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raster::calc() error in calctest(x[1:5]) with userdefined function


I am calculating the maximum climatalogical water deficit from this study/scientific publication, using the Rcode that the authors publsihed with the study available here

It is a very simple code in which the input is monthly rainfall rasters, which I have downloaded from the Terraclimate product. After subtracting 100 mm/month (evapotranspiration) from each rainfall raster (month), a stack is created and the following function is used in calc()

wd = stack(month.rainfall)-100 # 100 is the evapotranspiration in mm/month

# MCWD Function
mcwd.f = function(x){
result= as.numeric(x)
for(i in 1:length(result)){
wdn = result[i]
wdn1 = result[i-1]

if(i==1){
  if(wdn>0){ result[i]=0}
  else{result[i]=wdn}
}

if(i!=1){
  cwd = wdn1+wdn
  if( cwd < 0){ result[i]=cwd}
  else{result[i]=0}
   }
 }

return(result)  
 }


# Applying the Function
cwd = calc(wd, fun = mcwd.f)

However, after I run the line starting cwd I get the error Error in .calcTest(x[1:5], fun, na.rm, forcefun, forceapply) : cannot use this function

Why do I have this error? How do I fix it?

I have looked at similar posts-1, 2,and have used na.rm=TRUE etc but I still get the same error. I also see some posts that say that the calc() is not very good, but I do not know how to solve this problem or find an alternative as I am using the code published by authors of the study I am replicating.

EDIT- I used a vector of 100 random numbers (with no NAs) to test the mcwd.f function and it works. So I think it is to do with having NA pixels, which I thought should get solved if I use na.rm=TRUE in the calc(), but it does not solve it.


Solution

  • Always include a minimal, self-contained, reproducible example when you ask an R question. You say your function "works", but you do not provide input and expected output data.

    I get this with your function

    mcwd.f(c(-5:5))
    # [1]  -5  -9 -12 -14 -15 -15 -14 -12  -9  -5   0
    

    Here is a much more concise version of your function

    mcwd.f1 <- function(x) {
        x[1] <- min(0, x[1])
        for(i in 2:length(x)){
            x[i] <- min(0, sum(x[c(i-1, i)]))
        }
        return(x)  
    }
    mcwd.f1(c(-5:5))
    # [1]  -5  -9 -12 -14 -15 -15 -14 -12  -9  -5   0
    

    And a variation that helps explain the next one

    mcwd.f1a <- function(x) {
        x <- c(0, x)
        for(i in 2:length(x)){
            x[i] <- min(0, sum(x[c(i-1, i)]))
        }
        return(x[-1])  
    }
    

    A vectorized version (after Gabor Grothendieck)

    mcwd.f2 = function(x) {
        f <- function(x, y) min(x + y, 0)
        Reduce(f, x, 0, accumulate = TRUE)[-1]
    }
    mcwd.f2(c(-5:5))
    #[1]  -5  -9 -12 -14 -15 -15 -14 -12  -9  -5   0
    

    Now use the function with a RasterStack and calc

    Example data:

    library(raster)
    slogo <- stack(system.file("external/rlogo.grd", package="raster")) 
    s <- slogo-100
    

    Use calc:

    x <- calc(s, mcwd.f1)
    y <- calc(s, mcwd.f2)
    

    That works for both functions (and also for your mcwd.f). Try with NA values

    s[1000:3000] <- NA 
    x <- calc(s, mcwd.f1)
    y <- calc(s, mcwd.f2)
    

    Also works.

    x
    #class      : RasterBrick 
    #dimensions : 77, 101, 7777, 3  (nrow, ncol, ncell, nlayers)
    #resolution : 1, 1  (x, y)
    #extent     : 0, 101, 0, 77  (xmin, xmax, ymin, ymax)
    #crs        : +proj=merc +lon_0=0 +k=1 +x_0=0 +y_0=0 +datum=WGS84 +units=m +no_defs 
    #source     : memory
    #names      :  red, green, blue 
    #min values : -100,  -200, -300 
    #max values :    0,     0,    0 
    

    But not for your function

    y <- calc(s, mcwd.f)
    Error in .calcTest(x[1:5], fun, na.rm, forcefun, forceapply) : 
      cannot use this function
    

    And you can see why when you do

    mcwd.f(c(-5:5,NA))
    #Error in if (cwd < 0) { : missing value where TRUE/FALSE needed
    

    To make you function work (but you should not because it is inefficient) you could add a first line like this

    mcwd.f = function(x){
        if (any(is.na(x))) return(x*NA)
        ...
    

    Under the assumption that when there is one NA, all values in the cell are, or should become, NA