Vertical Profiles Comparisons

The Vertical Profile menu item contains the options Define Calibration Series, View Time Series Plots and Calculate Error Statistics for simulated and measured profile data. Once configured, the linkages between model and data are automatically available and the user simply needs to select View Time Series Plots option to compare model to data for each run.

Vertical Profile Definition

The Define Calibration Series option opens the table that is used to link the model and data at particular stations or locations as shown in Figure 1. RMC on the table to obtain Station Information form to set the input options as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 1 Vertical profile calibration model and data linkage definitions.

Figure 2 Station Information definition form.

The information required is very similar to the time series model-data linkage form. However, the Group column is missing as the profile plot structure is pre-defined. One other major difference is the format of the data contained in the Data File field. Appendix B Section B-8 provides guidance on the format. This file can contain one or more snapshots in time for the same station and parameter.  If the model path of the data has changed from your previous configuration, highlight the cells in the column to be changed and use the CTRL+H keystroke to search and replace part of the path to update it. 

Vertical Profile Plots

The View Time Series Plots option allows the user to view on screen or export the plots that are currently defined and enabled (i.e. use checkbox is checked). The View Time Series Plots function loads the EFDC model linkage files (e.g. EE*.out), reads the observed data files and then scans the model linkage files to build the model-data plots. The user can press ESC during the model output loading process to abort the loading and plotting. When the data has been loaded the vertical profile plotting utility is displayed. This utility displays up to 8 model-data vertical profiles per page. The following graphic shows the toolbar functions.

These functional buttons are the same as time series calibration plot functions. The only difference is the rightmost button which is used to arrange the number of plots which are displayed on each page as explained further below. 

As an example of the vertical profile plotting function, Figure 3 shows a single page containing a subset of time snapshots for temperature for a data single data station for a 10 layers model.

Figure 3  Example model-data vertical profile plot for temperature.

In order to make exporting of the vertical profile plots for presentations more flexible and consistent the user can configure how many plots are displayed on each page. So instead of 8 plots (4 x 2) which is the default layout, the user may now select 4 plots (2 x 2) or 6 plots (3 x 2) etc.  This option is available by selecting the Layout button in the Vertical Profile window as shown in Figure 4. 

Figure 3  Vertical profile plots display options.