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GRIB-API definition

NameLiquid volumetric soil moisture (non-frozen)
AbbreviationliqvsmUnitm3 m-3paramId:260210

 

UERRA details

DefinitionLiquid non-frozen volumetric soil moisture on a soil layer.
Validityinstantaneous
Comment

This parameter is to be produced only by Meteo-France

 Sea points should be set as missing values.

To interpret soil moisture and to compare different models the Soil Wetness Index (SWI) is used:
SWI = (soil_moisture - wilting_point) / (field_capacity - wilting_point).
Field capacity corresponds to the maximum value that the model can sustain without precipitation for more than a few hours. The vegetated fraction of the soil evaporates at the maximum rate for soil moisture larger than field capacity and stops evaporating below the permanent wilting point, with a continuous variation between the two extremes.
All Partners are asked to provide the wilting point and the field capacity for each grid point.

 

Soil layers must always start from 1 (0 soil level is the surface by default which is not encoded).


WMO GRIB2 definition

Parameter
Discipline2land surface products
Parameter category3soil products
Parameter number10
liquid volumetric soil moisture (non-frozen)
Level (Meteo-France only)
Type of first fixed surface1151soil level**depth below land surface (m)
Scale factor of first fixed surface0 
Scaled value of first fixed surface0/1/2/3/.../X-1n-1 for the nth soil layer 
Type of second fixed surface106 or 167***
151soil level*"depth below land surface (m)" or "bottom of root zone"***
Scale factor of second fixed surface1 or all bits to 1***0 (cm) or missing***
Scaled value of second fixed surfacevalue in cm or all bits to 1***1 or missing***

*** valid for the 3rd Meteo-France layer (from surface to the bottom of root zone)

1/2/3/.../Xn for the nth soil layer

**newly approved level type (WMO release in May 2016)