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NAME

       netcdf - Unidata Network Common Data Form (netCDF) library, version 3 interface

SYNOPSIS

       use netcdf

   Most Systems:
       f90 ... -lnetcdf

   CRAY PVP Systems:
       f90 -dp -i64 ... -lnetcdf

LIBRARY VERSION

       This  document describes version 3 of Unidata netCDF data-access interface for the Fortran-90 programming
       language.

       character*80 nf90_inq_libvers()
              character(len=80) :: nf90_inq_libvers

       Returns a string identifying the version of the netCDF library, and when it was built, like: "3.1a of Aug
       22 1996 12:57:47 $".

       The  RCS  ident(1)  command will find a string like "$Id: @(#) netcdf library version 3.1a of Sep  6 1996
       15:56:26 $" in the library. The SCCS what(1) command will find a string like "netcdf library version 3.1a
       of Aug 23 1996 16:07:40 $".

ROUTINE DESCRIPTIONS

       All  netCDF  functions  (except  nf90_inq_libvers()  and nf90_strerror()) return an integer status.  This
       behavior replaces the rcode argument used in previous versions of the library.  If this  returned  status
       value  is not equal to nf90_noerr (zero), it indicates that an error occurred. The possible status values
       are defined in the module netcdf.

       function nf90_strerror(ncerr)
              integer, intent(in) :: ncerr
              character(len=80) :: nf90_strerror

              Returns a string textual translation of the ncerr value, like "Attribute or variable name contains
              illegal characters" or "No such file or directory".

       function nf90_create(path, cmode, ncid)
              character(len=*), intent(in) :: path
              integer, intent(in) :: cmode
              integer, optional, intent(in) :: initialsize
              integer, optional, intent(inout) :: chunksize
              integer, intent(out) :: ncid
              integer :: nf90_create

              (Corresponds to nccre() in version 2)

              Creates  a  new  netCDF  dataset  at  path, returning a netCDF ID in ncid.  The argument cmode may
              include the bitwise-or of  the  following  flags:  nf90_noclobber  to  protect  existing  datasets
              (default  silently  blows  them  away),  nf90_share for synchronous dataset updates (default is to
              buffer accesses), and nf90_lock (not yet implemented).  When a netCDF dataset is  created,  is  is
              opened nf90_write.  The new netCDF dataset is in define mode.

              The optional argument initialsize sets the initial size of the file at creation time.

              See nf__open() below for an explanation of the optional chunksize argument.

       function nf90_open(path, mode, ncid, chunksize)
              character(len=*), intent(in) :: path
              integer, intent(in) :: mode
              integer, intent(out) :: ncid
              integer, optional, intent(inout) :: chunksize
              integer :: nf90_open

              (Corresponds to ncopn() in version 2)

              Opens  a existing netCDF dataset at path returning a netCDF ID in ncid.  As of NetCDF version 4.1,
              and if DAP support was enabled when the library was built, the path may instead specify a DAP  URL
              (refer to the NetCDF user's manual for details).

              The  type  of  access  is described by the mode parameter, which may include the bitwise-or of the
              following flags: nf90_write for read-write access (default read-only), nf90_share for  synchronous
              dataset updates (default is to buffer accesses), and nf90_lock (not yet implemented).

              The  optional  argument  referenced  by  chunksize  controls  a space versus time tradeoff, memory
              allocated in the netcdf library versus number of system calls.  Because of internal  requirements,
              the  value  may not be set to exactly the value requested.  The actual value chosen is returned by
              reference.  Using the value nf90_sizehint_default causes the library to choose a default.  How the
              system  choses the default depends on the system.  On many systems, the "preferred I/O block size"
              is available from the stat() system call, struct stat member st_blksize.  If this is available  it
              is  used.  Lacking that, twice the system pagesize is used.  Lacking a call to discover the system
              pagesize, we just set default chunksize to 8192.

              The chunksize is a property of a given open  netcdf  descriptor  ncid:  it  is  not  a  persistent
              property of the netcdf dataset.

       function nf90_set_fill(ncid, fillmode, old_mode)
              integer, intent(in) :: ncid, fillmode
              integer, intent(out) :: old_mode
              integer :: nf90_set_fill

              Sets  the  fill-mode  for a netCDF dataset to optimize writes under some circumstances.  The fill-
              mode argument, fillmode, can be either nf90_fill or nf90_nofill.  nf90_fill causes fill-values  to
              be  written  into  non-record variables and into skipped-over records when writing beyond the last
              valid record.  nf90_nofill suspends this behavior.  The default behavior corresponds to nf90_fill.

              The previous fill-mode value is return in old_mode.

              The fill-mode is a property of a given open  netcdf  descriptor  ncid:  it  is  not  a  persistent
              property of the netcdf dataset.

       function nf90_redef(ncid)
              integer, intent(in) :: ncid
              integer :: nf90_redef

              (Corresponds to ncredf() in version 2)

              Puts  an  open  netCDF  dataset  into define mode, so dimensions, variables, and attributes can be
              added or renamed and attributes can be deleted.

       function nf90_enddef(ncid, h_minfree, v_align, v_minfree, r_align)
              integer, intent(in) :: ncid
              integer, optional, intent(in) :: h_minfree, v_align
              integer, optional, intent(in) :: v_minfree, r_align
              integer :: nf90_enddef

              (Corresponds to ncendf() in version 2)

              Takes an open netCDF dataset out of define mode.  The changes made to the netCDF dataset while  it
              was  in  define  mode are checked and committed to disk if no problems occurred.  Some data values
              may be written as well, see "VARIABLE PREFILLING" below.  After a successful call,  variable  data
              can be read or written to the dataset.

              The  optional  arguments  are performance tuning parameters.  They exposes internals of the netcdf
              version 1 file format and may not be available on future netcdf implementations.

              The current netcdf file format has three sections, the "header"  section,  the  data  section  for
              fixed size variables, and the data section for variables which have an unlimited dimension (record
              variables).  The header begins at the beginning of the file. The index (offset) of  the  beginning
              of  the  other  two  sections is contained in the header. Typically, there is no space between the
              sections. This causes copying overhead to accrue if one wishes to change the size of the sections,
              as  may  happen  when changing names of things, text attribute values, adding attributes or adding
              variables. Also, for buffered i/o, there may be advantages to aligning sections in certain ways.

              The minfree parameters allow one to control costs of future calls to  nf90_redef(),  nf90_enddef()
              by  requesting that minfree bytes be available at the end of the section.  The h_minfree parameter
              sets the pad at the end of the "header" section. The v_minfree parameter sets the pad at  the  end
              of the data section for fixed size variables.

              The  align  parameters  allow  one  to  set  the  alignment  of the beginning of the corresponding
              sections. The beginning of the section is rounded up to an index which is a multiple of the  align
              parameter.  The  flag value nf90_align_chunk tells the library to use the chunksize (see above) as
              the align parameter.  The v_align parameter controls the alignment of the beginning  of  the  data
              section  for  fixed size variables.  The r_align parameter controls the alignment of the beginning
              of the data section for variables which have an unlimited dimension (record variables).

              The file format requires mod 4 alignment, so the align  parameters  are  silently  rounded  up  to
              multiples of 4. The usual call, nf90_enddef(ncid) is equivalent to nf__enddef(ncid, 0, 4, 0, 4).

              The  file  format does not contain a "record size" value, this is calculated from the sizes of the
              record variables. This unfortunate fact prevents us from providing minfree and  alignment  control
              of  the  "records"  in  a netcdf file. If you add a variable which has an unlimited dimension, the
              third section will always be copied with the new variable added.

       function nf90_sync(ncid)
              integer, intent(in) :: ncid
              integer :: nf90_sync

              (Corresponds to ncsnc() in version 2)

              Unless the nf90_share bit is set in nf90_open()  or  nf90_create(),  accesses  to  the  underlying
              netCDF dataset are buffered by the library. This function synchronizes the state of the underlying
              dataset and the library.  This is done automatically by nf90_close() and nf90_enddef().

       function nf90_abort(ncid)
              integer, intent(in) :: ncid
              integer :: nf90_abort

              (Corresponds to ncabor() in version 2)

              You don't need to call this function.  This function is called automatically  by  nf90_close()  if
              the  netCDF  dataset  was  in define mode and something goes wrong with the commit.  If the netCDF
              dataset isn't in define mode, then this function is equivalent to nf90_close().  If it  is  called
              after  nf90_redef(),  but  before  nf90_enddef(),  the  new  definitions are not committed and the
              dataset is closed.  If it is called after nf90_create()  but  before  nf90_enddef(),  the  dataset
              disappears.

       function nf90_close(ncid)
              integer, intent(in) :: ncid
              integer :: nf90_close

              (Corresponds to ncclos() in version 2)

              Closes  an  open  netCDF  dataset.  If the dataset is in define mode, nf90_enddef() will be called
              before closing.  After a dataset is closed, its ID may be reassigned to another dataset.

       function nf90_inquire(ncid, ndims, nvars, natts, unlimdimid, nformat)
              integer, intent(in) :: ncid
              integer, optional, intent(out) :: ndims, nvars
              integer, optional, intent(out) :: natts, unlimdimid
              integer, optional, intent(out) :: nformat
              integer :: nf90_inquire

              Inquire about an open netCDF dataset.  ncid is the netCDF ID of the open dataset.  Upon successful
              return,  ndims  will contain  the number of dimensions defined for this netCDF dataset, nvars will
              contain the number of variables, natts will contain the number of attributes, and unlimdimid  will
              contain  the  dimension ID of the unlimited dimension if one exists, or 0 otherwise.  nformat will
              contain the format version number, rarely needed because the library detects  the  format  version
              and behaves appropriately.

       function nf90_def_dim(ncid, name, len, dimid)
              integer, intent(in) :: ncid
              character(len=*), intent(in) :: name
              integer, intent(in) :: len
              integer, intent(out) :: dimid
              integer :: nf90_def_dim

              (Corresponds to ncddef() in version 2)

              Adds  a  new  dimension  to  an  open  netCDF  dataset, which must be in define mode.  name is the
              dimension name.  len is the size of the new dimension or nf90_unlimited to  define  the  unlimited
              dimension.  On return, dimid will contain the dimension ID of the newly created dimension.

       function nf90_inq_dimid(ncid, name, dimid)
              integer, intent(in) :: ncid
              character(len=*), intent(in) :: name
              integer, intent(out) :: dimid
              integer :: nf90_inq_dimid

              (Corresponds to ncdid() in version 2)

              Given  an open netCDF dataset and dimension name, returns the dimension ID of the netCDF dimension
              in dimid.

       function nf90_inquire_dimension(ncid, dimid, name, len)
              integer, intent(in) :: ncid, dimid
              character(len=*), optional, intent(out) :: name
              integer, optional, intent(out) :: len
              integer :: nf90_inquire_dimension

              Inquire about a dimension.  name should be  big enough (nf90_max_name) to hold the dimension  name
              as  the  name will be copied into your storage.  The length return parameter, len will contain the
              size of the dimension.  For the unlimited dimension, the returned length is  the  current  maximum
              value used for writing into any of the variables which use the dimension.

       function nf90_rename_dim(ncid, dimid, name)
              integer, intent(in) :: ncid
              character(len=*), intent(in) :: name
              integer, intent(in) :: dimid
              integer :: nf90_rename_dim

              (Corresponds to ncdren() in version 2)

              Renames  an  existing dimension in an open netCDF dataset.  If the new name is longer than the old
              name, the netCDF dataset must be in define mode.  You cannot rename a dimension to have  the  same
              name as another dimension.

       function nf90_def_var(ncid, name, xtype, dimids, varid)
              integer, intent(in) :: ncid
              character(len=*), intent(in) :: name
              integer, intent(in) :: xtype
              integer, optional, dimension(:), intent(in) :: dimids
              integer :: nf90_def_var

              (Corresponds to ncvdef() in version 2)

              Adds a new variable to a netCDF dataset. The netCDF must be in define mode.  name will be the name
              of the netCDF variable.  xtype is the external, netCDF type of the variable and should be  one  of
              nf90_byte,  nf90_char,  nf90_short,  nf90_int,  nf90_float,  or  nf90_double,  The optional dimids
              argument contains the dimension ID-s of the domain  of  the  netCDF  variable  and,  consequently,
              determines  the  rank of the created variable: if dimids is omitted, then the netCDF variable will
              be a scalar; if dimids is a scalar, then the netCDF variable will be 1 dimensional; and if  dimids
              is  a  vector,  then the netCDF variable will have rank equal to the number of elements in dimids.
              varid will be set to the netCDF variable ID.

       function nf90_inq_varid(ncid, name, varid)
              integer, intent(in) :: ncid
              character(len=*), intent(in) :: name
              integer, intent(out) :: varid
              integer :: nf90_inq_varid

              (Corresponds to ncvid() in version 2)

              Returns the ID of a netCDF variable in varid given an open netCDF dataset  and  the  name  of  the
              variable.

       function nf90_inquire_variable(ncid, varid, name, xtype, ndims, dimids, natts)
              integer, intent(in) :: ncid, varid
              character(len=*), optional, intent(out) :: name
              integer, optional, intent(out) :: xtype, ndims
              integer, dimension(*), optional, intent(out) :: dimids
              integer, optional, intent(out) :: natts
              integer :: nf90_inquire_variable

              Inquire about a netCDF variable in an open netCDF dataset, given its variable ID.  On return, name
              will contain the name of the variable and should be capacious enough (nf90_max_name).  xtype  will
              contain  the  external, netCDF type of the variable.  ndims will contain the dimensionality of the
              netCDF variable: if  the  variable  is  a  scalar,  then  size(ndims)  will  be  zero;  otherwise,
              size(ndims)  will  be  the  rank  of the variable and ndims will contain the dimension ID-s of the
              netCDF dimensions that constitute the domain of the variable.  natts will contain  the  number  of
              attributes associated with the netCDF variable.

       function nf90_rename_var(ncid, varid, name)
              integer, intent9in) :: ncid, varid
              character(len=*), intent(in) :: newname
              integer :: nf90_rename_var

              (Corresponds to ncvren() in version 2)

              Changes  the  name  of a netCDF variable.  If the new name is longer than the old name, the netCDF
              must be in define mode.  You cannot rename a variable to have the name of any existing variable.

       function nf90_put_var(ncid, varid, values, start, stride, imap)
              integer, intent(in) :: ncid, varid
              <<whatever>>, intent(in) :: values
              integer, dimension(:), optional, intent(in) :: start
              integer, dimension(:), optional, intent(in) ::  stride
              integer, dimension(:), optional, intent(in) ::  imap
              integer :: nf90_put_var

              (Replaces ncvpt() in version 2)

              Writes a value or values to a netCDF variable.  The netCDF dataset must be open and in data  mode.
              values  contains  the  value(s) what will be written to the netCDF variable identified by ncid and
              varid; it may be a scalar or an array and must be  of  type  character,  integer(kind=OneByteInt),
              integer(kind=TwoByteInt),          integer(kind=FourByteInt),          integer(kind=EightByteInt),
              real(kind=FourByteReal), or real(kind=EightByteReal).  All values are converted  to  the  external
              type  of  the  netCDF  variable,  if  possible;  otherwise, an nf90_erange error is returned.  The
              optional argument start specifies the starting index in the netCDF variable for writing  for  each
              dimension of the netCDF variable.  The optional argument stride specifies the sampling stride (the
              interval between accessed values in the netCDF variable) for each dimension of the netCDF variable
              (see  COMMON  ARGUMENT  DESCRIPTIONS  below).   The optional argument imap specifies the in-memory
              arrangement of the data values (see COMMON ARGUMENT DESCRIPTIONS below).

       function nf90_get_var(ncid, varid, values, start, stride, imap)
              integer, intent(in) :: ncid, varid
              <<whatever>>, intent(out) :: values
              integer, dimension(:), optional, intent(in) :: start
              integer, dimension(:), optional, intent(in) ::  stride
              integer, dimension(:), optional, intent(in) ::  imap
              integer :: nf90_get_var

              (Replaces ncvgt() in version 2)

              Reads a value or values from a netCDF variable.  The netCDF dataset must be open and in data mode.
              values will receive the value(s) what will be read from the netCDF
               variable  identified  by  ncid  and  varid;  it  may  be a scalar or an array and must be of type
              character,    integer(kind=OneByteInt),    integer(kind=TwoByteInt),    integer(kind=FourByteInt),
              integer(kind=EightByteInt),  real(kind=FourByteReal), or real(kind=EightByteReal).  All values are
              converted from the external type of the netCDF variable, if possible;  otherwise,  an  nf90_erange
              error  is  returned.   The  optional  argument  start  specifies  the starting index in the netCDF
              variable for reading for each dimension of the netCDF  variable.   The  optional  argument  stride
              specifies  the  sampling  stride (the interval between accessed values in the netCDF variable) for
              each dimension of the netCDF variable (see COMMON  ARGUMENT  DESCRIPTIONS  below).   The  optional
              argument  imap  specifies  the  in-memory  arrangement  of  the  data  values (see COMMON ARGUMENT
              DESCRIPTIONS below).

       function nf90_inquire_attribute(ncid, varid, name, xtype, len, attnum)
              integer, intent(in) :: ncid, varid
              character(len=*), intent(in) :: name
              integer, optional, intent(out) :: xtype, len, attnum
              integer :: nf90_inquire_attribute

              Inquires about the netCDF attribute named name, of variable varid,  in  the  open  netCDF  dataset
              ncid.   xtype will contain the external, netCDF type of the variable.  len will contain the number
              of elements in the attribute.  attnum will contain the attribute number.

       function nf90_inq_attname(ncid, varid, attnum, name)
              integer, intent(in) :: ncid, varid, attnum
              character(len=*), intent(out) :: name
              integer :: nf90_inq_attname

              (Corresponds to ncanam() in version 2)

              Gets the name of an attribute, given its variable ID  and  attribute  number.   This  function  is
              useful  in generic applications that need to get the names of all the attributes associated with a
              variable because attributes are accessed by  name  rather  than  number  in  all  other  attribute
              functions  (the  number  of an attribute is more volatile than the name because it can change when
              other attributes of the same variable are deleted).  The attributes for each variable are numbered
              from  1  (the first attribute) to natts, where natts is the number of attributes for the variable,
              as returned from a call to nf90_inquire_variable().

       function nf90_put_att(ncid, varid, name, values)
              integer, intent(in) :: ncid, varid
              character(len=*), intent(in) :: name
              <<whatever>>, intent(in) :: values
              integer :: nf90_put_att

              Unlike variables, attributes do not have separate functions for defining and writing values.  This
              function  defines  a new attribute with a value or changes the value of an existing attribute.  If
              the attribute is new, or if the space required to  store  the  attribute  value  is  greater  than
              before,  the  netCDF  dataset  must be in define mode.  values contains the attribute values to be
              written; it may be a scalar or a vector and must be of type  character,  integer(kind=OneByteInt),
              integer(kind=TwoByteInt),          integer(kind=FourByteInt),          integer(kind=EightByteInt),
              real(kind=FourByteReal), or real(kind=EightByteReal).

       function nf90_get_att(ncid, varid, name, fIvalues)
              integer, intent(in) :: ncid, varid
              character(len=*), intent(in) :: name
              <<whatever>>, intent(out) :: values
              integer :: nf90_get_att

              (Replaces ncagt() in version 2)

              Gets the value(s) of a netCDF attribute, given its variable ID and name.  The values are  returned
              in  values,  which  must be of type character, integer(kind=OneByteInt), integer(kind=TwoByteInt),
              integer(kind=FourByteInt),      integer(kind=EightByteInt),      real(kind=FourByteReal),       or
              real(kind=EightByteReal).   Converts from the external type to the type of the receiving variable,
              if possible; otherwise returns an nf90_erange error.  All values of the attribute are returned, so
              you  must  allocate  enough space to hold them.  If you don't know how much space to reserve, call
              nf90_inquire_attribute() first to find out the length of the attribute.

       function nf90_copy_att(ncid_in, varid_in, name, ncid_out, varid_out)
              integer, intent(in) :: ncid_in, varid_in
              character(len=*), intent(in) :: name
              integer, intent(in) :: ncid_out, varid_out
              integer :: nf90_copy_att

              (Corresponds to ncacpy() in version 2)

              Copies an attribute from one netCDF dataset to another.  It can also be used to copy an  attribute
              from one variable to another within the same netCDF dataset.  ncid_in is the netCDF ID of an input
              netCDF dataset from which the attribute will be copied.  varid_in is the ID of the variable in the
              input  netCDF  dataset  from  which  the  attribute  will  be  copied, or nf90_global for a global
              attribute.  name is the name of the attribute in the input netCDF dataset to be copied.   ncid_out
              is  the  netCDF  ID  of  the  output  netCDF dataset to which the attribute will be copied.  It is
              permissible for the input and output netCDF ID's to be the same.  The output netCDF dataset should
              be in define mode if the attribute to be copied does not already exist for the target variable, or
              if it would cause an existing target attribute to grow.  varid_out is the ID of  the  variable  in
              the  output  netCDF  dataset  to  which  the attribute will be copied, or nf90_global to copy to a
              global attribute.

       function nf90_rename_att(ncid, varid, name, newname)
              integer, intent(in) :: ncid, varid
              character(len=*), intent(in) :: name, newname
              integer :: nf90_rename_att

              (Corresponds to ncaren()

              Changes the name of an attribute.  If the new name is longer than the original  name,  the  netCDF
              must be in define mode.  You cannot rename an attribute to have the same name as another attribute
              of the same variable.  name is the original attribute  name.   newname  is  the  new  name  to  be
              assigned  to  the  specified  attribute.   If the new name is longer than the old name, the netCDF
              dataset must be in define mode.

              function nf90_del_att(ncid, varid, name)
                     integer, intent(in) :: ncid, varid
                     character(len=*), intent(in) :: name
                     integer :: nf90_del_att

                     (Corresponds to ncadel() in version 2)

                     Deletes an attribute from a netCDF dataset.  The dataset must be in define mode.

COMMON ARGUMENT DESCRIPTIONS

       In this section we define some common arguments which are used in the "FUNCTION DESCRIPTIONS" section.

       integer ncid
              is the netCDF ID returned from a previous, successful call to nf90_open() or nf90_create()

       character(len=*) name
              is the name of a dimension, variable, or attribute.  It shall begin with an alphabetic  character,
              followed  by  zero or more alphanumeric characters including the underscore (`_') or hyphen (`-').
              Case is significant.  The maximum allowable number of characters  is  nf90_max_name.   Names  that
              begin with an underscore (`_') are reserved for use by the netCDF interface.

       integer xtype
              specifies  the  external  data type of a netCDF variable or attribute and is one of the following:
              nf90_byte, nf90_char, nf90_short, nf90_int, nf90_float, or nf90_double.  These are used to specify
              8-bit  integers, characters, 16-bit integers, 32-bit integers, 32-bit IEEE floating point numbers,
              and 64-bit IEEE floating-point numbers, respectively.

       integer dimids
              is a vector of dimension ID's and defines the shape of a netCDF variable.  The size of the  vector
              shall  be  greater  than  or  equal  to  the  rank (i.e. the number of dimensions) of the variable
              (ndims).  The vector shall be ordered by the speed with which a dimension varies: dimids(1)  shall
              be the dimension ID of the most rapidly varying dimension and dimids(ndims) shall be the dimension
              ID of the most slowly varying dimension.  The maximum possible number of dimensions for a variable
              is given by the symbolic constant nf90_max_var_dims.

       integer dimid
              is  the  ID  of  a  netCDF  dimension.   netCDF dimension ID's are allocated sequentially from the
              positive integers beginning with 1.

       integer ndims
              is either the total number of dimensions in a netCDF dataset or  the  rank  (i.e.  the  number  of
              dimensions)  of  a  netCDF variable.  The value shall not be negative or greater than the symbolic
              constant nf90_max_var_dims.

       integer varid
              is the ID of a netCDF variable or (for  the  attribute-access  functions)  the  symbolic  constant
              nf90_global,  which  is  used  to reference global attributes.  netCDF variable ID's are allocated
              sequentially from the positive integers beginning with 1.

       integer natts
              is the number of global attributes in a netCDF dataset  for the  nf90_inquire()  function  or  the
              number of attributes associated with a netCDF variable for the nf90_varinq() function.

       integer start
              specifies  the  starting  point  for  accessing  a  netCDF  variable's data values in terms of the
              indicial coordinates of the corner of the array section.  The indices start at 1; thus, the  first
              data  value of a variable is (1, 1, ..., 1).  The size of the vector shall be at least the rank of
              the associated netCDF variable and its elements shall correspond,  in  order,  to  the  variable's
              dimensions.

       integer stride
              specifies the sampling interval along each dimension of the netCDF variable.   The elements of the
              stride vector correspond, in order, to the netCDF  variable's  dimensions  (stride(1))  gives  the
              sampling  interval  along  the  most  rapidly varying dimension of the netCDF variable).  Sampling
              intervals are specified in type-independent units of elements (a value of  1  selects  consecutive
              elements  of  the  netCDF  variable  along the corresponding dimension, a value of 2 selects every
              other element, etc.).

       imap   specifies the mapping between the dimensions of a netCDF variable and the in-memory  structure  of
              the  internal  data  array.  The elements of the index mapping vector correspond, in order, to the
              netCDF variable's dimensions (imap(1) gives the distance between elements of  the  internal  array
              corresponding  to  the  most rapidly varying dimension of the netCDF variable).  Distances between
              elements are specified in type-independent  units  of  elements  (the  distance  between  internal
              elements that occupy adjacent memory locations is 1 and not the element's byte-length as in netCDF
              2).

VARIABLE PREFILLING

       By default, the netCDF interface sets the values of all newly-defined variables of  finite  length  (i.e.
       those  that  do  not  have an unlimited, dimension) to the type-dependent fill-value associated with each
       variable.  This is done when nf90_enddef() is called.  The fill-value for a variable may be changed  from
       the  default value by defining the attribute `_FillValue' for the variable.  This attribute must have the
       same type as the variable and be of length one.

       Variables with an unlimited dimension are also prefilled, but on an `as needed' basis.  For  example,  if
       the  first write of such a variable is to position 5, then positions 1 through 4 (and no others) would be
       set to the fill-value at the same time.

       This default prefilling of data values may be disabled by or'ing  the  nf90_nofill  flag  into  the  mode
       parameter  of nf90_open() or nf90_create(), or, by calling the function nf90_set_fill() with the argument
       nf90_nofill.  For variables that do not use the unlimited  dimension,  this  call  must  be  made  before
       nf90_enddef().  For variables that use the unlimited dimension, this call may be made at any time.

       One  can  obtain  increased  performance  of  the netCDF interface by using this feature, but only at the
       expense of requiring the application to set every single data value.  The performance enhancing  behavior
       of  this  function  is  dependent  on the particulars of the implementation and dataset format.  The flag
       value controlled by nf90_set_fill() is per netCDF ID, not per variable or per write.   Allowing  this  to
       change  affects  the  degree  to  which a program can be effectively parallelized.  Given all of this, we
       state that the use of this feature may not be available (or even needed) in future releases.  Programmers
       are cautioned against heavy reliance upon this feature.

MPP FUNCTION DESCRIPTIONS

       Additional  functions  for  use  on  SGI/Cray MPP machines (_CRAYMPP).  These are used to set and inquire
       which PE is the base for MPP for a particular netCDF. These are only relevant  when  using  the  SGI/Cray
       ``global''  Flexible  File  I/O layer and desire to have only a subset of PEs to open the specific netCDF
       file.  For technical reasons, these functions are available on all platforms.  On a platform  other  than
       SGI/Cray MPP, it is as if only processor available were processor 0.

       To   use  this  feature,  you  need  to  specify  a  communicator  group  and  call  glio_group_mpi()  or
       glio_group_shmem() prior to the netCDF nf90_open() and nf90_create() calls.

       Note that the routines described below are Fortran-77 routines rather than Fortran-90 routines (they have
       an "nf_" prefix rather than an "nf90_" prefix).

       integer  function  nf__create_mp(character*(*)  path,  integer  cmode,  integer  initialsize, integer pe,
              integer chunksize, integer ncid)

              Like nf__create() but allows the base PE to be set.

              The argument pe sets the base PE at creation  time.  In  the  MPP  environment,  nf__create()  and
              nf90_create() set the base PE to processor zero by default.

       integer  function  nf__open_mp(character*(*)  path,  integer mode, integer pe, integer chunksize, integer
              ncid)

              Like nf__open() but allows the base PE to be set.  The argument pe sets the base  PE  at  creation
              time.  In  the  MPP  environment,  nf__open() and nf90_open() set the base PE to processor zero by
              default.

       integer function nf_inq_base_pe(integer ncid, integer pe)

              Inquires of the netCDF dataset which PE is being used as the base for MPP use.  This  is  safe  to
              use at any time.

       integer function nf_set_base_pe(integer ncid, integer pe)

              Resets  the  base  PE  for  the  netCDF  dataset.   Only  perform this operation when the affected
              communicator group synchronizes before and after the call.   This  operation  is  very  risky  and
              should only be contemplated under only the most extreme cases.

ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES

       NETCDF_FFIOSPEC
           Specifies  the  Flexible  File  I/O  buffers for netCDF I/O when executing under the UNICOS operating
           system (the variable is ignored on  other  operating  systems).   An  appropriate  specification  can
           greatly  increase  the efficiency of netCDF I/O -- to the extent that it can actually surpass FORTRAN
           binary I/O.  This environment variable has been made a little more generalized, such that other  FFIO
           option  specifications  can  now be added.  The default specification is bufa:336:2, unless a current
           FFIO specification is in operation, which will be honored.  See UNICOS Flexible  File  I/O  for  more
           information.

MAILING-LISTS

       Both  a  mailing list and a digest are available for discussion of the netCDF interface and announcements
       about netCDF bugs, fixes, and enhancements.  To begin or change your subscription to either the  mailing-
       list  or  the digest, send one of the following in the body (not the subject line) of an email message to
       "majordomo@unidata.ucar.edu".  Use your email address in place of jdoe@host.inst.domain.

       To subscribe to the netCDF mailing list:
              subscribe netcdfgroup jdoe@host.inst.domain
       To unsubscribe from the netCDF mailing list:
              unsubscribe netcdfgroup jdoe@host.inst.domain
       To subscribe to the netCDF digest:
              subscribe netcdfdigest jdoe@host.inst.domain
       To unsubscribe from the netCDF digest:
              unsubscribe netcdfdigest jdoe@host.inst.domain
       To retrieve the general introductory information for the mailing list:
              info netcdfgroup
       To get a synopsis of other majordomo commands:
              help

SEE ALSO

       ncdump(1), ncgen(1), netcdf(3f).

       netCDF User's Guide, published by the Unidata Program  Center,  University  Corporation  for  Atmospheric
       Research, located in Boulder, Colorado.