Influence of gravity wave drag parametrisations on the stratospheric circulation of seasonal ICON-NWP experiments

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raphael Köhler ◽  
Dörthe Handorf ◽  
Ralf Jaiser ◽  
Klaus Dethloff ◽  
Günther Zängl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gravity Wave ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
Weather Prediction ◽  
Polar Vortex ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Seasonal Prediction ◽  
Wave Drag ◽  
Stratospheric Polar Vortex ◽  
Sensitivity Experiments ◽  
Hemisphere Winter

<p>The stratospheric polar vortex is highly variable in winter and thus, models often struggle to capture its variability and strength. Yet, the influence of the stratosphere on the tropospheric circulation becomes highly important in Northern Hemisphere winter and is one of the main potential sources for subseasonal to seasonal prediction skill in mid latitudes. Mid-latitude extreme weather patterns in winter are often preceded by sudden stratospheric warmings (SSWs), which are the strongest manifestation of the coupling between stratosphere and troposphere. Misrepresentation of the SSW-frequency and stratospheric biases in models can therefore also cause biases in the troposphere.</p><p>In this context this work comprises the analysis of four seasonal ensemble experiments with a high-resolution, nonhydrostatic global atmospheric general circulation model in numerical weather prediction mode (ICON-NWP). The main focus thereby lies on the variability and strength of the stratospheric polar vortex. We identified the gravity wave drag parametrisations as one important factor influencing stratospheric dynamics. As the control experiment with default gravity wave drag settings exhibits an overestimated amount of SSWs and a weak stratospheric polar vortex, three sensitivity experiments with adjusted drag parametrisations were generated. Hence, the parametrisations for the non-orographic gravity wave drag and the subgrid‐scale orographic (SSO) drag were chosen with the goal of strengthening the stratospheric polar vortex. Biases to ERA-Interim are reduced with both adjustments, especially in high latitudes. Whereas the positive effect of the reduced non-orographic gravity wave drag is strongest in the mid-stratosphere in winter, the adjusted SSO-scheme primarily affects the troposphere by reducing mean sea level pressure biases in all months. A fourth experiment using both adjustments exhibits improvements in the troposphere and stratosphere. Although the stratospheric polar vortex in winter is strengthened in all sensitivity experiments, it is still simulated too weak compared to ERA-Interim. Further mechanisms causing this weakness are also investigated in this study.</p>

scholarly journals Compensation between Resolved and Unresolved Wave Drag in the Stratospheric Final Warmings of the Southern Hemisphere

2015 ◽  
Vol 72 (11) ◽  
pp. 4393-4411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guillermo Scheffler ◽  
Manuel Pulido
Keyword(s):  
Gravity Wave ◽  
Southern Hemisphere ◽  
Momentum Flux ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
Planetary Wave ◽  
Polar Vortex ◽  
General Circulation Models ◽  
Wave Drag ◽  
Stratospheric Polar Vortex ◽  
Sensitivity Experiments

Abstract The role of planetary wave drag and gravity wave drag in the breakdown of the stratospheric polar vortex and its associated final warming in the Southern Hemisphere is examined using reanalyses from MERRA and a middle-atmosphere dynamical model. The focus of this work is on identifying the causes of the delay in the final breakdown of the stratospheric polar vortex found in current general circulation models. Sensitivity experiments were conducted by changing the launched momentum flux in the gravity wave drag parameterization. Increasing the launched momentum flux produces a delay of the final warming date with respect to the control integration of more than 2 weeks. The sensitivity experiments show significant interactions between planetary waves and unresolved gravity waves. The increase of gravity wave drag in the model is compensated by a strong decrease of Eliassen–Palm flux divergence (i.e., planetary wave drag). This concomitant decrease of planetary wave drag is at least partially responsible for the delay of the final warming in the model. Experiments that change the resolved planetary wave activity entering the stratosphere through artificially changing the bottom boundary flux of the model also show an interaction mechanism. Gravity wave drag responds via critical-level filtering to planetary wave drag perturbations by partially compensating them. Therefore, there is a feedback cycle that leads to a partial compensation between gravity wave and planetary wave drag.

Sensitivity of the middle and upper atmospheric dynamics to the modification of the gravity wave drag parameterization in ICON model

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khalil Karami ◽  
Sebastian Borchert ◽  
Roland Eichinger ◽  
Christoph Jacobi ◽  
Ales Kuchar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gravity Wave ◽  
Gravity Waves ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Weather Prediction ◽  
Polar Vortex ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Internal Variability ◽  
Wave Drag ◽  
Mean Flow

<p>The gravity waves play a crucial role in driving and shaping the middle atmospheric circulation. The Upper-Atmospheric extension of the ICOsahedral Non-hydrostatic (UA-ICON) general circulation model was recently developed with satisfying performances in both idealized test cases and climate simulations, however the sensitivity of the circulation to the parameterized orographic and non-orographic gravity wave drag remains largely unexplored. Using UA-ICON and ICON-NWP, the sensitivity of the dynamics and circulation to both orographic and non-orographic parameterized gravity waves effects are investigated. ICON-NWP stands for the numerical-weather prediction mode of the ICON model (see Zängl et al, 2015, QJRMetSoc), with a model top at about 80 km altitude. The UA-ICON mode differs from ICON-NWP in deep-atmosphere dynamics (instead of shallow-atmosphere dynamics) and upper-atmosphere physics parameterizations being switched on. In addition, the model top is at about 150 km.</p> <p>The sensitivity experiments involve employing repeated annual cycle sea surface temperatures, sea ice, and greenhouse gases under year 1988. This year is selected as both El-Nino southern oscillation and pacific decadal oscillation are in their neutral phase and no explosive volcano eruption has occurred and hence conditions in this year can serve as a useful proxy for the multi-year mean condition and an estimate of its internal variability. For both UA-ICON and ICON-NWP, we perform simulations where in the control (CTL) simulation both orographic and non-orographic gravity wave drags are switched on. The other two experiments are identical to the control simulation except that either orographic (OGWD-off) or b) non-orographic (NGWD-off) gravity wave drags are switched off. The analysis include comparisons between CTL and OGWD-off and NGWD-off simulations and include wave-mean flow interaction diagnostics (Eliassen-Palm flux and its divergence and refractive index of Rossby waves) and mass stream function of the Brewer-Dobson circulation. We also investigate the sudden stratospheric warming frequency and polar vortex morphology in order to understand whether a missing gravity wave forcing can further amplify or curtail the effects of future climate. We present our goal, method as well as first results and discuss possible further analysis. </p>

scholarly journals The southern stratospheric gravity wave hot spot: individual waves and their momentum fluxes measured by COSMIC GPS-RO

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (14) ◽  
pp. 7797-7818 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. P. Hindley ◽  
C. J. Wright ◽  
N. D. Smith ◽  
N. J. Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
Southern Ocean ◽  
Gravity Wave ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
Hot Spot ◽  
Polar Vortex ◽  
General Circulation Models ◽  
Wave Drag ◽  
Southern Andes ◽  
Analysis Technique ◽  
Modelling Studies

Abstract. Nearly all general circulation models significantly fail to reproduce the observed behaviour of the southern wintertime polar vortex. It has been suggested that these biases result from an underestimation of gravity wave drag on the atmosphere at latitudes near 60° S, especially around the "hot spot" of intense gravity wave fluxes above the mountainous Southern Andes and Antarctic peninsula. Here, we use Global Positioning System radio occultation (GPS-RO) data from the COSMIC satellite constellation to determine the properties of gravity waves in the hot spot and beyond. We show considerable southward propagation to latitudes near 60° S of waves apparently generated over the southern Andes. We propose that this propagation may account for much of the wave drag missing from the models. Furthermore, there is a long leeward region of increased gravity wave energy that sweeps eastwards from the mountains over the Southern Ocean. Despite its striking nature, the source of this region has historically proved difficult to determine. Our observations suggest that this region includes both waves generated locally and orographic waves advected downwind from the hot spot. We describe and use a new wavelet-based analysis technique for the quantitative identification of individual waves from COSMIC temperature profiles. This analysis reveals different geographical regimes of wave amplitude and short-timescale variability in the wave field over the Southern Ocean. Finally, we use the increased numbers of closely spaced pairs of profiles from the deployment phase of the COSMIC constellation in 2006 to make estimates of gravity wave horizontal wavelengths. We show that, given sufficient observations, GPS-RO can produce physically reasonable estimates of stratospheric gravity wave momentum flux in the hot spot that are consistent with measurements made by other techniques. We discuss our results in the context of previous satellite and modelling studies and explain how they advance our understanding of the nature and origins of waves in the southern stratosphere.

scholarly journals The GCM Response to Current Parameterizations of Nonorographic Gravity Wave Drag

2005 ◽  
Vol 62 (7) ◽  
pp. 2394-2413 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles McLandress ◽  
John F. Scinocca
Keyword(s):  
Gravity Wave ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
Critical Level ◽  
Climate Modeling ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Wave Drag ◽  
Nonlinear Dissipation ◽  
Additional Experiment ◽  
Identical Response ◽  
Dissipation Mechanism

Abstract A comparison is undertaken of the response of a general circulation model (GCM) to the nonorographic gravity wave drag parameterizations of Hines, Warner and McIntyre, and Alexander and Dunkerton. The analysis is restricted to a comparison of each parameterization’s nonlinear dissipation mechanism since, in principle, this is the only component that differs between the schemes. This is achieved by developing a new, more general parameterization that can represent each of these dissipation mechanisms, while keeping all other aspects of the problem identical. The GCM simulations reveal differences in the climatological response to the three dissipation mechanisms. These differences are documented for both tropopause and surface launch elevations of the parameterized waves. The simulations also reveal systematic differences in the height at which momentum is deposited. This behavior is investigated further in a set of experiments designed to reduce these systematic differences, while leaving the details of the dissipation mechanisms unaltered. These sensitivity experiments demonstrate that it is possible to obtain nearly identical responses from all three mechanisms, which indicates that the GCM response is largely insensitive to the precise details of the dissipation mechanisms. This finding is supported by an additional experiment in which the nonlinear dissipation mechanisms are turned off and critical-level filtering is left to act as the only source of dissipation. In this experiment, critical-level filtering effectively replaces the nonlinear dissipation mechanism, producing a nearly identical response. The results of this study suggest that climate modeling efforts would potentially benefit more from the refinement of other aspects of the parameterization problem, such as the properties of the launch spectrum, than they have benefited from the refinement of dissipation mechanisms.

scholarly journals Stratosphere–Troposphere Coupling in a Relatively Simple AGCM: The Importance of Stratospheric Variability

2009 ◽  
Vol 22 (8) ◽  
pp. 1920-1933 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edwin P. Gerber ◽  
Lorenzo M. Polvani
Keyword(s):  
General Circulation ◽  
Polar Vortex ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Stationary Waves ◽  
Stratospheric Polar Vortex ◽  
Stratospheric Sudden Warming ◽  
Annular Modes ◽  
Dynamical Coupling ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Stratospheric Variability

Abstract The impact of stratospheric variability on the dynamical coupling between the stratosphere and the troposphere is explored in a relatively simple atmospheric general circulation model. Variability of the model’s stratospheric polar vortex, or polar night jet, is induced by topographically forced stationary waves. A robust relationship is found between the strength of the stratospheric polar vortex and the latitude of the tropospheric jet, confirming and extending earlier results in the absence of stationary waves. In both the climatological mean and on intraseasonal time scales, a weaker vortex is associated with an equatorward shift in the tropospheric jet and vice versa. It is found that the mean structure and variability of the vortex in the model is very sensitive to the amplitude of the topography and that Northern Hemisphere–like variability, with a realistic frequency of stratospheric sudden warming events, occurs only for a relatively narrow range of topographic heights. When the model captures sudden warming events with fidelity, however, the exchange of information both upward and downward between the troposphere and stratosphere closely resembles that in observations. The influence of stratospheric variability on variability in the troposphere is demonstrated by comparing integrations with and without an active stratosphere. A realistic, time-dependent stratospheric circulation increases the persistence of the tropospheric annular modes, and the dynamical coupling is most apparent prior to and following stratospheric sudden warming events.

scholarly journals The CCCma third generation AGCM and its extension into the middle atmosphere

2008 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 7883-7930 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. F. Scinocca ◽  
N. A. McFarlane ◽  
M. Lazare ◽  
J. Li ◽  
D. Plummer
Keyword(s):  
General Circulation ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Middle Atmosphere ◽  
Polar Vortex ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Wave Drag ◽  
Climate Modelling ◽  
Third Generation ◽  
Chemical Climate ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. The Canadian Centre for Climate Modelling and Analysis third generation atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM3) is described. The discussion summarizes the details of the complete physics package emphasizing the changes made relative to the second generation version of the model. AGCM3 is the underlying model for applications which include the IPCC fourth assessment, coupled atmosphere-ocean seasonal forecasting, the first generation of the CCCma earth system model (CanESM1), and middle-atmosphere chemical-climate modelling (CCM). Here we shall focus on issues related to an upwardly extended version of AGCM3, the Canadian Middle-Atmosphere Model (CMAM). The CCM version of CMAM participated in the 2006 WMO/UNEP Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion and issues concerning its climate such as the impact of gravity-wave drag, the modelling of a spontaneous QBO, and the seasonality of the breakdown of the Southern Hemisphere polar vortex are discussed here.

scholarly journals Development of the GEOS-5 atmospheric general circulation model: evolution from MERRA to MERRA2

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 7575-7617 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Molod ◽  
L. Takacs ◽  
M. Suarez ◽  
J. Bacmeister
Keyword(s):  
General Circulation Model ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
Atmospheric General Circulation Model ◽  
Weather Prediction ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Wave Drag ◽  
Atmospheric General Circulation ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Simulated Climate ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. The Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications-2 (MERRA2) version of the GEOS-5 Atmospheric General Circulation Model (AGCM) is currently in use in the NASA Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) at a wide range of resolutions for a variety of applications. Details of the changes in parameterizations subsequent to the version in the original MERRA reanalysis are presented here. Results of a series of atmosphere-only sensitivity studies are shown to demonstrate changes in simulated climate associated with specific changes in physical parameterizations, and the impact of the newly implemented resolution-aware behavior on simulations at different resolutions is demonstrated. The GEOS-5 AGCM presented here is the model used as part of the GMAO's MERRA2 reanalysis, the global mesoscale "nature run", the real-time numerical weather prediction system, and for atmosphere-only, coupled ocean–atmosphere and coupled atmosphere–chemistry simulations. The seasonal mean climate of the MERRA2 version of the GEOS-5 AGCM represents a substantial improvement over the simulated climate of the MERRA version at all resolutions and for all applications. Fundamental improvements in simulated climate are associated with the increased re-evaporation of frozen precipitation and cloud condensate, resulting in a wetter atmosphere. Improvements in simulated climate are also shown to be attributable to changes in the background gravity wave drag, and to upgrades in the relationship between the ocean surface stress and the ocean roughness. The series of "resolution aware" parameters related to the moist physics were shown to result in improvements at higher resolutions, and result in AGCM simulations that exhibit seamless behavior across different resolutions and applications.

scholarly journals Impact of Gravity wave drag on the thermospheric circulation: Implementation of a nonlinear gravity wave parameterization in a whole atmosphere model

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasunobu Miyoshi ◽  
Erdal Yiğit
Keyword(s):  
Gravity Wave ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
Lower Thermosphere ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Wave Drag ◽  
Zonal Wavenumber ◽  
Semidiurnal Variation ◽  
Solar Tide ◽  
Atmosphere General Circulation Model ◽  
Thermospheric Dynamics

Abstract. To investigate the effects of the gravity wave (GW) drag on the general circulation in the thermosphere, a nonlinear GW parameterization that estimates the GW drag in the whole atmosphere system is implemented in a whole atmosphere general circulation model (GCM). Comparing the simulation results obtained with the whole atmosphere scheme with the ones obtained with a conventional linear scheme, we study the GW effects on the thermospheric dynamics for solstice conditions. The GW drag significantly decelerates the mean zonal wind in the thermosphere. The GWs attenuate the migrating semidiurnal solar tide (SW2) amplitude in the lower thermosphere, and modifies the latitudinal structure of the SW2 above 150 km height. The SW2 simulated by the GCM based on the nonlinear whole atmosphere scheme agrees well with the observed SW2. The GW drag in the lower thermosphere has zonal wavenumber 2 and semidiurnal variation, while the GW drag above 150 km height is enhanced in high latitude. The GW drag in the thermosphere is a significant dynamical and plays an important role in the momentum budget of the thermosphere. Therefore, a GW parameterization accounting for thermospheric processes is essential for coarse-grid whole atmosphere GCMs in order to more realistically simulate the atmosphere-ionosphere system.

scholarly journals Improved Simulation of the Antarctic Stratospheric Final Warming by Modifying the Orographic Gravity Wave Parameterization in the Beijing Climate Center Atmospheric General Circulation Model

Atmosphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 576
Author(s):  
Yixiong Lu ◽  
Tongwen Wu ◽  
Xin Xu ◽  
Li Zhang ◽  
Min Chu
Keyword(s):  
Gravity Wave ◽  
General Circulation Model ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Atmospheric General Circulation Model ◽  
Circulation Model ◽  
Wave Drag ◽  
Atmospheric General Circulation ◽  
Stratospheric Final Warming ◽  
The Antarctic

The Antarctic stratospheric final warming (SFW) is usually simulated with a substantial delay in climate models, and the corresponding temperatures in austral spring are lower than observations, implying insufficient stratospheric wave drag. To investigate the role of orographic gravity wave drag (GWD) in modeling the Antarctic SFW, in this study the orographic GWD parameterization scheme is modified in the middle-atmosphere version of the Beijing Climate Center Atmospheric General Circulation Model. A pair of simulations are conducted to compare two orographic GWD schemes in simulating the breakdown of the stratospheric polar vortex over Antarctica. The control simulation with the default orographic GWD scheme exhibits delayed vortex breakdown and the cold-pole bias seen in most climate models. In the simulation with modified orographic GWD scheme, the simulated vortex breaks down earlier by 8 days, and the associated cold-pole bias is reduced by more than 2 K. The modified scheme provides stronger orographic GWD in the lower stratosphere, which drives an accelerated polar downwelling branch of the Brewer–Dobson circulation and, in turn, produces adiabatic warming. Our study suggests that modifying orographic GWD parameterizations in climate models would be a valid way of improving the SFW simulation over Antarctica.

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