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Public access to the SalishSeaCast model products
   
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SalishSeaCast ERDDAP

ERDDAP is a data server that gives you a simple, consistent way to download subsets of scientific datasets in common file formats and make graphs and maps.

This particular ERDDAP installation has model product datasets from the SalishSeaCast system run by the Mesoscale Ocean and Atmospheric Dynamics (MOAD) group in the Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences (EOAS) at the University of British Columbia (UBC). Available datasets include surface and 3D fields of currents, temperature, salinity, sea surface height, biological and chemical tracers from NEMO and FVCOM, and wave fields WaveWatch3(TM), as well as the Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) High Resolution Deterministic Preduction System (HRDPS) atmospheric model fields used to force the models. Also available are aggregated datasets from selected Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) real-time sensors, and a real-time current dataset from a Vancouver Fraser Port Authority (VFPA) sensor at the 2nd Narrows railway bridge in Vancouver Harbour.

Please see https://salishsea.eos.ubc.ca/ for more information about the model and the SalishSeaCast system.

V19-05 NEMO Model is Live!

The V19-05 version of the NEMO model went into daily production on 2020-02-16; please see details below. The V18-12 datasets were removed from this ERDDAP on 31-Mar-20.

A hindcast using the V19-05 model configuration starting from 2007-01-01 has been completed. Results from that hindcast are included in the V19-05 datasets.

The hindcast was spun up for 2 years with its first year's forcing and boundary conditions. The spin-up years are not included in the V19-05 datasets.

The rolling forecast datasets have transitioned to results from the V19-05 model configuration. The version part of the rolling forecast dataset ids was dropped on 2-Jul-2019 to reflect the fact that those datasets transition smoothly from one model version to the next. Please see the summary metadata item to learn what model version is producing the most recent fields in the rolling forecast datasets.

Changes Between V18-12 and V19-05

  • Improved parameter tuning of biological model parameter
  • Correction applied to deep nitrate on western open boundary
  • New bottom boundary condition for dissolved silica
  • Addition of carbon model based on dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), total alkalinity (TA), and dissolved oxygen (DO) tracer variables

Citing SalishSeaCast Datasets

If you use datasets from this ERDDAP server in your research, please reference it with wording similar to these examples, and include citations of the publications below.

Example reference for physics-only datasets:

Velocity, temperature, and salinity fields from the SalishSeaCast model (Soontiens et al, 2016; Soontiens and Allen, 2017) were downloaded from their ERDDAP server (https://salishsea.eos.ubc.ca/erddap/) on DATE from datasets: DATASETID, DATASETID, ...

Example reference for biological datasets:

Nitrate, silicon, and diatom fields from the SalishSeaCast model (Soontiens et al, 2016; Moore-Maley et al, 2016; Soontiens and Allen, 2017; Olson et al, 2020) were downloaded from their ERDDAP server (https://salishsea.eos.ubc.ca/erddap/) on DATE from datasets: DATASETID, DATASETID, ...

In either case, you substitute in the DATE(s) on which you downloaded the fields, and the DATASETID(s) you downloaded from. The DATE(s) and DATASETID(s) help to ensure reproducibility of your work. DATASETID(s) look like ubcSSg3DTracerFields1hV19-05 and are listed in the rightmost column of the table at https://salishsea.eos.ubc.ca/erddap/info/index.html

Publications to Cite

Olson, E. M., Allen, S. E., Do, Vy, Dunphy, M., and Ianson, D., 2020. Assessment of Nutrient Supply by a Tidal Jet in the Northern Strait of Georgia Based on a Biogeochemical Model. J. Geophys. Res. Oceans 125(8). https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JC015766

Soontiens, N. and Allen, S., 2017. Modelling sensitivities to mixing and advection in a sill-basin estuarine system. Ocean Modelling, 112, 17-32. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ocemod.2017.02.008

Soontiens, N., Allen, S., Latornell, D., Le Souef, K., Machuca, I., Paquin, J.-P., Lu, Y., Thompson, K., Korabel, V., 2016. Storm surges in the Strait of Georgia simulated with a regional model. Atmosphere-Ocean, 54, 1-21. https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07055900.2015.1108899

Moore-Maley, B. L., Allen, S. E., and Ianson, D., 2016. Locally-driven interannual variability of near-surface pH and ΩA in the Strait of Georgia. J. Geophys. Res. Oceans, 121(3), 1600–1625. https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/2015JC011118

Easier Access to Scientific Data

Our focus is on making it easier for you to get scientific data.

Different scientific communities have developed different types of data servers.

For example, OPeNDAP, WCS, SOS, OBIS, and countless custom web pages with forms. Each is great on its own. But without ERDDAP, it is difficult to get data from different types of servers:

  • Different data servers make you format your data request in different ways.
  • Different data servers return data in different formats, usually not the common file format that you want.
  • Different datasets use different formats for time data, so the results are hard to compare.

ERDDAP unifies the different types of data servers so you have a consistent way to get the data you want, in the format you want.

  • ERDDAP acts as a middleman between you and various remote data servers. When you request data from ERDDAP, ERDDAP reformats the request into the format required by the remote server, sends the request to the remote server, gets the data, reformats the data into the format that you requested, and sends the data to you. You no longer have to go to different data servers to get data from different datasets.
     
  • ERDDAP offers an easy-to-use, consistent way to request data: via the OPeNDAP standard. Many datasets can also be accessed via ERDDAP's Web Map Service (WMS).
     
  • ERDDAP returns data in the common file format of your choice. ERDDAP offers all data as .html table, ESRI .asc and .csv, Google Earth .kml, OPeNDAP binary, .mat, .nc, ODV .txt, .csv, .tsv, .json, and .xhtml. So you no longer have to waste time and effort reformatting data.
     
  • ERDDAP can also return a .png or .pdf image with a customized graph or map.
     
  • ERDDAP standardizes the dates+times in the results. Data from other data servers is hard to compare because the dates+times often are expressed in different formats (for example, "Jan 2, 1985", 2 Jan 85, 02-JAN-1985, 1/2/85, 2/1/85, 1985-01-02, "days since Jan 1, 1900"). For string times, ERDDAP always uses the ISO 8601:2004(E) standard format, for example, 1985-01-02T00:00:00Z. For numeric times, ERDDAP always uses "seconds since 1970-01-01T00:00:00Z". ERDDAP always uses the Zulu (UTC, GMT) time zone to remove the difficulties of working with different time zones and standard time vs. daylight saving time. ERDDAP has a service to convert a string time to/from a numeric time.
     
  • ERDDAP has web pages (for humans with browsers) and RESTful web services (for computer programs). You can bypass ERDDAP's web pages and use ERDDAP's RESTful web services (for example, for searching for datasets, for downloading data, for making maps) directly from any computer program (for example, Matlab, R, or a program that you write) and even from web pages (via HTML image tags or JavaScript).

For a quick introduction to ERDDAP, watch the first half of this YouTube video (external link). (5 minutes) In it, a scientist downloads ocean currents forecast data from ERDDAP to model a toxic spill in the ocean using NOAA's GNOME software (external link) (in 5 minutes!). Thanks to Rich Signell. (One tiny error in the video: when searching for datasets, don't use AND between search terms. It is implicit.)

Find out more about ERDDAP.

Data Providers: You can set up your own ERDDAP server and serve your own data. ERDDAP is free and open source. It uses Apache-like licenses, so you can do anything you want with it. ERDDAP's appearance is customizable, so your ERDDAP will reflect your institution, not NOAA. The small effort to set up ERDDAP brings many benefits. If you already have a web service for distributing your data, you can set up ERDDAP to access your data via the existing service or via the source files or database. Then, people will have another way to access your data and will be able to download the data in additional file formats or as graphs or maps. ERDDAP has been installed by over 60 organizations worldwide. NOAA's Data Access Procedural Directive (external link) includes ERDDAP in its list of recommended data servers for use by groups within NOAA.

       

Start Using ERDDAP:
    Search for Interesting Datasets

 


Converters
In addition to serving data, ERDDAP has some handy converters:

Acronyms Convert a Common Oceanic/Atmospheric Acronym to/from a Full Name
FIPS County Codes Convert a FIPS County Code to/from a County Name
Keywords Convert a CF Standard Name to/from a GCMD Science Keyword
Time Convert a String Time to/from a Numeric Time
Units Convert UDUNITS to/from Unified Code for Units of Measure (UCUM)
Variable Names Convert a Common Oceanic/Atmospheric Variable Name to/from a Full Name

Metadata
ERDDAP has an
FGDC Web Accessible Folder (WAF) with FGDC‑STD‑001‑1998 (external link) metadata files and an
ISO 19115 Web Accessible Folder (WAF) with ISO 19115‑2/19139 (external link) metadata files for all of the geospatial datasets in this ERDDAP.

RESTful Web Services
You can bypass ERDDAP's web pages and use ERDDAP's RESTful web services (for example, for searching for datasets, for downloading data, for making maps) directly from any computer program (for example, Matlab, R, or a program that you write) and even from web pages (via HTML image tags or JavaScript). REST documentation

And

Status The Status web page is a quick way to check the current status/health of this ERDDAP, including a list of datasets which failed to load.
Out-Of-Date Datasets The Out-Of-Date Datasets web page displays a list of near-real-time datasets, ranked by how out-of-date they are.
Subscription System ERDDAP has an email/URL subscription system so that you can be notified immediately whenever a dataset changes (for example, whenever new data is added to a near-real-time dataset).
Slide Sorter Anyone can use ERDDAP's Slide Sorter to build a personal web page that displays graphs with the latest data (or other images or HTML content), each in its own, draggable slide.
Data Provider Form The Data Provider Form is for people who have data and want it to be served by this ERDDAP. It collects basic information about the dataset and emails it to this ERDDAP's administrator.

 
ERDDAP, Version 1.82
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