Configuration Specifications¶
This page documents the various options and parameters that can be set in the configuration file.
MetSim Section¶
Required Variables
time_step :: int: The timestep to disaggregate in minutes. If given as 1440
(number of minutes in a day), no disaggregation will occur. This value must
divide 1440 evenly.
start :: str: The time to start simulation given in the format
yyyy/mm/dd or yyyy/mm/dd:hh.
stop :: str: The time to end simulation given in the format
yyyy/mm/dd.
forcing :: path: The path to the input forcing file(s). See the section
on __forcing_vars__ for more details.
domain :: path: The path to the input domain file. See the section on
__domain_vars__ for more details.
state :: path: The path to the input state file.
out_dir :: path: The location to write output to. If this path doesn’t
exist, it will be created.
out_state :: path/filename.nc: The location to write state file to.
forcing_fmt :: str: A string representing the type of input files specified in
the forcing entry. Can be one of the following: ascii, binary,
netcdf, or data.
state_fmt :: str: A string representing the type of state file specified in
the state entry. Can be either netcdf or data.
domain_fmt :: str: A string representing the type of state file specified in
the domain entry. Can be either netcdf or data.
out_fmt:: str: A string representing the type of output to write to
out_dir. Can be either netcdf, data, or ascii.
method :: str: A string representing the simulation methods to use. The
current implementation only supports mtclim.
Optional Variables
out_prefix :: str: The output file base name. Defaults to forcing.
out_precision :: str: Precision to use when writing output. Defaults to
f8. Can be either f4 or f8.
annual :: bool: Whether to chunk up the timeseries into years for
processing. This option is useful to set for when you are limited on
memory. Each year of output is written as {out_prefix}_{year} when
active.
iter_dims :: list: The dimensions of input data to iterate over to
accumulate sites. Defaults to ['lat', 'lon'].
verbose :: bool: Whether to print output to stdout. Should be set using
the -v flag for command line usage. This can be set for scripting purposes,
if desired. Set to 1 to print output; defaults to 0.
sw_prec_thresh :: float: Minimum precipitation threshold to take into
account when simulating incoming shortwave radiation. Defaults to 0.
mtclim_swe_corr :: bool: Whether to activate MtClim’s SWE correction
algorithm. Default to False.
lw_cloud :: str: Type of cloud correction to longwave radiation to apply.
Can be either DEFAULT or CLOUD_DEARDORFF. Defaults to
CLOUD_DEARDORFF. Capitalization does not matter.
lw_type :: str: Type of longwave radiation parameterization to apply. Can be
one of the following: DEFAULT, TVA, ANDERSON, BRUTSAERT,
SATTERLUND, IDSO, or PRATA. Defaults to PRATA. Capitalization
does not matter.
tdew_tol :: float: Convergence criteria for the iterative calculation of
dewpoint temperature in MtClim. Defaults to 1e-6.
tmax_daylength_fraction :: float : Weight for calculation of time of maximum
daily temperature. Must be between 0 and 1. Defaults to 0.67.
snow_crit_temp :: float: Critical temperature for snow to melt. Defaults to
-6.0 C.
snow_melt_rate :: float: Melt rate when temperature is less than
snow_crit_temp. Defaults to 0.042 cm/K.
rain_scalar :: float: Scale factor for calculation of cloudy sky
transmittance. Defaults to 0.75, range should be between 0 and
1.
tday_coef :: float: Scale factor for calculation of daily mean temperature.
Defaults to 0.45, range should be between 0 and 1.
lapse_rate :: float: Used to calculate atmospheric pressure. Defaults to
0.0065 K/m.
out_vars :: list : List of variables to write to output. Should be a list
containing valid variables. The list of valid variables is dependent on which
simulation method is used, as well as whether disaggregation is used. Defaults
to ['temp', 'prec', 'shortwave', 'longwave', 'vapor_pressure', 'red_humid'].
For more information about input and output variables see the Input Specifications page.
forcing_vars and state_vars section¶
The forcing_vars and state_vars sections are where you can specify which variables are in your
input data, and the corresponding symbols which MetSim will recognize. The
format of this section depends on the value given in the in_fmt entry in
the MetSim section of the configuration file. See below for conventions for
each input type.
netcdf and data¶
The in_vars section for NetCDF and xarray input acts as a mapping between the variable
names in the input dataset to the variable names expected by MetSim. The format
is given as netcdf_varname = metsim_varname. The minimum required variables
given have metsim_varname``s corresponding to ``t_min, t_max, and
prec; these variable names correspond to minimum daily temperature (Celcius),
maximum daily temperature (Celcius), and precipitation (mm/day).
ascii¶
The in_vars section for ASCII input acts similarly to the NetCDF input
format, except for one key point. Variables should be given as a tautology: the
format is given as metsim_varname = metsim_varname. The order that the
variables are given corresponds to the column numbers that they appear in the
input files. The minimum required variables are t_min, t_max, and
prec; these variable names correspond to minimum daily temperature (Celcius),
maximum daily temperature (Celcius), and precipitation (mm/day).
binary¶
This section has an input style for binary files that mimics the VIC version 4
input style. Each line is specified as varname = scale cdatatype, where
varname is the name that MetSim should use for the column, scale is a
floating point scaling factor that should be applied after conversion from
binary to floating point; the conversion applied by the scale is applied
after the value in the input is converted from binary to the cdatatype
specified for each variable. Valid cdatatype``s are ``signed and
unsigned. signed values are interpreted as values which can be positive
or negative, whereas unsigned values are interpreted as values that can only
be greater than or equal to zero.
domain_vars section¶
The domain_vars section is where information about the domain file is given.
Since the domain file is given as a NetCDF file this section has a similar
format to that of the NetCDF input file format described above. That is,
entries should be of the form netcdf_varname = metsim_varname. The minimum
required variables have metsim_varname``s corresponding to ``lat, lon,
mask, and elev; these variable names correspond to latitude, longitude,
a mask of valid cells in the domain, and the elevation given in meters.