File I/O for Climate Data

Climate data comes in a variety of formats—each with different structures, metadata, and tools for reading and writing. This chapter introduces the most common file types you’ll encounter in climate science and how to work with them in Python.

We’ll explore:

• CSV files: often used for station-based observations or tabular time series.

• NetCDF files: the standard format for multidimensional climate datasets.

• GRIB files: compact binary format used in operational forecasting.

• Writing output: how to export data to formats like NetCDF or CSV.

Whether you’re working with raw model output or sharing processed results, understanding file I/O is essential for reproducibility and collaboration.