Python at KlimaCampus

This page shall be a central help for ZMAW/KlimaCampus users of Python. Contact AlexLoew or LarsKaleschke for permission to edit this page. Please help to fill this page with useful information about Python for climate research and data analysis.

Why python rocks!

• 10 reasons python rocks for research

• Python wraps its coils around the enterprise

• Clear climate code

ZMAW Settings

SNOW, SQUALL:

module load python

Getting started ...

ZMAW internal ressources

• MPI-M, Land department python seminar series, 2012 by Alex Loew and Julia Pongratz

• Open Source Scripting for Geo-Scientific Data Processing and Analysis by LarsKaleschke KlimaCampus Lecture

• Sebastian Heimann's MPI-M lecture (scroll to the bottom of the webpage)

External ressources / tutorials

• Python Wiki (in German only)

• Dive into Python 3

• Think Python - How to think like a computer scientist

• Python Scientific Lecture Notes

• Python in Hydrology

Documentation and further reading

• http://www.python.org/doc/ Standard documentation

• NumPy for IDL users

• NumPy for Matlab users

• SciPy tutorial

• Software Carpentry

Modules for Scientific Computing and Visualization

A good summary webpage how to use geospatial data (e.g. netCDF, GRIB) with python is given here.

SciPy/NumPy

• http://www.scipy.org/

pylab

• Matplotlib/pylab Plotting functions with a high degree of Matlab compatibility

• http://matplotlib.sourceforge.net/basemap/doc/html/ Matplotlib Basemap

Import the Basemap module

from mpl_toolkits.basemap import Basemap

GDAL

• GDAL - Geospatial Data Abstraction Library for various satellite data formats

• ZMAW GDAL

PyNGL PyNio

• PyNGL/PyNIO Python interface to NCAR Command Language

• Scientific visualization and data formats (netCDF, HDF, GRIB etc.)

Python Interface to GrADS

• http://opengrads.org/wiki/index.php?title=Python_Interface_to_GrADS

RPy

• RPy (R from Python) Statistical computing and graphics

F2PY: Fortran to Python interface generator

Calling Fortran code from python is easy!

Fortran to Python

Topical Modules

• Seawater is a package for computing properties of seawater (UNESCO 1981 and UNESCO 1983).

• Escript/Finley: Fast Finite Elements for Partial Differential Equations

More topical software can be found at http://scipy.org/Topical_Software

Python and Climate

• CliMT: An object-oriented Climate Modeling and diagnostics Toolkit

• Climate Data Analysis Tools (CDAT)

• pyccsm A Python version of the CCSM coupler

Download (try this at home)

A basic system for scientific computing consists of Python, ipython, numpy/scipy, pylab, and an editor of your choice

• Python interpreter

• IPython shell

• SciPy

• Matplotlib/pylab

• Editor (a nice editor for Windows user, if you don't like to install xemacs)

The python(x,y) distribution contains all that above.

Literature

• Python Scripting for Computational Science, Hans Petter Langtangen, Springer (available in the ZMAW library)
• Matplotlib for Python Developers - Build remarkable publication quality plots the easy way, Sandro Tosi, Packt Publishing, Birmingham - Mumbai, 2009

• Principles of Planetary Climate (RAYMOND T. PIERREHUMBERT) includes a large collection of Python examples