 |
|
Model Assignment Additional Information
Some additional bits and
pieces of information for you, based on common questions asked during the
modelling practical on February 7th.
- The timestep of the model is proportional to the square of the depth grid cell size. If the model appears to run a little too slowly, then reduce the number of depth cells in the Physics menu (remember grid cell size = depth / number of grid cells). However, do not use less than 10 grid cells as the results will become very poorly resolved. A grid cell size of 5 metres worked well in the SUCS pc cluster. In the MSc room some pcs are faster than that, others are slower.
- The file SURFACE.DAT contains much of the information you need. The column Tchl is the depth-integrated chlorophyll concentration (mg m-2).
- If you want to rename a data file from the Output menu, do it before you run the model. The model writes to the filenames during the run.
- Use WORDPAD to open up the data files. Excel can do strange things to the data columns. Any standard text editor is better than Excel.
- Do not forget to close a data file before you re-run the model. The model will generate an error and stop if you try to get it to write data to an open file (Wordpad and Excel are not able to share files with other applications).
- Start the modelling exercise by loading the initialisation file default.txt. The exercise will not make much sense unless you start with that file of input parameters. Never overwrite default.txt; it provides a fixed, known starting point for any of the work you do with the model.
- Remember that you are conducting experiments with the model. Be methodical. Before you start an edxperiment, carefully plan what you want to do, particularly for question 5. Keep a good set on notes through the experiment to help make the write-up easier.
- The software is FREE. Take it with you if you want.
Any other questions,
just ask.
School of Ocean and Earth Science
University of Southampton
Southampton Oceanography Centre
European WaySouthampton SO14 3ZH, United Kingdom
Tel. +44 (0)23 80596490
Author: Jonathan Sharples