scholarly journals Block-structured adaptive meshes and reduced grids for atmospheric general circulation models

Author(s):  
Christiane Jablonowski ◽  
Robert C. Oehmke ◽  
Quentin F. Stout

Adaptive mesh refinement techniques offer a flexible framework for future variable-resolution climate and weather models since they can focus their computational mesh on certain geographical areas or atmospheric events. Adaptive meshes can also be used to coarsen a latitude–longitude grid in polar regions. This allows for the so-called reduced grid setups. A spherical, block-structured adaptive grid technique is applied to the Lin–Rood finite-volume dynamical core for weather and climate research. This hydrostatic dynamics package is based on a conservative and monotonic finite-volume discretization in flux form with vertically floating Lagrangian layers. The adaptive dynamical core is built upon a flexible latitude–longitude computational grid and tested in two- and three-dimensional model configurations. The discussion is focused on static mesh adaptations and reduced grids. The two-dimensional shallow water setup serves as an ideal testbed and allows the use of shallow water test cases like the advection of a cosine bell, moving vortices, a steady-state flow, the Rossby–Haurwitz wave or cross-polar flows. It is shown that reduced grid configurations are viable candidates for pure advection applications but should be used moderately in nonlinear simulations. In addition, static grid adaptations can be successfully used to resolve three-dimensional baroclinic waves in the storm-track region.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas K.-R. Kevlahan ◽  
Thomas Dubos

Abstract. This paper presents the new adaptive dynamical core wavetrisk. The fundamental features of the wavelet-based adaptivity were developed for the shallow water equation on the β-plane in Dubos and Kevlahan (2013) and extended to the icosahedral grid on the sphere in Aechtner et al. (2015). The three-dimensional dynamical core solves the compressible hydrostatic multilayer rotating shallow water equations on a multiscale dynamically adapted grid. The equations are discretized using a Lagrangian vertical coordinate version of dynamico introduced in Dubos et al. (2015). The horizontal computational grid is adapted at each time step to ensure a user-specified relative error in either the tendencies or the solution. The Lagrangian vertical grid is remapped using an adaptive Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) algorithm onto the initial hybrid σ pressure-based coordinates as necessary. The resulting grid is adapted horizontally, but uniform over all vertical layers. Thus, the three-dimensional grid is a set of columns of varying sizes. The code is parallelized by domain decomposition using mpi and the variables are stored in a hybrid data structure of dyadic quad trees and patches. A low storage explicit fourth order Runge-Kutta scheme is used for time integration. Validation results are presented for three standard dynamical core test cases: mountain-induced Rossby wave train, baroclinic instability of a jet stream and the Held and Suarez simplified general circulation model. The results confirm good strong parallel scaling and demonstrate that wavetrisk can achieve grid compression ratios of several hundred times compared with an equivalent static grid model.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 4901-4921
Author(s):  
Nicholas K.-R. Kevlahan ◽  
Thomas Dubos

Abstract. This paper presents the new adaptive dynamical core wavetrisk. The fundamental features of the wavelet-based adaptivity were developed for the shallow water equation on the β plane and extended to the icosahedral grid on the sphere in previous work by the authors. The three-dimensional dynamical core solves the compressible hydrostatic multilayer rotating shallow water equations on a multiscale dynamically adapted grid. The equations are discretized using a Lagrangian vertical coordinate version of the dynamico model. The horizontal computational grid is adapted at each time step to ensure a user-specified relative error in either the tendencies or the solution. The Lagrangian vertical grid is remapped using an arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE) algorithm onto the initial hybrid σ-pressure-based coordinates as necessary. The resulting grid is adapted horizontally but uniform over all vertical layers. Thus, the three-dimensional grid is a set of columns of varying sizes. The code is parallelized by domain decomposition using mpi, and the variables are stored in a hybrid data structure of dyadic quad trees and patches. A low-storage explicit fourth-order Runge–Kutta scheme is used for time integration. Validation results are presented for three standard dynamical core test cases: mountain-induced Rossby wave train, baroclinic instability of a jet stream and the Held and Suarez simplified general circulation model. The results confirm good strong parallel scaling and demonstrate that wavetrisk can achieve grid compression ratios of several hundred times compared with an equivalent static grid model.


2009 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 581-638 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Rípodas ◽  
A. Gassmann ◽  
J. Förstner ◽  
D. Majewski ◽  
M. Giorgetta ◽  
...  

Abstract. The Icosahedral Shallow Water Model (ICOSWM) has been a first step in the development of the ICON (acronym for ICOsahedral Nonhydrostatic) models. ICON is a joint project of the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology in Hamburg (MPI-M) and Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD) for the development of new unified general circulation models for climate modeling and numerical weather forecasting on global or regional domains. A short description of ICOSWM is given. Standard test cases are used to test the performance of ICOSWM. The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Spectral Transform Shallow Water Model (STSWM) has been used as reference for test cases without an analytical solution. The sensitivity of the model results to different model parameters is studied. The kinetic energy spectra are calculated and compared to the STSWM spectra. A comparison to the shallow water version of the current operational model GME at DWD is presented. In the framework of the ICON project an hydrostatic dynamical core has been developed, and a local grid refinement option and a non-hydrostatic dynamical core are under development. The results presented in this paper use the ICOSWM version at the end of 2008 and are a benchmark for the new options implemented in the development of these models.


2002 ◽  
Vol 32 (9) ◽  
pp. 2509-2519 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerrit Burgers ◽  
Magdalena A. Balmaseda ◽  
Femke C. Vossepoel ◽  
Geert Jan van Oldenborgh ◽  
Peter Jan van Leeuwen

Abstract The question is addressed whether using unbalanced updates in ocean-data assimilation schemes for seasonal forecasting systems can result in a relatively poor simulation of zonal currents. An assimilation scheme, where temperature observations are used for updating only the density field, is compared to a scheme where updates of density field and zonal velocities are related by geostrophic balance. This is done for an equatorial linear shallow-water model. It is found that equatorial zonal velocities can be detoriated if velocity is not updated in the assimilation procedure. Adding balanced updates to the zonal velocity is shown to be a simple remedy for the shallow-water model. Next, optimal interpolation (OI) schemes with balanced updates of the zonal velocity are implemented in two ocean general circulation models. First tests indicate a beneficial impact on equatorial upper-ocean zonal currents.


2013 ◽  
Vol 57 (03) ◽  
pp. 125-140
Author(s):  
Daniel A. Liut ◽  
Kenneth M. Weems ◽  
Tin-Guen Yen

A quasi-three-dimensional hydrodynamic model is presented to simulate shallow water phenomena. The method is based on a finite-volume approach designed to solve shallow water equations in the time domain. The nonlinearities of the governing equations are considered. The methodology can be used to compute green water effects on a variety of platforms with six-degrees-of-freedom motions. Different boundary and initial conditions can be applied for multiple types of moving platforms, like a ship's deck, tanks, etc. Comparisons with experimental data are discussed. The shallow water model has been integrated with the Large Amplitude Motions Program to compute the effects of green water flow over decks within a time-domain simulation of ship motions in waves. Results associated to this implementation are presented.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Famooss Paolini ◽  
Alessio Bellucci ◽  
Paolo Ruggieri ◽  
Panos Athanasiadis ◽  
Silvio Gualdi

<p>Western boundary currents transport a large amount of heat from the Tropics toward higher latitudes; furthermore they are characterized by a strong sea surface temperature (SST) gradient, which anchors zones of intense upward motion extending up to the upper-troposphere and shapes zones of intense baroclinic eddy activity (storm tracks). For such reasons they have been shown to be fundamental in influencing the climate of the Northern Hemisphere and its variability, and a potentially relevant source of atmospheric predictability. </p><p> </p><p>General circulation models show deficiencies in simulating the observed atmospheric response to SST front variability. The atmospheric horizontal resolution has been recently proposed as a key element in understanding such differences. However, the number of studies on this subject is still limited. Furthermore, a multi-model analysis to systematically investigate differences between low-resolution and high-resolution atmospheric response to oceanic forcing is still lacking. </p><p> </p><p>The present work has the objective to fill this gap, analysing the atmospheric response to Gulf Stream SST front shifting using data from recent High Resolution Model Intercomparison Project (HighResMIP). This project was designed with the specific objective of investigating the impact of increased model horizontal resolution on the representation of the observed climate. Ensembles of historical simulations performed with three atmospheric general circulation models (AGCMs) have been analysed, each conducted with a low-resolution (LR, about 1°) and a high-resolution (HR, about 0.25°) configuration. AGCMs have been forced with observed SSTs (HadISST2 dataset), available at daily frequency on a 0.25° grid, during 1950–2014. </p><p><br>Results show atmospheric responses to the SST-induced diabatic heating anomalies that are strongly resolution dependent. In LR simulations a low-pressure anomaly is present downstream of the SST anomaly, while the diabatic heating anomaly is mainly balanced by meridional advection of air coming from higher latitudes, as expected for an extra-tropical shallow heat source. In contrast, HR simulations generate a high-pressure anomaly downstream of the SST anomaly, thus driving positive temperature advection from lower latitudes (not balancing diabatic heating). Along the vertical direction, both in LR and HR simulation, the diabatic heating in the interior of the atmosphere is balanced by upward motion south of GS SST front and downward motion north and further south of the Gulf Stream. Finally, LR simulations show a reduction in storm-track activity over the North Atlantic, whereas HR simulations show a meridional displacement of the storm-track considerably larger (yet in the same direction) than that of the SST front. HR simulations reproduce the atmospheric response obtained from observations, albeit weaker. This is a hint for the existence of a positive feedback between ocean and atmosphere, as proposed in previous studies. These findings are qualitatively consistent with previous results in literature and, leveraging on recent coordinated modelling efforts, shed light on the effective role of atmospheric horizontal resolution in modelling the atmospheric response to extra-tropical oceanic forcing.</p>


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sudi Mungkasi

This paper presents a numerical entropy production (NEP) scheme for two-dimensional shallow water equations on unstructured triangular grids. We implement NEP as the error indicator for adaptive mesh refinement or coarsening in solving the shallow water equations using a finite volume method. Numerical simulations show that NEP is successful to be a refinement/coarsening indicator in the adaptive mesh finite volume method, as the method refines the mesh or grids around nonsmooth regions and coarsens them around smooth regions.


2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (10) ◽  
pp. 2869-2885
Author(s):  
Paolo Ruggieri ◽  
Fred Kucharski ◽  
Lenka Novak

Abstract Given the recent changes in the Arctic sea ice, understanding the effects of the resultant polar warming on the global climate is of great importance. However, the interaction between the Arctic and midlatitude circulation involves a complex chain of mechanisms, which leaves state-of-the-art general circulation models unable to represent this interaction unambiguously. This study uses an idealized general circulation model to provide a process-based understanding of the sensitivity of the midlatitude circulation to the location of high-latitude warming. A simplified atmosphere is simulated with a single zonally localized midlatitude storm track, which is analogous to the storm tracks in the Northern Hemisphere. It is found that even small changes in the position of the forcing relative to that storm track can lead to very different responses in the midlatitude circulation. More specifically, it is found that heating concentrated in one region may cause a substantially stronger global response compared to when the same amount of heating is distributed across all longitudes at the same latitude. Linear interference between climatological and anomalous flow is an important component of the response, but it does not explain differences between different longitudes of the forcing. Feedbacks from atmospheric transient eddies are found to be associated with this strong response. A dependence between the climatological jet latitude and the jet response to polar surface heating is found. These results can be used to design and interpret experiments with complex state-of-the-art models targeted at Arctic–midlatitude interactions.


Author(s):  
Kirill V. Karelsky ◽  
Arakel S. Petrosyan ◽  
Alexander G. Slavin

AbstractA finite-volume numerical method for studying shallow water flows over an arbitrary bed profile in the presence of external force has been proposed in [33]. This method uses the quasi-two-layer model of hydrodynamic flows over a stepwise boundary with advanced consideration of the flow features near the step. A distinctive feature of the suggested model is a separation of the studied flow into two layers in calculating the flow quantities near each step, and improving by this means the approximation of depth-averaged solutions of the initial three-dimensional Euler equations. We are solving the shallow-water equations for one layer, introducing the fictitious lower layer only as an auxiliary structure in setting up the appropriate Riemann problems for the upper layer. Besides, the quasi-two-layer approach leads to the appearance of additional terms in the one-layer finite-difference representation of balance equations. Numerical simulations are performed based on the proposed in [33] algorithm of various physical phenomena, such as breakdown of the rectangular fluid column over an inclined plane, large-scale motion of fluid in the gravity field in the presence of Coriolis force over amounted obstacle on the underlying surface. Computations are made for the two-dimensional dam-break problem on a slope precisely conform to laboratory experiments. The interaction of the Tsunami wave with the shore line including an obstacle has been simulated to demonstrate the efficiency of the developed algorithm in domains, including partly flooded and dry regions.


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