Gaussian grid
A Gaussian grid is used in the earth sciences as a gridded horizontal coordinate system for scientific modeling on a sphere (i.e., the approximate shape of the Earth). The grid is rectangular, with a set number of orthogonal coordinates (usually latitude and longitude).
At a given latitude (or parallel), the gridpoints are equally spaced. On the contrary along a longitude (or meridian) the gridpoints are unequally spaced. The spacing between grid points is defined by Gaussian quadrature.[further explanation needed ] By contrast, in the "normal" geographic latitude-longitude grid, gridpoints are equally spaced along both latitudes and longitudes. Gaussian grids also have no grid points at the poles.
In a regular Gaussian grid, the number of gridpoints along the longitudes is constant, usually double the number along the latitudes. In a reduced (or thinned) Gaussian grid, the number of gridpoints in the rows decreases towards the poles, which keeps the gridpoint separation approximately constant across the sphere.
Examples of Gaussian grids
[edit ]- CCCma global climate models of climate change
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- European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts
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- ×ばつ400
- ×ばつ512
- ×ばつ800
- ×ばつ1024
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- Features for ERA-40 grids Archived 2016年09月25日 at the Wayback Machine
See also
[edit ]References
[edit ]- NCAR Command Language documentation
- W.M. Washington and C.L. Parkinson, 2005. An Introduction to Three-Dimensional Climate Modeling. Sausalito, CA, University Science Books. 368 pp.
- Hortal, Mariano, and A. J. Simmons, 1991. Use of reduced Gaussian grids in spectral models. Monthly Weather Review 119.4 : 1057-1074.
