Enhance TCI use case to be flexible for other models besides CESM

[DanielAdriaansen]

Describe the Enhancement

In #2388, this use case was updated to use raw FLUXNET observations to compute TCI. Some refinements were made to the use case config file as well, but the names selected for configuration items are specific to CESM. This issue is to generalize the config items and add documentation for the use case describing how a user would modify the config file to work for their model. The changes should be specific to items related to computing TCI only, and not about file formats, grids, or other config options that are specific to the users' model.

We should also at the same time:

• [ ] Add the season being processed to the DESC column so a user can filter output in downstream tools by season
• [ ] Consider why POINT_STAT_OBS_VALID_BEG and OBS_VALID_BEG are being used. POINT_STAT_OBS_VALID_BEG is provided on the command line and overrides OBS_VALID_BEG.

Time Estimate

4 hours

Funding Source

CLASP key

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Define Related Issue(s)

Consider the impact to the other METplus components.

• [ ] METplus, MET, METdataio, METviewer, METexpress, METcalcpy, METplotpy

Enhancement Checklist

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[DanielAdriaansen]

@anewman89 we will need to discuss how to handle Python embedding. During the land project meeting last week, I forgot that the Python script used to derive TCI from the FCST is somewhat specific for CESM. Notably, it assumes:

1. NetCDF file format
2. Dimensions of time, lat, and lon
3. Time units of days since YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS

Otherwise, the Python script cesm_tci.py should work. I think for UFS, the kicker might be NetCDF format, because maybe the UFS data are GRIBv2?

[DanielAdriaansen]

Added two additional suggestions to refine the use case made during dtcenter/MET#2897.

[anewman89]

@DanielAdriaansen - You're correct. UFS and potentially other models are going to be in GRIB. I'm forgetting if we had discussed other paths forward at the last land meeting, or elsewhere... I think based on our discussions of the idea of use cases not being all encompassing we might want to consider the following: Let's make a project specific python embedding script that can read UFS data and then follow this use case outcomes, but leave it offline. If we later think a GRIB specific TCI use case is warranted, we could re-open this issue.

For funding this issue and/or the offline python scripting to read UFS data, we should move to the Dyn Drought Veg project now.