GRIB2 - TABLE 4.5
FIXED SURFACE TYPES AND UNITS
Section 4, Octets 23 and 29
Revised 03/13/2006
Red text depicts changes made since 05/12/2005

Number | Meaning | Units
0 | Reserved |
1 | Ground or Water Surface |
2 | Cloud Base Level |
3 | Level of Cloud Tops |
4 | Level of 0o C Isotherm |
5 | Level of Adiabatic Condensation Lifted from the Surface |
6 | Maximum Wind Level |
7 | Tropopause |
8 | Nominal Top of the Atmosphere |
9 | Sea Bottom |
10-19 | Reserved |
20 | Isothermal Level | K
21-99 | Reserved |
100 | Isobaric Surface | Pa
101 | Mean Sea Level |
102 | Specific Altitude Above Mean Sea Level | m
103 | Specified Height Level Above Ground | m
104 | Sigma Level |
105 | Hybrid Level |
106 | Depth Below Land Surface | m
107 | Isentropic (theta) Level | K
108 | Level at Specified Pressure Difference from Ground to Level | Pa
109 | Potential Vorticity Surface | K m2 kg-1 s-1
110 | Reserved |
111 | Eta Level (see note below) |
112-116 | Reserved |
117 | Mixed Layer Depth | m
118-159 | Reserved |
160 | Depth Below Sea Level | m
161-191 | Reserved |
192-254 | Reserved for Local Use |
200 | Entire atmosphere (considered as a single layer) |
201 | Entire ocean (considered as a single layer) |
204 | Highest tropospheric freezing level |
206 | Grid scale cloud bottom level |
207 | Grid scale cloud top level |
209 | Boundary layer cloud bottom level |
210 | Boundary layer cloud top level |
211 | Boundary layer cloud layer |
212 | Low cloud bottom level |
213 | Low cloud top level |
214 | Low cloud layer |
215 | Cloud ceiling |
222 | Middle cloud bottom level |
223 | Middle cloud top level |
224 | Middle cloud layer |
232 | High cloud bottom level |
233 | High cloud top level |
234 | High cloud layer |
235 | Ocean Isotherm Level (1/10 deg C) |
236 | Layer between two depths below ocean surface |
237 | Bottom of Ocean Mixed Layer (m) |
238 | Bottom of Ocean Isothermal Layer (m) |
242 | Convective cloud bottom level |
243 | Convective cloud top level |
244 | Convective cloud layer |
245 | Lowest level of the wet bulb zero |
246 | Maximum equivalent potential temperature level |
247 | Equilibrium level |
248 | Shallow convective cloud bottom level |
249 | Shallow convective cloud top level |
251 | Deep convective cloud bottom level |
252 | Deep convective cloud top level |
253 | Lowest bottom level of supercooled liquid water layer |
254 | Highest top level of supercooled liquid water layer |
255 | Missing |

Notes: 1. The Eta vertical coordinate system involves normalizing the pressure at some point on a specific level by the mean sea level pressure at that point.

Back