MSISE-00 in Python and Matlab

NRL MSISE-00 atmospheric model for Python ≥ 3.6, also accessible via Matlab. Valid from altitude z = 0..1000 km.

The plot immediately below shows a slice at 200km on a world-wide grid. The yellow ball represents the sun footprint on Earth.

This plot is from Matlab calling the Python MSISE00:

Install

This process is used for the Python and Matlab access to MSIS.

• Mac: brew install gcc
• Linux: apt install gfortran
• Windows or use Windows Subsystem for Linux.

And then:

pip install -e .

Examples

MSISE00 can be used from the command line, as an imported module, and even from Matlab.

import module

import msise00
from datetime import datetime

atmos = msise00.rungtd1d(time=datetime(2013, 3, 31, 12), altkm=150., glat=65., glon=-148.)

atmos is an xarray.Dataset containing all the simulation output values. atmos is 4-D: (time, altitude, lat, lon), and indexed like atmos['N2']

Command Line

Write NetCDF4 output (HDF5 compatible) with command line argument -w filename.nc.

Altitude Profile

at a single time:

msis00 -t 2017-08-21T20:48 -c 40 -90

Alt. profile time-range

with hourly time step:

msis00 -t 2017-08-21 2017-08-22 -c 40 -90

Grid: time,lat,lon

This example takes several minutes, and generates the plots in the README:

msis00 -t 2016-09-20 2016-09-21

A single time lat/lon can be plotted:

msise00 -t 2017-01-02T12

Matlab

Matlab ≥ R2014b can interface directly with most Python modules, for example:

atmos = py.msise00.run(time,altkm,glat,glon)

Reference

• Original fortran code
• 1200+ citations 2002 paper