/Document/Functions/Built-in/atan.shtml>(1.0)/180.0
>   re     = 6371220.0
>   rr     = re*rad
>
>   dlon   = *abs* <http://www.ncl.ucar.edu/Document/Functions/Built-in/abs.shtml>(lon(2)-lon(1))*rr
>   dx     = dlon**cos* <http://www.ncl.ucar.edu/Document/Functions/Built-in/cos.shtml>(lat*rad)
>
>   dy     = *new* <http://www.ncl.ucar.edu/Document/Functions/Built-in/new.shtml> ( jlat, *typeof* <http://www.ncl.ucar.edu/Document/Functions/Built-in/typeof.shtml>(dx))
>
>   dy(0)  = *abs* <http://www.ncl.ucar.edu/Document/Functions/Built-in/abs.shtml>(lat(2)-lat(1))*rr
>   dy(1:jlat-2)  = *abs* <http://www.ncl.ucar.edu/Document/Functions/Built-in/abs.shtml>(lat(2:jlat-1)-lat(0:jlat-3))*rr*0.5
>   dy(jlat-1)    = *abs* <http://www.ncl.ucar.edu/Document/Functions/Built-in/abs.shtml>(lat(jlat-1)-lat(jlat-2))*rr
>
>   area   = dx*dy
>
>  uAve_area = *wgt_areaave*(u, area, 1.0, 1)
>
>
> My question regards the way dy is calculated.
>
> I understand that dy(0) and dy(jlat-1) need to be calculated in a different way, because the general expression dy(j)= abs(lat(j+1)-lat(j-1))*rr*0.5, is not defined for j=0 and j=(jlat-1), since the subscript of the
>
> function lat would go out of range. What is not clear to me is why do we write dy(0) = abs(lat(2)-lat(1))*rr?
>
> Why do we not write dy(0) = abs(lat(1)-lat(0))*rr instead?
>
> Hope you can help,
>
> Amanda
>
>
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