Monthly-mean 2-d atmosphere (longitude, latitude, time:month).

CF standard_name IPCC short name units Description
air_pressure_at_sea_level psl Pa  
precipitation_flux pr kg m-2 s-1 includes both liquid and solid phases.
air_temperature tas K near-surface (usually, 2 meter) air temperature; the CMOR singleton dimension default value of 2 m can be overridden, if absolutely necessary, by redefining axis "height1".
surface_downward_eastward_stress tauu Pa  
surface_downward_northward_stress tauv Pa  
surface_snow_thickness snd m this thickness when multiplied by the average area of the grid cell covered by snow yields the time-mean snow volume.  Thus, for time means, compute as the weighted sum of thickness (averaged over the snow-covered portion of the grid cell) divided by the sum of the weights, with the weights equal to the area covered by snow.  report as 0.0 in snow-free regions.
surface_upward_latent_heat_flux hfls W m-2  
surface_upward_sensible_heat_flux hfss W m-2  
surface_downwelling_longwave_flux_in_air rlds W m-2  
surface_upwelling_longwave_flux_in_air rlus W m-2  
surface_downwelling_shortwave_flux_in_air rsds W m-2  
surface_upwelling_shortwave_flux_in_air rsus W m-2  
surface_temperature ts K "skin" temperature (i.e., SST for open ocean)
surface_air_pressure ps Pa not mean sea-level pressure
snowfall_flux prsn kg m-2 s-1  
convective_precipitation_flux prc kg m-2 s-1  
atmosphere_water_vapor_content prw kg m-2 vertically integrated through the atmospheric column
eastward_wind uas m s-1 near-surface (usually, 10 meters) eastward component of wind; the CMOR singleton dimension default value of 10 m can be overridden, if absolutely necessary, by redefining axis "height2".
northward_wind vas m s-1 near-surface (usually, 10 meters) northward component of wind; the CMOR singleton dimension default value of 10 m can be overridden, if absolutely necessary, by redefining axis "height2".
specific_humidity huss 1 (i.e., dimensionless fraction) near-surface (usually, 2meters) specific humidity; the CMOR singleton dimension default value of 2 m can be overridden, if absolutely necessary, by redefining axis "height1".
toa_incoming_shortwave_flux rsdt W m-2 incident shortwave at the top of the atmosphere
toa_outgoing_shortwave_flux rsut W m-2 at the top of the atmosphere
toa_outgoing_longwave_flux rlut W m-2 at the top of the atmosphere (to be compared with satellite measurements)
net_downward_radiative_flux_at_top_of_atmosphere_model rtmt W m-2 i.e., at the top of that portion of the atmosphere where dynamics are explicitly treated by the model.
surface_downwelling_shortwave_flux_in_air_assuming_clear_sky rsdscs W m-2
surface_upwelling_shortwave_flux_in_air_assuming_clear_sky rsuscs W m-2
surface_downwelling_longwave_flux_in_air_assuming_clear_sky rldscs W m-2
toa_outgoing_longwave_flux_assuming_clear_sky rlutcs W m-2
toa_outgoing_shortwave_flux_assuming_clear_sky rsutcs W m-2
cloud_area_fraction clt % for the whole atmospheric column, as seen from the surface or the top of the atmosphere. Include both large-scale and convective cloud.
atmosphere_cloud_condensed_water_content clwvi kg m-2 include both liquid and ice phases, consider all the mass of condensed water in the column and divide by its area (in the longitude-latitude plane)
atmosphere_cloud_ice_content clivi kg m-2 consider all the mass of condensed water in the column and divide by its area (in the longitude-latitude plane)