ncl-metno home

shell scripts:

documentation (v.1.0):


NCL at met.no

The ncl-metno shell scripts

Before you can use the ncl-metno shell script, you must install NCL on your system. Download NCL from its webite at http://www.ncl.ucar.edu and install NCL on your system. Then, when you proceed to installing the ncl-metno software, follow the instructions from the README file. Note in particular that nothing will work unless you set some paths in the executable INSTALL script file, and then execute that script.

Below is a list of shell scripts that were developed at met.no. These were written for use with netCDF files, and will generate NCL scripts that are subsequently run (and usually deleted). The documentation of the scripts are divided into two parts. First, one or more examples are presented, and then the syntax is provided and described.

    The main scripts are (in alphabetical order):
  • addlayers.sh: adds values for a variable from a set of adjacent levels (e.g. layer thicknesses from isopycnic models)
  • c-mask.sh (contours, masked): first masks one field based on values from another field, and then draws filled contours for the result
  • contour.sh: draws filled contours for x-y fields, which may be extracted from 3- or 4-dimensional fields
  • Dcontour.sh: draws filled contours for differences between x-y fields, which may be extracted from 3- or 4-dimensional fields
  • layersection.sh: draws filled contours for crossections of layered results (along the x- or y-direction)
  • Scontour.sh: as Dcontour.sh, but adds values from two fields (e.g. useful for adding means and anomalies)
  • section.sh: filled contours for crossection (e.g. useful for Hovmøller plots)
  • slice.sh: draws filled contours for z-levels from layered results
  • Svector.sh: draws vectors based on the sum of two vector fields (e.g. useful for adding barotropic and baroclinic vector fields; NOTE that for 4D fields, the third dimension, usually z, is omitted for the 2nd vector field)
  • transport.sh: displays transports as vectors on filled contours of fluxes
  • v-on-c.sh (vectors-on-contours): draws vectors on filled contours for x-y fields, which may be extracted from 3- or 4-dimensional fields
  • vector.sh: draws vectors

Let's assume that you install the scripts above in the directory