scholarly journals Development and evaluation of CO<sub>2</sub> transport in MPAS-A v6.3

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 3037-3066
Author(s):  
Tao Zheng ◽  
Sha Feng ◽  
Kenneth J. Davis ◽  
Sandip Pal ◽  
Josep-Anton Morguí
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Transport Processes ◽  
Global Model ◽  
Total Carbon ◽  
Spatial Structures ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Co2 Transport

Abstract. Chemistry transport models (CTMs) play an important role in understanding fluxes and atmospheric distribution of carbon dioxide (CO2). They have been widely used for modeling CO2 transport through forward simulations and inferring fluxes through inversion systems. With the increasing availability of high-resolution observations, it has been become possible to estimate CO2 fluxes at higher spatial resolution. In this work, we implemented CO2 transport in the Model for Prediction Across Scales – Atmosphere (MPAS-A). The objective is to use the variable-resolution capability of MPAS-A to enable a high-resolution CO2 simulation in a limited region with a global model. Treating CO2 as an inert tracer, we implemented in MPAS-A (v6.3) the CO2 transport processes, including advection, vertical mixing by boundary layer scheme, and convective transport. We first evaluated the newly implemented model's tracer mass conservation and then its CO2 simulation accuracy. A 1-year (2014) MPAS-A simulation is evaluated at the global scale using CO2 measurements from 50 near-surface stations and 18 Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON) stations. The simulation is also compared with two global models: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) CarbonTracker v2019 (CT2019) and European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Integrated Forecasting System (IFS). A second set of simulation (2016–2018) is used to evaluate MPAS-A at regional scale using Atmospheric Carbon and Transport – America (ACT-America) aircraft CO2 measurements over the eastern United States. This simulation is also compared with CT2019 and a 27 km WRF-Chem simulation. The global-scale evaluations show that MPAS-A is capable of representing the spatial and temporal CO2 variation with a comparable level of accuracy as IFS of similar horizontal resolution. The regional-scale evaluations show that MPAS-A is capable of representing the observed atmospheric CO2 spatial structures related to the midlatitude synoptic weather system, including the warm versus cold sector distinction, boundary layer to free troposphere difference, and frontal boundary CO2 enhancement. MPAS-A's performance in representing these CO2 spatial structures is comparable to the global model CT2019 and regional model WRF-Chem.

scholarly journals Development and evaluation of CO<sub>2</sub> transport in MPAS-A v6.3

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tao Zheng ◽  
Sha Feng ◽  
Kenneth J. Davis ◽  
Sandip Pal ◽  
Josep Anton Morguí
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
Transport Processes ◽  
Global Model ◽  
Simulation Accuracy ◽  
Limited Region ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Variable Resolution ◽  
Co2 Transport

Abstract. Chemistry transport models (CTM) play an important role in understanding fluxes and atmospheric distribution of carbon dioxide (CO2). They have been widely used for modeling CO2 transport through forward simulations and inferring fluxes through inversion systems. With the increasing availability of high resolution observations, it has been become possible to estimate CO2 fluxes at higher spatial resolution. However the computational cost of high resolution global model simulation is so high that only major research and operation centers can afford it. In this paper, we implemented CO2 transport in Model Prediction Across Scales-Atmosphere (MPAS-A). The objective is to use the variable-resolution capability of MPAS-A to enable high resolution CO2 simulation at limited region with a global model. Treating CO2 as an inert tracer, we implemented in MPAS-A (v6.3) the CO2 transport processes, including advection, vertical mixing by boundary layer scheme, and convective transport. We evaluated the newly implemented model by running two sets of simulations over a 60–15 km variable-resolution global domain. The first set of simulations covers four Atmospheric Carbon and Transport-America (ACT-America) aircraft campaign seasons (2016–2018), and the simulated CO2 is evaluated using the extensive airborne measurements from ACT. The simulation accuracy is also compared with a 27-km resolution WRF-Chem simulation and CarbonTracker (v2019) covering the same time periods. The second set of simulations covers the month of January and July of 2014, and the results are evaluated using near-surface hourly CO2 measurements from 50 surface and tower sites across the globe. This simulation accuracy is compared with European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Integrated Forecasting System (IFS) global simulation conducted during the same period. Overall, the evaluation using aircraft measurements indicates that MPAS CO2 transport model is capable of representing the observed atmospheric CO2 structures related with the mid-latitude synoptic weather system, including the warm/cold sector distinction, boundary layer to free troposphere difference, and CO2 enhancements along frontal boundaries. The evaluation using hourly measurements shows that the MPAS CO2 transport model is capable of achieving a same level of accuracy as the IFS 80-km resolution simulation.

scholarly journals Validation of farm-scale methane emissions using nocturnal boundary layer budgets

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (15) ◽  
pp. 21765-21802 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Stieger ◽  
I. Bamberger ◽  
N. Buchmann ◽  
W. Eugster
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Nocturnal Boundary Layer ◽  
Methane Emissions ◽  
Emission Factors ◽  
Transport Processes ◽  
Tethered Balloon ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Time Space ◽  
Farm Scale ◽  
Balloon System

Abstract. This study provides the first experimental validation of Swiss agricultural methane emission estimates at the farm scale. We measured CH4 concentrations at a Swiss farmstead during two intensive field campaigns in August 2011 and July 2012 to (1) quantify the source strength of livestock methane emissions using a tethered balloon system, and (2) to validate inventory emission estimates via nocturnal boundary layer (NBL) budgets. Field measurements were performed at a distance of 150 m from the nearest farm buildings with a tethered balloon system in combination with gradient measurements at eight heights on a 10 m tower to better resolve the near-surface concentrations. Vertical profiles of air temperature, relative humidity, CH4 concentration, wind speed and wind direction showed that the NBL was strongly influenced by local transport processes and by the valley wind system. Methane concentrations showed a pronounced time course, with highest concentrations in the second half of the night. NBL budget flux estimates were obtained via a time–space kriging approach. Main uncertainties of NBL budget flux estimates were associated with instationary atmospheric conditions and the estimate of the inversion height zi (top of volume integration). The mean NBL budget fluxes of 1.60 ± 0.31 μg CH4 m-2 s-1 (1.40 ± 0.50 and 1.66 ± 0.20 μg CH4 m-2 s-1 in 2011 and 2012, respectively) were in good agreement with local inventory estimates based on current livestock number and default emission factors, with 1.29 ± 0.47 and 1.74 ± 0.63 μg CH4 m-2 s-1 for 2011 and 2012, respectively. This indicates that emission factors used for the national inventory reports are adequate, and we conclude that the NBL budget approach is a useful tool to validate emission inventory estimates.

scholarly journals The potential for regional-scale bias in top-down CO<sub>2</sub> flux estimates due to atmospheric transport errors

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (16) ◽  
pp. 23681-23709
Author(s):  
S. M. Miller ◽  
I. Fung ◽  
J. Liu ◽  
M. N. Hayek ◽  
A. E. Andrews
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Atmospheric Transport ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Co2 Flux ◽  
Atmospheric Co2 ◽  
Co2 Fluxes ◽  
Atmospheric Measurements ◽  
Meteorological Model ◽  
Co2 Transport

Abstract. Estimates of CO2 fluxes that are based on atmospheric data rely upon a meteorological model to simulate atmospheric CO2 transport. These models provide a quantitative link between surface fluxes of CO2 and atmospheric measurements taken downwind. Therefore, any errors in the meteorological model can propagate into atmospheric CO2 transport and ultimately bias the estimated CO2 fluxes. These errors, however, have traditionally been difficult to characterize. To examine the effects of CO2 transport errors on estimated CO2 fluxes, we use a global meteorological model-data assimilation system known as "CAM–LETKF" to quantify two aspects of the transport errors: error variances (standard deviations) and temporal error correlations. Furthermore, we develop two case studies. In the first case study, we examine the extent to which CO2 transport uncertainties can bias CO2 flux estimates. In particular, we use a common flux estimate known as CarbonTracker to discover the minimum hypothetical bias that can be detected above the CO2 transport uncertainties. In the second case study, we then investigate which meteorological conditions may contribute to month-long biases in modeled atmospheric transport. We estimate 6 hourly CO2 transport uncertainties in the model surface layer that range from 0.15 to 9.6 ppm (standard deviation), depending on location, and we estimate an average error decorrelation time of ∼2.3 days at existing CO2 observation sites. As a consequence of these uncertainties, we find that CarbonTracker CO2 fluxes would need to be biased by at least 29%, on average, before that bias were detectable at existing non-marine atmospheric CO2 observation sites. Furthermore, we find that persistent, bias-type errors in atmospheric transport are associated with consistent low net radiation, low energy boundary layer conditions. The meteorological model is not necessarily more uncertain in these conditions. Rather, the extent to which meteorological uncertainties manifest as persistent atmospheric transport biases appears to depend, at least in part, on the energy and stability of the boundary layer. Existing CO2 flux studies may be more likely to estimate inaccurate regional fluxes under those conditions.

scholarly journals Simulations of Black Carbon Over Indian Region: Improvements and Implications of Diurnality in Emissions

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaurav Govardhan ◽  
Sreedharan Krishnakumari Satheesh ◽  
Krishnaswamy Krishna Moorthy ◽  
Ravi Nanjundiah
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Black Carbon ◽  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Early Morning ◽  
Temporal Variations ◽  
Indian Region ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Aerosol Radiative Forcing ◽  
Convective Mixing

Abstract. With a view to improving the performance of WRF-Chem over the Indian region in simulating BC (black Carbon) mass concentrations as well as its short-term variations, especially on diurnal scale, a region-specific diurnal variation scheme has been introduced in the model emissios and the performance of the modified simulations has been evaluated against high-resolution measurements carried out over 8 ARFI (Aerosol Radiative Forcing over India) network observatories spread across India for distinct seasons; pre-monsoon (represented by May), post-monsoon (represented by October) and winter (represented by December). In addition to an overall improvement in the simulated concentrations and their temporal variations, it has also been found that the effects of prescribing diurnally varying emissions on the simulated near-surface concentrations largely depend on the boundary layer turbulence. The effects are perceived fast (within about 2–3 hours) during the evening–early morning hours when the atmospheric boundary layer is shallow and convective mixing is weak, while they are delayed, taking as much as about 5–6 hours, during periods when the boundary layer is deep and convective mixing is strong. This information would also serve as an important input for agencies concerned with urban planning and pollution mitigation. Despite these improvements in the near-surface concentrations, the simulated columnar aerosol optical depth (AOD) still remains largely underestimated vis-a-vis the satellite retrieved products. These modifications will serve as a guideline for further model-improvement initiatives at regional scale.

scholarly journals Simulations of black carbon over the Indian region: improvements and implications of diurnality in emissions

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (12) ◽  
pp. 8229-8241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaurav Govardhan ◽  
Sreedharan Krishnakumari Satheesh ◽  
Krishnaswamy Krishna Moorthy ◽  
Ravi Nanjundiah
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Black Carbon ◽  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Early Morning ◽  
Temporal Variations ◽  
Indian Region ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Aerosol Radiative Forcing ◽  
Convective Mixing

Abstract. With a view to improving the performance of WRF-Chem over the Indian region in simulating BC (black carbon) mass concentrations as well as its short-term variations, especially on a diurnal scale, a region-specific diurnal variation scheme has been introduced in the model emissions and the performance of the modified simulations has been evaluated against high-resolution measurements carried out over eight ARFI (Aerosol Radiative Forcing over India) network observatories spread across India for distinct seasons: pre-monsoon (represented by May), post-monsoon (represented by October) and winter (represented by December). In addition to an overall improvement in the simulated concentrations and their temporal variations, we have also found that the effects of prescribing diurnally varying emissions on the simulated near-surface concentrations largely depend on the boundary layer turbulence. The effects are perceived quickly (within about 2–3 h) during the evening–early morning hours when the atmospheric boundary layer is shallow and convective mixing is weak, while they are delayed, taking as much as about 5–6 h, during periods when the boundary layer is deep and convective mixing is strong. This information would also serve as an important input for agencies concerned with urban planning and pollution mitigation. Despite these improvements in the near-surface concentrations, the simulated columnar aerosol optical depth (AOD) still remains largely underestimated vis-à-vis the satellite-retrieved products. These modifications will serve as a guideline for further model-improvement initiatives at a regional scale.

scholarly journals Quantifying pollution inflow and outflow over East Asia in spring with regional and global models

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 4221-4239 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Lin ◽  
T. Holloway ◽  
G. R. Carmichael ◽  
A. M. Fiore
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Boundary Conditions ◽  
East Asia ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Regional Model ◽  
Global Model ◽  
Global Models ◽  
High Resolution Models

Abstract. Understanding the exchange processes between the atmospheric boundary layer and the free troposphere is crucial for estimating hemispheric transport of air pollution. Most studies of hemispheric air pollution transport have taken a large-scale perspective using global chemical transport models with fairly coarse spatial and temporal resolutions. In support of United Nations Task Force on Hemispheric Transport of Air Pollution (TF HTAP; www.htap.org), this study employs two high-resolution atmospheric chemistry models (WRF-Chem and CMAQ; 36×36 km) driven with chemical boundary conditions from a global model (MOZART; 1.9×1.9°) to examine the role of fine-scale transport and chemistry processes in controlling pollution export and import over the Asian continent in spring (March 2001). Our analysis indicates the importance of rapid venting through deep convection that develops along the leading edge of frontal system convergence bands, which are not adequately resolved in either of two global models compared with TRACE-P aircraft observations during a frontal event. Both regional model simulations and observations show that frontal outflows of CO, O3 and PAN can extend to the upper troposphere (6–9 km). Pollution plumes in the global MOZART model are typically diluted and insufficiently lofted to higher altitudes where they can undergo more efficient transport in stronger winds. We use sensitivity simulations that perturb chemical boundary conditions in the CMAQ regional model to estimate that the O3 production over East Asia (EA) driven by PAN decomposition contributes 20% of the spatial averaged total O3 response to European (EU) emission perturbations in March, and occasionally contributes approximately 50% of the total O3 response in subsiding plumes at mountain observatories (at approximately 2 km altitude). The response to decomposing PAN of EU origin is strongly affected by the O3 formation chemical regimes, which vary with the model chemical mechanism and NOx/VOC emissions. Our high-resolution models demonstrate a large spatial variability (by up to a factor of 6) in the response of local O3 to 20% reductions in EU anthropogenic O3 precursor emissions. The response in the highly populated Asian megacities is 40–50% lower in our high-resolution models than the global model, suggesting that the source-receptor relationships inferred from the global coarse-resolution models likely overestimate health impacts associated with intercontinental O3 transport. Our results highlight the important roles of rapid convective transport, orographic forcing, urban photochemistry and heterogeneous boundary layer processes in controlling intercontinental transport; these processes may not be well resolved in the large-scale models.

scholarly journals ASIRI: An Ocean–Atmosphere Initiative for Bay of Bengal

2016 ◽  
Vol 97 (10) ◽  
pp. 1859-1884 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hemantha W. Wijesekera ◽  
Emily Shroyer ◽  
Amit Tandon ◽  
M. Ravichandran ◽  
Debasis Sengupta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Bay Of Bengal ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Ocean Dynamics ◽  
Coastal Current ◽  
Northeast Monsoon ◽  
Low Salinity ◽  
Salinity Water

Abstract Air–Sea Interactions in the Northern Indian Ocean (ASIRI) is an international research effort (2013–17) aimed at understanding and quantifying coupled atmosphere–ocean dynamics of the Bay of Bengal (BoB) with relevance to Indian Ocean monsoons. Working collaboratively, more than 20 research institutions are acquiring field observations coupled with operational and high-resolution models to address scientific issues that have stymied the monsoon predictability. ASIRI combines new and mature observational technologies to resolve submesoscale to regional-scale currents and hydrophysical fields. These data reveal BoB’s sharp frontal features, submesoscale variability, low-salinity lenses and filaments, and shallow mixed layers, with relatively weak turbulent mixing. Observed physical features include energetic high-frequency internal waves in the southern BoB, energetic mesoscale and submesoscale features including an intrathermocline eddy in the central BoB, and a high-resolution view of the exchange along the periphery of Sri Lanka, which includes the 100-km-wide East India Coastal Current (EICC) carrying low-salinity water out of the BoB and an adjacent, broad northward flow (∼300 km wide) that carries high-salinity water into BoB during the northeast monsoon. Atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) observations during the decaying phase of the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) permit the study of multiscale atmospheric processes associated with non-MJO phenomena and their impacts on the marine boundary layer. Underway analyses that integrate observations and numerical simulations shed light on how air–sea interactions control the ABL and upper-ocean processes.

scholarly journals Investigation of near-global daytime boundary layer height using high-resolution radiosondes: First results and comparison with ERA-5, MERRA-2, JRA-55, and NCEP-2 reanalyses

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianping Guo ◽  
Jian Zhang ◽  
Kun Yang ◽  
Hong Liao ◽  
Shaodong Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Boundary Layer ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Western United States ◽  
Western China ◽  
Free Atmosphere ◽  
Layer Height ◽  
Boundary Layer Height ◽  
Global View

Abstract. The planetary boundary layer height (BLH) governs the vertical transport of mass, momentum and moisture between the surface and the free atmosphere, and thus its characterization is recognized as crucial for air quality, weather and climate. Although reanalysis products can provide important insight into the global view of BLH in a seamless way, the in situ observed BLH on a global scale remains poorly understood due to the lack of high-resolution (1-s or 2-s) radiosonde measurements. The present study attempts to establish a near-global BLH climatology at synoptic times (0000 and 1200 UTC) and in the daytime using high-resolution radiosonde measurements over 300 radiosonde sites worldwide for the period 2012 to 2019, which is then compared against the BLHs obtained from four reanalysis datasets, including ERA-5, MERRA-2, JRA-55, and NCEP-2. The variations of BLH exhibit large spatial and temporal dependence, and as a result the BLH maxima are generally discerned over the regions such as Western United States and Western China, in which the balloon launch times mostly correspond to the afternoon. The diurnal variations of BLH are revealed with a peak at 1700 Local Solar Time (LST). The most promising reanalysis product is ERA-5, which underestimates BLH by around 130 m as compared to radiosondes. In addition, MERRA-2 is a well-established product and has an underestimation of around 160 m. JRA-55 and NCEP-2 might produce considerable additional uncertainties, with a much larger underestimation of up to 400 m. The largest bias in the reanalysis data appears over the Western United States and Western China and it might be attributed to the maximal BLH in the afternoon when the boundary layer has grown up. Statistical analyses further indicate that the biases of reanalysis BLH products are positively associated with orographic complexity, as well as the occurrence of static instability. To our best knowledge, this study presents the first near-global view of high-resolution radiosonde derived BLH and provides a quantitative assessment of the four frequently used reanalysis products.

Boundary Layer and Surface Verification of the High-Resolution Rapid Refresh, Version 3

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 2255-2278
Author(s):  
Robert G. Fovell ◽  
Alex Gallagher
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Wind Speed ◽  
Prediction Models ◽  
Weather Prediction ◽  
Potential Temperature ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
Systematic Errors ◽  
Radiosonde Data ◽  
Near Surface

AbstractWhile numerical weather prediction models have made considerable progress regarding forecast skill, less attention has been paid to the planetary boundary layer. This study leverages High-Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) forecasts on native levels, 1-s radiosonde data, and (primarily airport) surface observations across the conterminous United States. We construct temporally and spatially averaged composites of wind speed and potential temperature in the lowest 1 km for selected months to identify systematic errors in both forecasts and observations in this critical layer. We find near-surface temperature and wind speed predictions to be skillful, although wind biases were negatively correlated with observed speed and temperature biases revealed a robust relationship with station elevation. Above ≈250 m above ground level, below which radiosonde wind data were apparently contaminated by processing, biases were small for wind speed and potential temperature at the analysis time (which incorporates sonde data) but became substantial by the 24-h forecast. Wind biases were positive through the layer for both 0000 and 1200 UTC, and morning potential temperature profiles were marked by excessively steep lapse rates that persisted across seasons and (again) exaggerated at higher elevation sites. While the source or cause of these systematic errors are not fully understood, this analysis highlights areas for potential model improvement and the need for a continued and accessible archive of the data that make analyses like this possible.

scholarly journals CO<sub>2</sub> flux estimation errors associated with moist atmospheric processes

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (14) ◽  
pp. 6405-6416 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. C. Parazoo ◽  
A. S. Denning ◽  
S. R. Kawa ◽  
S. Pawson ◽  
R. Lokupitiya
Keyword(s):  
Transport Model ◽  
Deep Convection ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Sampling Bias ◽  
Vertical Gradient ◽  
Vertical Transport ◽  
Transport Processes ◽  
Estimation Errors ◽  
Co2 Transport ◽  
Source Sink

Abstract. Vertical transport by moist sub-grid scale processes such as deep convection is a well-known source of uncertainty in CO2 source/sink inversion. However, a dynamical link between vertical transport, satellite based retrievals of column mole fractions of CO2, and source/sink inversion has not yet been established. By using the same offline transport model with meteorological fields from slightly different data assimilation systems, we examine sensitivity of frontal CO2 transport and retrieved fluxes to different parameterizations of sub-grid vertical transport. We find that frontal transport feeds off background vertical CO2 gradients, which are modulated by sub-grid vertical transport. The implication for source/sink estimation is two-fold. First, CO2 variations contained in moist poleward moving air masses are systematically different from variations in dry equatorward moving air. Moist poleward transport is hidden from orbital sensors on satellites, causing a sampling bias, which leads directly to small but systematic flux retrieval errors in northern mid-latitudes. Second, differences in the representation of moist sub-grid vertical transport in GEOS-4 and GEOS-5 meteorological fields cause differences in vertical gradients of CO2, which leads to systematic differences in moist poleward and dry equatorward CO2 transport and therefore the fraction of CO2 variations hidden in moist air from satellites. As a result, sampling biases are amplified and regional scale flux errors enhanced, most notably in Europe (0.43 ± 0.35 PgC yr−1). These results, cast from the perspective of moist frontal transport processes, support previous arguments that the vertical gradient of CO2 is a major source of uncertainty in source/sink inversion.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document