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nam218
A simple R language interface to NOMADS NAM forecasts and archives.
Parameters vary by the forecast hour. (Note - some of the docs seems to not match served data file contents. Check carefully for discrepancies.)
Catalog-dataset mishaps
There are some entires days missing from the catalog. While slightly annoying this generally is not an issue as the catalogs will properly match the missingness of the datasets ( ala catalog == dataset). Unfortunately, sometimes the catalog will indicate a dataset is present when in fact it is not available ( ala catalog != dataset). Some attempt has been made to resolve the latter issue - trying to open an unavailable OPeNDAP dataset that is listed in the THREDDS catalog will cause the main object class to return as NULL. At the time of this writing you can see an example here at 0000_051.grib
Requirements
- R version 3.0 or higher
And packages...
Installation
It's fairly easy to install using Hadley Wickham's devtools.
library(devtools)
install_github("BigelowLab/threddscrawler")
install_github('BigelowLab/nam218')Realtime Forecasts aka 'namcast'
An example and more specifically we typically use the NAM every 3 hours fcst staring from 00Z
Grid node locations are given by lat,lon coordinates. We use the NAMcast
reference object to handle this data source. Note that the variable names and
content organization are different than for Analyses ans Archived Forecasts
uri = format(Sys.Date(),"http://nomads.ncep.noaa.gov/dods/nam/nam%Y%m%d/nam_00z" )
Z = NAMcast(uri)
Z
Reference Class: "NAMcastRefClass"
state: open
file: http://nomads.ncep.noaa.gov/dods/nam/nam20180221/nam_00z
VARS:
absvprs [lon,lat,lev,time]
no4lftx180_0mb [lon,lat,time]
acpcpsfc [lon,lat,time]
...
weasdsfc [lon,lat,time]
wiltsfc [lon,lat,time]
DIMS:
lat[443]
lev[42]
lon[913]
time[29]
Archived Forecasts
An example
Note that these grids are projected Lamber Conformal Conic lcc. Data covers
2016-06 through present - typically lagging 'current' by 2 days.
Forecasts are available for forecast statement times ftime = 0000, 0600, 1200, 1800
with look-ahead times ahead = (hourly) 000-036, (3 hourly) 039-084
Contents accessed using the NAM218 reference class and are arranged as shown
above for Analyses
Analyses
Not all variables extend through the entire 2004-present period (surface vis and cloud cover examples) Somewhere along the line the format changed from GRB (ugg) to GRB2 (readable by ncdf4) We need a switch to navigate the GRB/GRB2 change if GRB use rNOMADS if GRB2 use ncdf4
An example
Note that these grids are projected Lamber Conformal Conic lcc. Data covers 2004-03 through present - typically lagging 'current' by 2 days.
Forecasts are available for forecast statement times ftime = 0000, 0600, 1200, 1800 with look-ahead times ahead = 000, 001, 002, 002, 006
Y = NAM218('https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/thredds/dodsC/namanl/201802/20180219/namanl_218_20180219_0600_000.grb2')
Y
Reference Class: "NAM218RefClass"
state: open
file: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/thredds/dodsC/namanl/201802/20180219/namanl_218_20180219_0600_000.grb2
VARS:
LambertConformal_Projection
reftime
height_above_ground_layer_bounds [height_above_ground_layer_bounds_1,height_above_ground_layer]
...
Dewpoint_temperature_height_above_ground [x,y,height_above_ground,time]
Geopotential_height_isobaric [x,y,isobaric1,time]
...
v-component_of_wind_tropopause [x,y,time]
v-component_of_wind_planetary_boundary [x,y,time]
v-component_of_wind_pressure_difference_layer [x,y,pressure_difference_layer2,time]
DIMS:
depth_below_surface[1]
depth_below_surface_layer[4]
...
sigma_layer[1]
sigma_layer_bounds_1[2]
time[1]
x[614]
y[428]
Examples
Finding data with a query...
library(nam218)
dataset <- query_nam218(what = 'analysis', date = '20080704', ftime = '1200')
dataset[[1]]
# Reference Class: "DatasetsRefClass"
# verbose_mode: FALSE
# url: https://nomads.ncdc.noaa.gov/thredds/catalog/namanl/200807/20080704/namanl_218_20080704_1200_000.grb
# children: dataSize date
# datasets: NAOnce you have identified the resource then you can instantiate a NAM reference class to get data.
# extract an OPeNDAP url
uri <- nam218_url(dataset[[1]], what = 'OPeNDAP')
uri
# [1] "https://nomads.ncdc.noaa.gov/thredds/dodsC/namanl/200807/20080704/namanl_218_20080704_1200_000.grb"
# create the NetCDF handler
X <- NAM218(uri)
# retrieve a layer and show it
RH <- X$get_layer("Relative_humidity")
RH
# class : RasterLayer
# dimensions : 428, 614, 262792 (nrow, ncol, ncell)
# resolution : 12.17114, 12.16252 (x, y)
# extent : -4226.107, 3246.976, -832.6983, 4372.859 (xmin, xmax, ymin, ymax)
# coord. ref. : +proj=lcc +lat_1=25 +lat_0=25 +lon_0=-95 +k_0=1 +x_0=0 +y_0=0 +a=6367470.21484375 +b=6367470.21484375 +units=km +no_defs
# data source : in memory
# names : Relative_humidity
# values : 4, 100 (min, max)
library(raster)
sp::spplot(RH)
As a convenience a spatial subset can be requested with a bounding box specified as [left, right, bottom, top]. The inout and output subset coordinate system can be specified in NAM218 native coordinates lambert conformal conic or in longlat using the from_proj and to_proj arguments.
BBOX <- c(-72,-63,39,46)
R_lcc <- X$get_layer("Relative_humidity", bb = BBOX, from_proj = 'longlat', to_proj = 'native')
R_lcc
# class : RasterLayer
# dimensions : 80, 77, 6160 (nrow, ncol, ncell)
# resolution : 11.99663, 11.9678 (x, y)
# extent : 1901.858, 2825.599, 1745.543, 2702.967 (xmin, xmax, ymin, ymax)
# coord. ref. : +proj=lcc +lat_1=25 +lat_0=25 +lon_0=-95 +k_0=1 +x_0=0 +y_0=0 +a=6367470.21484375 +b=6367470.21484375 +units=km +no_defs
# data source : in memory
# names : Relative_humidity
# values : 56, 100 (min, max)
R_ll <- X$get_layer("Relative_humidity", bb = BBOX, from_proj = 'longlat', to_proj = 'longlat')
R_ll
# class : RasterLayer
# dimensions : 110, 104, 11440 (nrow, ncol, ncell)
# resolution : 0.136, 0.1 (x, y)
# extent : -74.21129, -60.06729, 36.93508, 47.93508 (xmin, xmax, ymin, ymax)
# coord. ref. : +proj=longlat +datum=WGS84 +ellps=WGS84 +towgs84=0,0,0
# data source : in memory
# names : Relative_humidity
# values : 56.18131, 100 (min, max)