Descriptor Files

[Gian-Kasper Plattner <plattner@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi all,

I have problems using descriptor files in ferret. I would like to 
compare model output from two different versions of our ocean model, 
which are run on different grids (e.g. 15km and 5km horizontal 
resolution), in order to analyse the resolution-dependence of the 
results. The netcdf files for the two model versions have the exactly 
same output variables (names etc), some of which are time-independent 
(masks, lon, lat etc.) and most are time-dependent. To calculate 
climatological averages over several years, I have created separate 
descriptor files for both model versions. That works fine and I can load 
the files with "set data *.des" and use them in ferret as dataset 1 and 
2. However, it seems as if all the variables that are time-independent 
are overwritten each time I read a new descriptor file into ferret. 
Therefore when I read the 15km file first [d=1] and then the 5km file 
[d=2], the values of all the time-independent variables in dataset 1are 
set to the values from dataset 2!

Did anyone encounter similar problems while using descriptor files? Do I 
have to adapt my descriptor files?

Thanks for your help,

Best regards, Kasper

--
*****************************************

Gian-Kasper Plattner

Biogeochemistry Group
Inst. of Geophysics and Planetary Physics
5839 Slichter Hall
University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1567, USA

Phone: ++1 (310) 206 5445
Fax: ++1 (310) 206 3051
plattner@igpp.ucla.edu
http://quercus.igpp.ucla.edu/~plattner/

*****************************************

&FORMAT_RECORD
D_TYPE        = '  MC',
D_FORMAT      = '  1A',
D_SOURCE_CLASS       = 'MODEL OUTPUT',
/
&BACKGROUND_RECORD
D_EXPNUM      = '0001',
D_MODNUM      = '  AA',
D_TITLE       = '2 year simulation with 15 km grid',
D_T0TIME      = '01-JAN-2000:12:00:00',
D_TIME_UNIT   = 1.0,
D_TIME_MODULO = .FALSE.,
D_CALTYPE     = '360_DAY',
/
&MESSAGE_RECORD
D_MESSAGE     = ' ',
D_ALERT_ON_OPEN      = F,
D_ALERT_ON_OUTPUT    = F,
/
&EXTRA_RECORD
/
&STEPFILE_RECORD
s_filename    = 'usw15_5_flux_euph_avg_Y1.nc.AVG_EUPH_LAYER',
S_AUX_SET_NUM = 0,
S_START       = 3.117324e+08,
S_END  =        3.415404e+08,
S_DELTA       = 1296000.0,
S_REGVARFLAG  = ' ',
/
&STEPFILE_RECORD
S_FILENAME    = 'usw15_5_flux_euph_avg_Y2.nc.AVG_EUPH_LAYER',
S_AUX_SET_NUM = 0,
S_START       = 3.428364e+08,
S_END         = 3.726444e+08,
S_DELTA       = 1296000.0,
S_REGVARFLAG  = ' ',
/
&STEPFILE_RECORD
      s_filename    = '**END OF STEPFILES**'
/