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CF Standard Names (copied into data request to facilitate validation, particularly validation of consistency of definition in the CF standard with usage in the data request).
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| canonical_units | Pa |
| description | The surface called "surface" means the lower boundary of the atmosphere. "Surface stress" means the shear stress (force per unit area) exerted by the wind at the surface. A downward stress is a downward flux of momentum. Over large bodies of water, wind stress can drive near-surface currents. "Downward" indicates a vector component which is positive when directed downward (negative upward). "Northward" indicates a vector component which is positive when directed northward (negative southward). "Downward northward" indicates the ZY component of a tensor. A downward northward stress is a downward flux of northward momentum, which accelerates the lower medium northward and the upper medium southward. |
| name | surface_downward_northward_stress |
| uid | 3ba8db05-8ca2-11ef-944e-41a8eb05f654 |