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uv2dv_cfd

Computes divergence using centered finite differences.

Prototype

	function uv2dv_cfd (
		u         : numeric,  
		v         : numeric,  
		lat   [*] : numeric,  
		lon   [*] : numeric,  
		boundOpt  : integer   
	)

	return_val [dimsizes(u)] :  numeric

Arguments

u

A multi-dimensional array containing the zonal wind component. The rightmost two dimensions must be lat and lon.

v

A multi-dimensional array containing the meridional wind component. The rightmost two dimensions must be lat and lon.

lat

A one-dimensional array containing the latitude coordinates in degrees associated with the u and v arrays.

lon

A one-dimensional array containing the longitude coordinates in degrees associated with the u and v arrays.

boundOpt

A scalar integer equal to the boundary condition option:

  • 0 = Boundary points are set to the missing value.
  • 1 = The u and v arrays are cyclic in longitude. (The arrays should NOT include the cyclic point.) The upper and lower boundaries will be set to missing.
  • 2 = Boundary points are estimated using one-sided difference schemes normal to the boundary.
  • 3 = The u and v arrays are cyclic in longitude. (The arrays should NOT include the cyclic points.) The upper and lower boundaries are estimated using a one-sided difference scheme normal to the boundary.

Return value

A multi-dimensional array of the same size and type as u.

Description

Computes divergence for a latitude-longitude grid using centered finite differences. The grid need not be global and missing values are allowed.

According to H.B. Bluestein [Synoptic-Dynamic Meteorology in Midlatitudes, 1992, Oxford Univ. Press p113-114], let D represent the partial derivative, a the radius of the earth, phi the latitude and dx2/dy2 the appropriate longitudinal and latitudinal spacing, respectively. Then, letting j be the latitude y-subscript, and i be the longitude x-subscript:

    dv = Dv/Dy + Du/Dx -(v/a)*tan(phi)

    dv(j,i) = (v(j+1,i)-v(j-1,i))/dy2(j)
              + (u(j,i+1)-u(j,i-1))/dx2(j)
              - (v(j,i)/a)*tan(phi(j))
The last terms accounts for the convergence of the meridians on a sphere. The grid may be global or represent a limited area. If missing values are present, the functions perform the calculation at all points possible, but will return missing values at coordinates which could not be used.

If the divergence is to be estimated at the boundaries (boundOpt = 2 or 3), then the boundary values are determined using a one-sided difference scheme normal to the appropriate boundary.

See Also

If the data are global and no missing values are present then it is highly recommended that the spherical harmonic functions uv2dvG and uv2dvF be used. They are more accurate.

Examples

Example 1

Let u and v be arrays on a global gaussian grid with dimensions lat and lon. Assume there are no missing values and the data are periodic in longitude. Then:

  dv = uv2dv_cfd (u,v,lat,lon, 3)  
; result dv is dimensioned lat and lon.

The 3 will cause the functions to account for the cyclic point and will also calculate values at the top and bottom latitudes. In this case, it would be better to use uv2dvG because the grid is global and no data are missing.

Example 2

Let u and v be arrays on a limited area of the globe with dimension sizes (ntim=100,nlat=34,mlon=60). Obviously, the data are not periodic in longitude. Then:

  dv = uv2dv_cfd (u,v,lat,lon, 2)  ==> dv(ntim,nlat,mlon)   

The 2 will cause the functions to calculate the quantities at all boundary points using one-sided differences.