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

 Sea points should be set as missing values. 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
Type of first fixed surface151soil level**
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 surface151soil level*
Scale factor of second fixed surface0 
Scaled value of second fixed surface1/2/3/.../Xn for the nth soil layer

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

1 Comment

  1. Regarding soil layers or levels which could be used please refer to the comment at Volumetric soil water

    If this parameter only Meteo-France produces the soil layers could be defined as usually between appropriate levels below surface (without the need of the new soil layer type):

    1. top 1cm
    2. top 5cm
    3. from surface to the bottom of root zone (Type of second fixed surface 167)