ERA5 Variables¶

Coordinate types¶

Variables are stored with coordinates appropriate to their type:

Surface variables: (time, height_Xm, latitude, longitude) -- named height coordinate (e.g. height_0m, height_2m, height_10m, height_100m)
Pressure level variables: (time, pressure, latitude, longitude) -- pressure coordinate with axis='Z'

When a variable name conflicts between surface and pressure levels, the surface variant is suffixed with its height (e.g. air_temperature_2m).

Surface variables at 0m¶

Key	cfdb Name	Source Var	Description
`SP`	`surface_pressure`	SP	Surface pressure
`MSL`	`mslp`	MSL	Mean sea level pressure
`SSTK`	`sea_surface_temp`	SSTK	Sea surface temperature
`SKT`	`skin_temperature`	SKT	Skin temperature
`CI`	`sea_ice`	CI	Sea-ice cover
`SD`	`snow_water_equiv`	SD	Snow depth (water equiv)
`RSN`	`snow_density`	RSN	Snow density
`ASN`	`snow_albedo`	ASN	Snow albedo
`TSN`	`snow_layer_temperature`	TSN	Temperature of snow layer
`FAL`	`albedo`	FAL	Forecast albedo
`STL1-4`	`soil_layer_temp`	STL1-4	Soil temperature layers 1-4
`SWVL1-4`	`soil_moisture`	SWVL1-4	Soil water volume layers 1-4
`ISTL1-4`	`ice_surface_temperature`	ISTL1-4	Ice surface temperature layers 1-4
`CAPE`	`cape`	CAPE	Convective available potential energy
`BLH`	`boundary_layer_height`	BLH	Boundary layer height
`TCC`	`total_cloud_cover`	TCC	Total cloud cover
`LCC`	`low_cloud_cover`	LCC	Low cloud cover
`MCC`	`medium_cloud_cover`	MCC	Medium cloud cover
`HCC`	`high_cloud_cover`	HCC	High cloud cover
`TCW`	`total_column_water`	TCW	Total column water
`TCWV`	`pwat`	TCWV	Total column water vapour
`TCLW`	`total_column_liquid_water`	TCLW	Total column liquid water
`TCIW`	`total_column_ice_water`	TCIW	Total column ice water
`TCRW`	`total_column_rain_water`	TCRW	Total column rain water
`TCSW`	`total_column_snow_water`	TCSW	Total column snow water
`TCO3`	`total_column_ozone`	TCO3	Total column ozone
`CHNK`	`charnock`	CHNK	Charnock parameter
`SRC`	`skin_reservoir_content`	SRC	Skin reservoir content
`FSR`	`surface_roughness`	FSR	Forecast surface roughness
`FLSR`	`surface_roughness_heat`	FLSR	Forecast log of surface roughness for heat
`IEWS`	`surface_stress_east`	IEWS	Instantaneous eastward turbulent surface stress
`INSS`	`surface_stress_north`	INSS	Instantaneous northward turbulent surface stress
`ISHF`	`sensible_heat_flux`	ISHF	Instantaneous surface sensible heat flux
`IE`	`moisture_flux`	IE	Instantaneous moisture flux
`ALUVP`	`uv_albedo_direct`	ALUVP	UV visible albedo for direct radiation
`ALUVD`	`uv_albedo_diffuse`	ALUVD	UV visible albedo for diffuse radiation
`ALNIP`	`nir_albedo_direct`	ALNIP	Near IR albedo for direct radiation
`ALNID`	`nir_albedo_diffuse`	ALNID	Near IR albedo for diffuse radiation
`LAILV`	`leaf_area_index_low`	LAILV	Leaf area index, low vegetation
`LAIHV`	`leaf_area_index_high`	LAIHV	Leaf area index, high vegetation
`LBLT`	`lake_bottom_temperature`	LBLT	Lake bottom temperature
`LTLT`	`lake_total_layer_temperature`	LTLT	Lake total layer temperature
`LSHF`	`lake_shape_factor`	LSHF	Lake shape factor
`LICT`	`lake_ice_temperature`	LICT	Lake ice temperature
`LICD`	`lake_ice_depth`	LICD	Lake ice depth

Surface variables at 2m¶

Key	cfdb Name	Source Var	Description
`VAR_2T`	`air_temperature`	VAR_2T	2 metre temperature
`VAR_2D`	`dew_point_temperature`	VAR_2D	2 metre dewpoint temperature

Surface variables at 10m¶

Key	cfdb Name	Source Var	Description
`VAR_10U`	`u_wind`	VAR_10U	10 metre U wind component
`VAR_10V`	`v_wind`	VAR_10V	10 metre V wind component
`U10N`	`u_wind`	U10N	Neutral wind at 10m U-component
`V10N`	`v_wind`	V10N	Neutral wind at 10m V-component

Surface variables at 100m¶

Key	cfdb Name	Source Var	Description
`VAR_100U`	`u_wind`	VAR_100U	100 metre U wind component
`VAR_100V`	`v_wind`	VAR_100V	100 metre V wind component

Invariant variables (height 0m)¶

Key	cfdb Name	Source Var	Transform	Description
`Z_INV`	`terrain_height`	Z	geopotential / g	Geopotential at the surface
`LSM`	`land_sea_mask`	LSM		Land-sea mask
`CL`	`lake_cover`	CL		Lake cover
`DL`	`lake_depth`	DL		Lake depth
`CVL`	`low_vegetation_cover`	CVL		Low vegetation cover
`CVH`	`high_vegetation_cover`	CVH		High vegetation cover
`TVL`	`low_vegetation_type`	TVL		Type of low vegetation
`TVH`	`high_vegetation_type`	TVH		Type of high vegetation
`SLT`	`soil_type`	SLT		Soil type
`SDFOR`	`std_dev_filtered_orography`	SDFOR		Std dev of filtered subgrid orography
`SDOR`	`std_dev_orography`	SDOR		Standard deviation of orography
`ISOR`	`orography_anisotropy`	ISOR		Anisotropy of sub-gridscale orography
`ANOR`	`orography_angle`	ANOR		Angle of sub-gridscale orography
`SLOR`	`orography_slope`	SLOR		Slope of sub-gridscale orography

Pressure level variables¶

Key	cfdb Name	Source Var	Transform	Description
`T`	`air_temperature`	T		Temperature
`U`	`u_wind`	U		U component of wind
`V`	`v_wind`	V		V component of wind
`Z_PL`	`geopotential_height`	Z	geopotential / g	Geopotential height
`Q`	`specific_humidity`	Q		Specific humidity
`W`	`vertical_velocity`	W		Vertical velocity
`VO`	`vorticity`	VO		Vorticity (relative)
`D`	`divergence`	D		Divergence
`R`	`relative_humidity`	R		Relative humidity
`O3`	`ozone_mixing_ratio`	O3		Ozone mass mixing ratio
`PV`	`potential_vorticity`	PV		Potential vorticity
`CC`	`cloud_cover`	CC		Cloud cover
`CLWC`	`cloud_liquid_water_content`	CLWC		Specific cloud liquid water content
`CIWC`	`cloud_ice_water_content`	CIWC		Specific cloud ice water content
`CRWC`	`rain_water_content`	CRWC		Specific rain water content
`CSWC`	`snow_water_content`	CSWC		Specific snow water content