stratiform_cloud_area_fraction

"Area fraction" is the fraction of a grid cell's horizontal area that has some characteristic of interest. It is evaluated as the area of interest divided by the grid cell area, or if the cell_methods restricts the evaluation to some portion of that grid cell (e.g. "where sea_ice"), then it is the area of interest divided by the area of the identified portion. It may be expressed as a fraction, a percentage, or any other dimensionless representation of a fraction. To specify which area is quantified by a variable with standard name area_fraction, provide a coordinate variable or scalar coordinate variable with standard name area_type. Alternatively, if one is defined, use a more specific standard name of X_area_fraction for the fraction of horizontal area occupied by X. The cloud area fraction is for the whole atmosphere column, as seen from the surface or the top of the atmosphere. In an atmosphere model, stratiform cloud is that produced by large-scale convergence (not the convection schemes). Cloud area fraction is also called "cloud amount" and "cloud cover". rdf:langString