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251 changes: 251 additions & 0 deletions intermediate/hierarchical_zarr_store.ipynb
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@keewis keewis Jul 9, 2026

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learning objectives:

  • should this be just "hierarchical structure" (without the "group" before it)?

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@keewis keewis Jul 9, 2026

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I think you can use

`{note}
We selected consolidated=True, Zarr ...
`

to get something more noticeable (see https://mystmd.org/guide/admonitions)

Looks like reviewnb may butcher the markdown, this should be a triple quote block (but could also be a ::: block if that setting is enabled in the config)


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@keewis keewis Jul 9, 2026

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do we need to explain the different args here? To be clear, I believe the answer to this depends on your target audience. If this is for advanced users not explaining chunks={} or engine="zarr" should be fine


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@keewis keewis Jul 9, 2026

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this could be a bit clearer... DataTree abstracts the backend away, such that it shouldn't matter where this is coming from (local vs cloud, or zarr vs in-memory).

And I would call the latter access method "attribute syntax" instead of "method" because for python the difference between the two is that a method is a callable with the first parameter bound to the instance.


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@keewis keewis Jul 9, 2026

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I tend to use the dict-like syntax for the entire thing: precip_dt["observed/precipitation"]. I guess that's a matter of taste (as in, totally arbitrary) as long as there's no conflict with attributes / methods / accessors.


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"cells": [
{
"cell_type": "markdown",
"id": "0",
"metadata": {},
"source": [
"# Zarr Stores with Xarray\n",
"\n",
"## Learning Objectives:\n",
"\n",
"- Learn how to read a Zarr store with a group hierarchical structure with `xr.DataTree` and `xarray`'s `\"zarr\"` engine\n",
"- Learn how to select `dask` arrays from a Zarr store\n",
"- Explore how to use Zarr stores with `xarray` for computations and visualizations\n",
"\n",
"## What is Zarr?\n",
"\n",
"The Zarr data format is an open, community-maintained format designed for efficient, scalable storage of large N-dimensional arrays. It stores data as compressed and chunked arrays in a format well-suited to parallel processing and cloud-native workflows. \n",
"\n",
"### Zarr Data Organization:\n",
"- **Arrays**: N-dimensional arrays that can be chunked and compressed.\n",
"- **Groups**: A container for organizing multiple arrays and other groups with a hierarchical structure.\n",
"- **Metadata**: JSON-like metadata describing the arrays and groups, including information about data types, dimensions, chunking, compression, and user-defined key-value fields. \n",
"- **Dimensions and Shape**: Arrays can have any number of dimensions, and their shape is defined by the number of elements in each dimension.\n",
"- **Coordinates & Indexing**: Zarr supports coordinate arrays for each dimension, allowing for efficient indexing and slicing.\n",
"\n",
"The diagram below from [the Zarr v3 specification](https://wiki.earthdata.nasa.gov/display/ESO/Zarr+Format) showing the structure of a Zarr store:\n",
"\n",
"![ZarrSpec](https://zarr-specs.readthedocs.io/en/latest/_images/terminology-hierarchy.excalidraw.png)\n",
"\n",
"\n",
"NetCDF and Zarr share similar terminology and functionality, but the key difference is that NetCDF is a single file, while Zarr is a directory-based “store” composed of many chunked files, making it better suited for distributed and cloud-based workflows."
]
},
{
"cell_type": "markdown",
"id": "1",
"metadata": {},
"source": [
"## Opening a dataset\n",
"\n",
"Let's open up a precipitation zarr store, with `xr.open_datatree(engine='zarr')`. This dataset was derived from \"GPM_3IMERGHH_07\" and \"M2T1NXFLX_5.12.4\" products and has a group hierarchical structure.\n",
"**NOTE** We selected `consolidated=True`, Zarr supports consolidated metadata, which allows you to store all metadata in a single file and can improve performance when reading metadata."
]
},
{
"cell_type": "code",
"execution_count": null,
"id": "2",
"metadata": {},
"outputs": [],
"source": [
"import xarray as xr\n",
"\n",
"precipitation_store = \"https://pub-45a1d62ac8d94c4c89f4dc63681a98ed.r2.dev/precipitation.zarr\"\n",
"\n",
"precip_dt = xr.open_datatree(precipitation_store, engine=\"zarr\", chunks={}, consolidated=True)"
]
},
{
"cell_type": "markdown",
"id": "3",
"metadata": {},
"source": [
"## Variable selection\n",
"As with on disk storage methods, data from zarr stores in the cloud can be accessed with either dict-like syntax or method based syntax with the `\"zarr\"` engine."
]
},
{
"cell_type": "code",
"execution_count": null,
"id": "4",
"metadata": {},
"outputs": [],
"source": [
"precip_dt.observed[\"precipitation\"]"
]
},
{
"cell_type": "markdown",
"id": "5",
"metadata": {},
"source": [
"This returns an `xr.DataArray` object with the underly data as a chunked `dask.Array`."
]
},
{
"cell_type": "markdown",
"id": "6",
"metadata": {},
"source": [
"## Time slicing\n",
"\n",
"Like a dataset stored on disk we can do time slicing on our zarr store. Each time slice is one hour data with a total of 10 hours of data. \n",
"\n",
"Let's try getting the first 5 hours of data with `.sel(time=)`. \n",
"\n",
"Since the time slices are ordered we can get a subset of the array of our time coordinate and pass it to the `.sel` method."
]
},
{
"cell_type": "code",
"execution_count": null,
"id": "7",
"metadata": {},
"outputs": [],
"source": [
"time_index = precip_dt.time[0:5]\n",
"precip_dt.sel(time=time_index)"
]
},
{
"cell_type": "markdown",
"id": "8",
"metadata": {},
"source": [
"We can also subset by time with a `datetime` string."
]
},
{
"cell_type": "code",
"execution_count": null,
"id": "9",
"metadata": {},
"outputs": [],
"source": [
"precip_dt.sel(time=slice(\"2021-08-29T07:30:00\", \"2021-08-29T16:30:00\"))"
]
},
{
"cell_type": "markdown",
"id": "10",
"metadata": {},
"source": [
"Or by the index of our time dimension `.isel(time=slice())`"
]
},
{
"cell_type": "code",
"execution_count": null,
"id": "11",
"metadata": {},
"outputs": [],
"source": [
"precip_dt.isel(time=slice(0, 5))"
]
},
{
"cell_type": "markdown",
"id": "12",
"metadata": {
"vscode": {
"languageId": "plaintext"
}
},
"source": [
"## Chunking\n",
"Chunking is the process of dividing arrays into smaller pieces, which allows for parallel processing and efficient storage.\n",
"\n",
"To examine the chunks in our Zarr store, with `xarray` you can use the `chunks` attribute on the `xr.DataArray` object."
]
},
{
"cell_type": "code",
"execution_count": null,
"id": "13",
"metadata": {},
"outputs": [],
"source": [
"precip_dt.observed[\"precipitation\"].data.chunks"
]
},
{
"cell_type": "markdown",
"id": "14",
"metadata": {},
"source": [
"### Selecting by chunks\n",
"\n",
"Since our underlying data arrays are `dask.Array`, we can access data from each chunked array in our Zarr store. \n",
"\n",
"Let's get the first chunk of the \"observed/precipitation\" variable in our zarr store.\n",
"\n",
"We add `.data` to our `xr.DataArray` to get access the `dask.Array`. The `.blocks[]` method allows you to index by chunk and `.compute()` returns the `np.ndarray`. "
]
},
{
"cell_type": "code",
"execution_count": null,
"id": "15",
"metadata": {},
"outputs": [],
"source": [
"precip_dt.observed[\"precipitation\"].data.blocks[0, 0, 0].compute()"
]
},
{
"cell_type": "code",
"execution_count": null,
"id": "16",
"metadata": {},
"outputs": [],
"source": [
"precip_dt.observed[\"precipitation\"].mean(dim=\"time\")"
]
},
{
"cell_type": "markdown",
"id": "17",
"metadata": {},
"source": [
"## Exercise"
]
},
{
"cell_type": "markdown",
"id": "18",
"metadata": {},
"source": [
"::::{admonition} Exercise\n",
":class: tip\n",
"\n",
"Can you calculate and plot the mean precipitation starting at 09:55 for the reanalysis group in this zarr store?\n",
"\n",
":::{admonition} Solution\n",
":class: dropdown\n",
"\n",
"```python\n",
"precip_dt.reanalysis['precipitation'].sel(time=slice('2021-08-29T09:55:00', '2021-08-29T16:30:00')).mean(dim='time').plot()\n",
"```\n",
":::\n",
"::::"
]
}
],
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"pygments_lexer": "ipython3"
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