Ocean Model Levels

The following tables describe the depth information associated with each ocean model level index for the Climate DT ocean models.

Note

As the level count varies by model (ICON: 72, FESOM: 69, NEMO: 75), the Climate DT Explorer uses levels 1–75 (NEMO max) across all models. Out-of-range levels (e.g. levels 73–75 for ICON, or 70–75 for FESOM) return NaN. See the daily ocean example notebook.

ICON

ICON’s ocean component uses 72 vertical levels, reaching a maximum depth of 5950.8 m.

Level

Depth top (m)

Depth bottom (m)

1

0

2

2

2

4.2

3

4.2

6.7

4

6.7

9.5

5

9.5

12.6

6

12.6

16.1

7

16.1

20

8

20

24.4

9

24.4

29.3

10

29.3

34.7

11

34.7

40.6

12

40.6

47

13

47

54.1

14

54.1

61.8

15

61.8

70.2

16

70.2

79.4

17

79.4

89.5

18

89.5

100.5

19

100.5

112.5

20

112.5

125.7

21

125.7

140.1

22

140.1

155.8

23

155.8

172.9

24

172.9

191.6

25

191.6

212

26

212

234.3

27

234.3

258.6

28

258.6

285.1

29

285.1

314

30

314

345.5

31

345.5

379.8

32

379.8

417.1

33

417.1

457.7

34

457.7

500.8

35

500.8

546.1

36

546.1

592.9

37

592.9

641.3

38

641.3

691.3

39

691.3

743

40

743

796.4

41

796.4

851.6

42

851.6

908.6

43

908.6

967.5

44

967.5

1028.3

45

1028.3

1091.2

46

1091.2

1157.8

47

1157.8

1230.4

48

1230.4

1311

49

1311

1401.6

50

1401.6

1501.8

51

1501.8

1611.8

52

1611.8

1732.1

53

1732.1

1860.8

54

1860.8

1998.2

55

1998.2

2144.6

56

2144.6

2300.3

57

2300.3

2465.5

58

2465.5

2640.3

59

2640.3

2824.7

60

2824.7

3018.8

61

3018.8

3222.4

62

3222.4

3435.3

63

3435.3

3657.2

64

3657.2

3887.7

65

3887.7

4126.2

66

4126.2

4372.1

67

4372.1

4624.5

68

4624.5

4882.6

69

4882.6

5145.4

70

5145.4

5411.8

71

5411.8

5680.7

72

5680.7

5950.8

IFS-NEMO

IFS-NEMO’s ocean component (NEMO) uses 75 vertical levels, reaching a maximum depth of approximately 6004 m. Two technical details are relevant when working with these levels:

  • Partial cells: NEMO uses partial cells at the bottom. The deepest wet cell on each column is thinner than the single-dimensional bounds prescribe, as it is cut at the bathymetry depth.

  • Nonlinear free surface: The effective depth of the vertical levels varies at each time step in response to sea-surface height variations. However, the total variation is of the order of one metre distributed across the full column, so treating outputs as effectively at the specified depth is a reasonable assumption for most diagnostics.

Level

Depth top (m)

Depth middle (m)

Depth bottom (m)

1

0.0000

0.50576

1.0115

2

1.0115

1.555855

2.1002

3

2.1002

2.667682

3.2352

4

3.2352

3.85628

4.4774

5

4.4774

5.140361

5.8033

6

5.8033

6.543034

7.2827

7

7.2827

8.092519

8.9023

8

8.9023

9.82275

10.7432

9

10.7432

11.77368

12.8042

10

12.8042

13.99104

15.1779

11

15.1779

16.52532

17.8727

12

17.8727

19.4298

20.9869

13

20.9869

22.75762

24.5284

14

24.5284

26.5583

28.5882

15

28.5882

30.87456

33.1609

16

33.1609

35.7402

38.3195

17

38.3195

41.18002

44.0405

18

44.0405

47.21189

50.3833

19

50.3833

53.85064

57.3180

20

57.3180

61.11284

64.9077

21

64.9077

69.02168

73.1357

22

73.1357

77.61116

82.0866

23

82.0866

86.92943

91.7722

24

91.7722

97.04131

102.3104

25

102.3104

108.0303

113.7502

26

113.7502

120.0

126.2498

27

126.2498

133.0758

139.9018

28

139.9018

147.4062

154.9107

29

154.9107

163.1645

171.4182

30

171.4182

180.5499

189.6816

31

189.6816

199.79

209.8983

32

209.8983

221.1412

232.3841

33

232.3841

244.8906

257.3972

34

257.3972

271.3564

285.3156

35

285.3156

300.8875

316.4594

36

316.4594

333.8628

351.2662

37

351.2662

370.6885

390.1107

38

390.1107

411.7939

433.4770

39

433.4770

457.6256

481.7743

40

481.7743

508.6399

535.5055

41

535.5055

565.2923

595.0790

42

595.0790

628.026

660.9729

43

660.9729

697.2587

733.5444

44

733.5444

773.3683

813.1921

45

813.1921

856.679

900.1657

46

900.1657

947.4479

994.7300

47

994.7300

1045.854

1096.9786

48

1096.9786

1151.991

1207.0039

49

1207.0039

1265.861

1324.7189

50

1324.7189

1387.377

1450.0351

51

1450.0351

1516.364

1582.6922

52

1582.6922

1652.568

1722.4447

53

1722.4447

1795.671

1868.8969

54

1868.8969

1945.296

2021.6940

55

2021.6940

2101.027

2180.3590

56

2180.3590

2262.422

2344.4842

57

2344.4842

2429.025

2513.5662

58

2513.5662

2600.38

2687.1947

59

2687.1947

2776.039

2864.8840

60

2864.8840

2955.57

3046.2568

61

3046.2568

3138.565

3230.8729

62

3230.8729

3324.641

3418.4088

63

3418.4088

3513.446

3608.4824

64

3608.4824

3704.657

3800.8309

65

3800.8309

3897.982

3995.1330

66

3995.1330

4093.159

4191.1845

67

4191.1845

4289.953

4388.7203

68

4388.7203

4488.155

4587.5889

69

4587.5889

4687.581

4787.5733

70

4787.5733

4888.07

4988.5663

71

4988.5663

5089.479

5190.3908

72

5190.3908

5291.683

5392.9755

73

5392.9755

5494.575

5596.1751

74

5596.1751

5698.061

5799.9464

75

5799.9464

5902.058

6004.1692

IFS-FESOM

IFS-FESOM’s ocean component (FESOM) uses 69 vertical levels, reaching a maximum depth of 6350 m.

Level

Depth top (m)

Depth bottom (m)

1

0

5

2

5

10

3

10

15

4

15

20

5

20

25

6

25

30

7

30

35

8

35

40

9

40

45

10

45

50

11

50

55

12

55

60

13

60

65

14

65

70

15

70

75

16

75

80

17

80

85

18

85

90

19

90

95

20

95

100

21

100

110

22

110

120

23

120

130

24

130

140

25

140

150

26

150

160

27

160

170

28

170

180

29

180

190

30

190

200

31

200

220

32

220

240

33

240

260

34

260

280

35

280

300

36

300

340

37

340

380

38

380

420

39

420

460

40

460

500

41

500

540

42

540

580

43

580

620

44

620

660

45

660

760

46

760

860

47

860

1040

48

1040

1180

49

1180

1330

50

1330

1500

51

1500

1700

52

1700

1920

53

1920

2150

54

2150

2400

55

2400

2650

56

2650

2900

57

2900

3150

58

3150

3400

59

3400

3650

60

3650

3900

61

3900

4150

62

4150

4400

63

4400

4650

64

4650

4900

65

4900

5150

66

5150

5400

67

5400

5650

68

5650

6000

69

6000

6350