List of vertical Layers and horizontal Coverages
Vertical dimension
In OSCAR, a 'layer' refers to a range of altitude or depth where a physical variable is measured and a requirement for this variable is applicable.
This concept allows assigning different requirements for the same variable depending on the considered altitude or depth.
This table lists all layers sorted by domain.
| Domain | Acronym | Full name | Definition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atmosphere | TC |
Total column | |
| TrC |
Troposphere column | ||
| MUS |
Mid-upper stratosphere | ||
| UTLS |
Upper troposphere / lower stratosphere | ||
| FT |
Free troposphere | ||
| PBL |
Planetary boundary layer | ||
| Near Surface |
At the surface (in the air) | ||
| Cloud-top |
At the cloud top surface | ||
| TOA |
Top of the atmosphere | ||
| LoThermo |
Low Thermosphere (From 100 km to 200 km altitude) | ||
| HiThermo |
High Thermosphere (From 200 to about 500 km altitude) | ||
| M |
Mesosphere | ||
| Ocean | Sea surface |
Surface of the ocean | |
| Bulk |
Bulk layer (ocean sub-surface) | ||
| Upper oc |
Upper ocean | ||
| Deep oc |
Deep ocean | ||
| Terrestrial | Land surface |
Land surface | |
| Root |
Root region of the soil | ||
| Deep soil |
Deep soil layer | ||
| Interior |
Interior earth | ||
| Outer Space | Ionos |
Ionosphere | |
| L1 |
At Lagrange point L1 (about 1,500,000 km from Earth) | ||
| L4-L5 |
At Lagrange points L4, L5 | ||
| Geo |
Around the geostationary orbit | ||
| Leo |
Low Earth Orbit altitude range | ||
| Meo |
Medium Earth Orbit altitude range | ||
| Helio |
In the whole heliosphere | ||
| Sun |
Solar surface and atmosphere | ||
| Magnet |
Magnetosphere | ||
| Cross-cutting (depricated) | n/a (2D) |
Not applicable. 2D field, no altitude dependence | |
| n/a |
Not applicable. No altitude dependence |
Horizontal dimension
The “horizontal coverage“ parameter locates where the variable is to be observed in the horizontal dimension.
From a list of 8 options, exactly one entry must be specified. The options are: Global; Global Land; Global Ocean; Coastal areas;
Regional (the applicable WMO Region/s to be specified in Comments); Sub-regional (area of magnitude 1000x1000 km to be specified in Comments);
Local (area of magnitude 100x100 km to be specified in Comments); and Point (specific locations to be specified in Comments).
This table lists all 'horizontal coverage' types used in OSCAR to further specify where a specific Requirement is applicable,
e.g., only over the oceans, at specific points (Airports), regionally or globally.
| Name | Definition |
|---|---|
| Global | Applicable globally |
| Global ocean | Globally applicable to oceans and ocean surfaces |
| Global land | Globally applicable to land surfaces and over land surfaces |
| Costal areas | Globally applicable to coastal areas |
| Regional | Applicable in specific WMO regions as defined in "Comments" |
| Sub-regional | Applicable in specific areas of typically 1000*1000 km to be defined in "Comments" |
| Local | Applicable in specific areas of typically 100 *100 km to be defined in "Comments" |
| Point | Applicable at specific locations, e.g. Airports, to be defined in "Comments" |