scholarly journals Development of the global atmospheric chemistry general circulation model BCC-GEOS-Chem v1.0: model description and evaluation

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 3817-3838
Author(s):  
Xiao Lu ◽  
Lin Zhang ◽  
Tongwen Wu ◽  
Michael S. Long ◽  
Jun Wang ◽  
...  

Abstract. Chemistry plays an indispensable role in investigations of the atmosphere; however, many climate models either ignore or greatly simplify atmospheric chemistry, limiting both their accuracy and their scope. We present the development and evaluation of the online global atmospheric chemical model BCC-GEOS-Chem v1.0, coupling the GEOS-Chem chemical transport model (CTM) as an atmospheric chemistry component in the Beijing Climate Center atmospheric general circulation model (BCC-AGCM). The GEOS-Chem atmospheric chemistry component includes detailed tropospheric HOx–NOx–volatile organic compounds–ozone–bromine–aerosol chemistry and online dry and wet deposition schemes. We then demonstrate the new capabilities of BCC-GEOS-Chem v1.0 relative to the base BCC-AGCM model through a 3-year (2012–2014) simulation with anthropogenic emissions from the Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) used in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6). The model captures well the spatial distributions and seasonal variations in tropospheric ozone, with seasonal mean biases of 0.4–2.2 ppbv at 700–400 hPa compared to satellite observations and within 10 ppbv at the surface to 500 hPa compared to global ozonesonde observations. The model has larger high-ozone biases over the tropics which we attribute to an overestimate of ozone chemical production. It underestimates ozone in the upper troposphere which is likely due either to the use of a simplified stratospheric ozone scheme or to biases in estimated stratosphere–troposphere exchange dynamics. The model diagnoses the global tropospheric ozone burden, OH concentration, and methane chemical lifetime to be 336 Tg, 1.16×106 molecule cm−3, and 8.3 years, respectively, which is consistent with recent multimodel assessments. The spatiotemporal distributions of NO2, CO, SO2, CH2O, and aerosol optical depth are generally in agreement with satellite observations. The development of BCC-GEOS-Chem v1.0 represents an important step for the development of fully coupled earth system models (ESMs) in China.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao Lu ◽  
Lin Zhang ◽  
Tongwen Wu ◽  
Michael S. Long ◽  
Jun Wang ◽  
...  

Abstract. Chemistry plays an indispensable role in investigations of the atmosphere, however, many climate models either ignore or greatly simplify atmospheric chemistry, limiting both their accuracy and their scope. We present the development and evaluation of the online global atmospheric chemical model BCC-GEOS-Chem v1.0, coupling the GEOS-Chem chemical transport model (CTM) as an atmospheric chemistry component in the Beijing Climate Center atmospheric general circulation model (BCC-AGCM). The GEOS-Chem atmospheric chemistry component includes detailed tropospheric HOx-NOx-VOC-ozone-bromine-aerosol chemistry and online dry and wet deposition schemes. We then demonstrate the new capabilities of BCC-GEOS-Chem v1.0 relative to the base BCC-AGCM model through a three-year (2012–2014) simulation with anthropogenic emissions from the Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) used in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6). The model well captures the spatial distributions and seasonal variations in tropospheric ozone, with seasonal mean biases of 0.4–2.2 ppbv at 700–400 hPa compared to satellite observations and within 10 ppbv at the surface-500 hPa compared to global ozonesonde observations. The model has larger high ozone biases over the tropics which we attribute to an overestimate of ozone chemical production. It underestimates ozone in the upper troposphere which likely due to either the use of a simplified stratospheric ozone scheme and/or to biases in estimated stratosphere-troposphere exchange dynamics. The model diagnoses the global tropospheric ozone burden, OH concentration, and methane chemical lifetime to be 336 Tg, 1.16 × 106 molecule cm−3, and 8.3 years, respectively, consistent with recent multi-model assessments. The spatiotemporal distributions of NO2, CO, SO2, CH2O, and aerosols optical depth are generally in agreement with satellite observations. The development of BCC-GEOS-Chem v1.0 represents an important step for the development of fully coupled earth system models (ESMs) in China.


2001 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 435-457 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Hein ◽  
M. Dameris ◽  
C. Schnadt ◽  
C. Land ◽  
V. Grewe ◽  
...  

Abstract. The coupled climate-chemistry model ECHAM4.L39(DLR)/CHEM is presented which enables a simultaneous treatment of meteorology and atmospheric chemistry and their feedbacks. This is the first model which interactively combines a general circulation model with a chemical model, employing most of the important reactions and species necessary to describe the stratospheric and upper tropospheric ozone chemistry, and which is computationally fast enough to allow long-term integrations with currently available computer resources. This is possible as the model time-step used for the chemistry can be chosen as large as the integration time-step for the dynamics. Vertically the atmosphere is discretized by 39 levels from the surface up to the top layer which is centred at 10 hPa, with a relatively high vertical resolution of approximately 700 m near the extra-tropical tropopause. We present the results of a control simulation representing recent conditions (1990) and compare it to available observations. The focus is on investigations of stratospheric dynamics and chemistry relevant to describe the stratospheric ozone layer. ECHAM4.L39(DLR)/CHEM reproduces main features of stratospheric dynamics in the arctic vortex region, including stratospheric warming events. This constitutes a major improvement compared to earlier model versions. However, apparent shortcomings in Antarctic circulation and temperatures persist. The seasonal and interannual variability of the ozone layer is simulated in accordance with observations. Activation and deactivation of chlorine in the polar stratospheric vortices and their inter-hemispheric differences are reproduced. Considering methane oxidation as part of the dynamic-chemistry feedback results in an improved representation of the spatial distribution of stratospheric water vapour concentrations. The current model constitutes a powerful tool to investigate, for instance, the combined direct and indirect effects of anthropogenic trace gas emissions.Key words. Atmospheric composition and structure (middle atmosphere – composition and chemistry) – Meteorology and atmospheric dynamics (general circulation; middle atmosphere dynamics)


2007 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 127-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Pozzer ◽  
P. Jöckel ◽  
H. Tost ◽  
R. Sander ◽  
L. Ganzeveld ◽  
...  

Abstract. The atmospheric-chemistry general circulation model ECHAM5/MESSy1 is evaluated with observations of different organic ozone precursors. This study continues a prior analysis which focused primarily on the representation of atmospheric dynamics and ozone. We use the results of the same reference simulation and apply a statistical analysis using data from numerous field campaigns. The results serve as a basis for future improvements of the model system. ECHAM5/MESSy1 generally reproduces the spatial distribution and the seasonal cycle of carbon monoxide (CO) very well. However, for the background in the northern hemisphere we obtain a negative bias (mainly due to an underestimation of emissions from fossil fuel combustion), and in the high latitude southern hemisphere a yet unexplained positive bias. The model results agree well with observations of alkanes, whereas severe problems in the simulation of alkenes are present. For oxygenated compounds the results are ambiguous: The model results are in good agreement with observations of formaldehyde, but systematic biases are present for methanol and acetone. The discrepancies between the model results and the observations are explained (partly) by means of sensitivity studies.


2011 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 1035-1049 ◽  
Author(s):  
W.-L. Chan ◽  
A. Abe-Ouchi ◽  
R. Ohgaito

Abstract. Recently, PlioMIP (Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project) was established to assess the ability of various climate models to simulate the mid-Pliocene warm period (mPWP), 3.3–3.0 million years ago. We use MIROC4m, a fully coupled atmosphere-ocean general circulation model (AOGCM), and its atmospheric component alone to simulate the mPWP, utilizing up-to-date data sets designated in PlioMIP as boundary conditions and adhering to the protocols outlined. In this paper, a brief description of the model is given, followed by an explanation of the experimental design and implementation of the boundary conditions, such as topography and sea surface temperature. Initial results show increases of approximately 10°C in the zonal mean surface air temperature at high latitudes accompanied by a decrease in the equator-to-pole temperature gradient. Temperatures in the tropical regions increase more in the AOGCM. However, warming of the AOGCM sea surface in parts of the northern North Atlantic Ocean and Nordic Seas is less than that suggested by proxy data. An investigation of the model-data discrepancies and further model intercomparison studies can lead to a better understanding of the mid-Pliocene climate and of its role in assessing future climate change.


2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 4057-4072 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. W. Bowman ◽  
D. T. Shindell ◽  
H. M. Worden ◽  
J.F. Lamarque ◽  
P. J. Young ◽  
...  

Abstract. We use simultaneous observations of tropospheric ozone and outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) sensitivity to tropospheric ozone from the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) to evaluate model tropospheric ozone and its effect on OLR simulated by a suite of chemistry-climate models that participated in the Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate Model Intercomparison Project (ACCMIP). The ensemble mean of ACCMIP models show a persistent but modest tropospheric ozone low bias (5–20 ppb) in the Southern Hemisphere (SH) and modest high bias (5–10 ppb) in the Northern Hemisphere (NH) relative to TES ozone for 2005–2010. These ozone biases have a significant impact on the OLR. Using TES instantaneous radiative kernels (IRK), we show that the ACCMIP ensemble mean tropospheric ozone low bias leads up to 120 mW m−2 OLR high bias locally but zonally compensating errors reduce the global OLR high bias to 39 ± 41 m Wm−2 relative to TES data. We show that there is a correlation (R2 = 0.59) between the magnitude of the ACCMIP OLR bias and the deviation of the ACCMIP preindustrial to present day (1750–2010) ozone radiative forcing (RF) from the ensemble ozone RF mean. However, this correlation is driven primarily by models whose absolute OLR bias from tropospheric ozone exceeds 100 m Wm−2. Removing these models leads to a mean ozone radiative forcing of 394 ± 42 m Wm−2. The mean is about the same and the standard deviation is about 30% lower than an ensemble ozone RF of 384 ± 60 m Wm−2 derived from 14 of the 16 ACCMIP models reported in a companion ACCMIP study. These results point towards a profitable direction of combining satellite observations and chemistry-climate model simulations to reduce uncertainty in ozone radiative forcing.


2009 ◽  
Vol 137 (3) ◽  
pp. 1061-1082 ◽  
Author(s):  
Celal S. Konor ◽  
Gabriel Cazes Boezio ◽  
Carlos R. Mechoso ◽  
Akio Arakawa

Abstract This paper presents the basic features of a newly developed planetary boundary layer (PBL) parameterization, and the performance assessment of a version of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Atmospheric General Circulation Model (AGCM) to which the parameterization is incorporated. The UCLA AGCM traditionally uses a framework in which a sigma-type vertical coordinate for the PBL shares a coordinate surface with the free atmosphere at the PBL top. This framework facilitates an explicit representation of processes concentrated near the PBL top, which is crucially important especially for predicting PBL clouds. In the new framework, multiple layers are introduced between the PBL top and earth’s surface, allowing for predictions of the vertical profiles of potential temperature, total water mixing ratio, and horizontal winds within the PBL. The vertically integrated “bulk” turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) is also predicted for the PBL. The PBL-top mass entrainment is determined through an equation including the effects of TKE and the radiative and evaporative cooling processes concentrated near the PBL top. The surface fluxes are determined from an aerodynamic formula in which the velocity scale depends both on the square root of TKE and the grid-scale PBL velocity at the lowermost model layer. The turbulent fluxes within the PBL are determined through an approach that includes the effects of both large convective and small diffusive eddies. AGCM simulations with the new formulation of PBL are analyzed with a focus on the seasonal and diurnal variations. The simulated seasonal cycle of stratocumulus over the eastern oceans is realistic, as are the diurnal cycles of the PBL depth and precipitation over land. The simulated fluxes of latent heat, momentum, and shortwave radiation at the ocean surface and baroclinic activity in the middle latitudes show significant improvements over the previous versions of the AGCM based on the single-layer PBL.


2008 ◽  
Vol 8 (19) ◽  
pp. 5899-5917 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Kerkweg ◽  
P. Jöckel ◽  
A. Pozzer ◽  
H. Tost ◽  
R. Sander ◽  
...  

Abstract. This is the first article of a series presenting a detailed analysis of bromine chemistry simulated with the atmospheric chemistry general circulation model ECHAM5/MESSy. Release from sea salt is an important bromine source, hence the model explicitly calculates aerosol chemistry and phase partitioning for coarse mode aerosol particles. Many processes including chemical reaction rates are influenced by the particle size distribution, and aerosol associated water strongly affects the aerosol pH. Knowledge of the aerosol pH is important as it determines the aerosol chemistry, e.g., the efficiency of sulphur oxidation and bromine release. Here, we focus on the simulated sea salt aerosol size distribution and the coarse mode aerosol pH. A comparison with available field data shows that the simulated aerosol distributions agree reasonably well within the range of measurements. In spite of the small number of aerosol pH measurements and the uncertainty in its experimental determination, the simulated aerosol pH compares well with the observations. The aerosol pH ranges from alkaline aerosol in areas of strong production down to pH-values of 1 over regions of medium sea salt production and high levels of gas phase acids, mostly polluted regions over the oceans in the Northern Hemisphere.


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