Generate your own forcing files¶

If you do not use SAFRAN meteorological forcing files, the generation of driving data (netcdf FORCING.nc file) can be generated in several ways. We recommend to first use an example FORCING file to run SURFEX:
https://redmine.umr-cnrm.fr/projects/snowtools_git/repository/revisions/master/raw/DATA/FORCING_test_base.nc

The file is self-documented as all netcdf files. Please use ncdump -h command to see the variables descriptions and units, ncdump -v variable to see the variable values.

Your FORCING file must follow the same structure (same variable names and ranks, same dimensions). All variables are mandatory. CO2air and Wind_DIR have no impact in the case of snow and can be fixed to a constant value.
If you do not have distinct data for diffuse and direct solar radiations, you can put everything in the direct radiation for applications not sensitive to this separation. With Crocus, only TARTES and MEB options are sensitive but they are not activated by default.

The example file corresponds to a model run at 2400m and 2700 m altitude (the simulation runs simultaneously on two points) in the Mont-Blanc mountain range from August 1st 2010 to August 1st 2011.

If you have datas from an observation site in .csv or in .txt format and if you want to create only one or a few FORCING files, then you can use this template: snowtools_git/utils/Template_creation_FORCING.py