Specified dynamics scheme impacts on wave-mean flow dynamics, convection, and tracer transport in CESM2 (WACCM6)

Specified dynamics schemes are ubiquitous modeling tools for isolating the roles of dynamics and transport on chemical weather and climate. They typically constrain the circulation of a chemistry–climate model to the circulation in a reanalysis product through linear relaxation. However, recent studies suggest that these schemes create a divergence in chemical climate and the meridional circulation between models and do not accurately reproduce trends in the circulation. In this study we perform a systematic assessment of the specified dynamics scheme in the Community Earth System Model version 2, Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model version 6 (CESM2 (WACCM6)), which proactively nudges the circulation toward the reference meteorology. Specified dynamics experiments are performed over a wide range of nudging timescales and reference meteorology frequencies, with the model's circulation nudged to its own free-running output – a clean test of the specified dynamics scheme. Errors in the circulation scale robustly and inversely with meteorology frequency and have little dependence on the nudging timescale. However, the circulation strength and errors in tracers, tracer transport, and convective mass flux scale robustly and inversely with the nudging timescale. A 12 to 24 h nudging timescale at the highest possible reference meteorology frequency minimizes errors in tracers, clouds, and the circulation, even up to the practical limit of one reference meteorology update every time step. The residual circulation and eddy mixing integrate tracer errors and accumulate them at the end of their characteristic transport pathways, leading to elevated error in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere and in the polar stratosphere. Even in the most ideal case, there are non-negligible errors in tracers introduced by the nudging scheme. Future development of more sophisticated nudging schemes may be necessary for further progress.

Reducing transport errors in WRF modeling of greenhouse gas distributions through a combination of grid-nudging and regular restarts

<p>Atmospheric transport models are often used to simulate the distribution of Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) for atmospheric inverse modeling. However, errors in simulated transport are often neglected in the context of inverse flux estimation. We coupled the commonly used Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model with the greenhouse gas module (WRF-GHG), to enable passive tracer transport simulation of CO<sub>2</sub> and CH<sub>4</sub>. As a mesoscale numerical weather prediction model, WRF’s transport is only constrained by global meteorological fields via initialization and at the lateral boundaries; over time the winds in the center of the domain can deviate considerably from these (re-)analysis fields that are constrained by observations. The aim of this study is to have the WRF-simulated transport represent reality as closely as possible, which in this case means staying consistent with the (ERA5) reanalysis fields used as boundary conditions.</p> <p>Therefore, two ways of blending ERA5 with WRF-GHG were tested: (a) regularly restarting the model with fresh initial conditions from ERA5, and (b) nudging the atmospheric winds, temperatures, and moisture to those from ERA5 continuously, using the built-in FDDA option (four-dimensional data assimilation). FDDA constantly forces the model towards the physical reference state (ERA5) by adding an additional tendency term at each grid point and time step.</p> <p>Meteorological variables, as well as the concentrations of CO<sub>2</sub> and CH<sub>4</sub>, were analyzed by comparing with observations. We also compared mixed layer heights (PBLH) with radiosonde-derived observation. We found that performance in horizontal winds and PBLH are slightly better in the nudged simulation (NS) compared to the simulation incorporating frequent restarts (RS). The advantage of grid-nudging is notable when comparing CH<sub>4</sub> with aircraft measurements from the CoMet campaign. However, differences in soil moisture increase over time, as soil moisture is not used for nudging. The consequence is a change in the Bowen ratio and thus in vertical mixing, impacting the distribution of GHG tracers in general.</p> <p>To preserve the benefits of nudging and avoid the divergence of soil moisture, we recommend a hybrid approach, combining nudging with daily re-initializations. This technique will be used in an ensemble-based regional inversion system currently under development to make use of satellite-based measurements of GHGs.</p>

Effects of passive storage on modelling hydrological function and isotope dynamics in a karst flow system in southwest China

Representing passive storage in coupled flow-isotope models can facilitate simulation of mixing and retardation effects on tracer transport in many natural systems, such as catchments or rivers. However, the effectiveness of incorporating passive storages in models of complex karst flow systems remains poorly understood. In this study, we developed a coupled flow-isotope model that conceptually represents both “fast” and “slow” flow processes in heterogeneous aquifers to represent hydrological connections between hillslopes and low-lying depression units in cockpit karst landscapes. As this model originally included a varying number of passive storages at different positions of the flow system (e.g. fast/slow flow reservoirs combined with different hillslope/depression units), the model structure and relevant parameters were optimized using a multi-objective optimization algorithm. This was used to match detailed observational data of hydrological processes and isotope concentration in the Chenqi catchment in southwest China. Results show that the optimal structure for a coupled flow-isotope model incorporated only two passive storages in fast flow and slow flow paths of the hillslope unit. Using fewer or greater numbers of passive stores in the model could lead to under- or over-mixing of isotope signatures. This optimized model structure could effectively improve simulation accuracies for outlet discharge and isotope signatures, with > 0.65 of the modified Kling-Gupta efficiency. Additionally, the optimal tracer-aided model yields reasonable parameter values and estimations of hydrological components (e.g. more than 80 % of fast flow in the total discharge). Furthermore, results imply that the solute transport is primarily controlled by advection and hydrodynamic dispersion in steep hillslope unit, which is a remarkable phenomenon in the karst flow system. The study resulted in new insights, more realistic catchment conceptualizations and improved model formulation.

Rectified tidal transport in Lofoten–Vesterålen, northern Norway

Vestfjorden in northern Norway, a major spawning ground for the northeast Arctic cod, is sheltered from the continental shelf and open ocean by the Lofoten–Vesterålen archipelago. The archipelago, however, is well known for hosting strong and vigorous tidal currents in its many straits, currents that can produce significant time-mean tracer transport from Vestfjorden to the shelf outside. We use a purely tidally driven unstructured-grid ocean model to look into non-linear tidal dynamics and the associated tracer transport through the archipelago. Of particular interest are two processes: tidal pumping through the straits and tidal rectification around islands. The most prominent tracer transport is caused by tidal pumping through the short and strongly non-linear straits Nordlandsflaget and Moskstraumen near the southern tip of the archipelago. Here, tracers from Vestfjorden are transported tens of kilometers westward out on the outer shelf. Further north, weaker yet notable tidal pumping also takes place through the longer straits Nappstraumen and Gimsøystraumen. The other main transport route out of Vestfjorden is south of the island of Røst. Here, the transport is primarily due to tracer advection by rectified anticyclonic currents around the island. There is also an anticyclonic circulation cell around the island group Mosken–Værøy, and both cells have flow speeds up to 0.2 m s−1, magnitudes similar to the observed background currents in the region. These high-resolution simulations thus emphasize the importance of non-linear tidal dynamics for transport of floating particles, like cod eggs and larvae, in the region.

Estimation of the mass transport parameters of aquifers according to data from field tests with a pulse or a continuous source and an arbitrary location of the observation well

An identification method for determining the aquifer’s mass transport parameters is proposed, based on data from field tracer tests with a pulse or a continuous source and an arbitrary position of the observation well in respect to the tracer entry point. The method is also applicable in the presence of a representative set of data on changes in the concentration of pollutants at different points in the aquifer around a short-term (instantaneous) or a continuous surface or underground source. The identification procedure is based on the automated comparison of the observations data with a series of theoretical curves by varying the required parameters in order to achieve maximum compliance. The tracer transport is represented by analytical solutions of the partial differential equation for mass transfer in a homogeneous and isotropic two-dimensional porous media. The developed computer programs include numerical optimization using the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm. Results from tests performed in order to assess reliability and errors of detection and identification are presented. Using the programs, the mass transport parameters: active porosity n0, effective (sorption) porosity nS, longitudinal dispersivity αL, transverse dispersivity αT and rate constant γ can be determined.

Development and Evaluation of the Aerosol Forecast Member in NCEP’s Global Ensemble Forecast System (GEFS-Aerosols v1)

NOAA’s National Weather Service (NWS) is on its way to deploy various operational prediction applications using the Unified Forecast System (https://ufscommunity.org/), a community-based coupled, comprehensive Earth modeling system. An aerosol model component developed in a collaboration between the Global Systems Laboratory, Chemical Science Laboratory, the Air Resources Laboratory, and Environmental Modeling Center (GSL, CSL, ARL, EMC) was coupled online with the FV3 Global Forecast System (FV3GFS) using the National Unified Operational Prediction Capability (NUOPC)-based NOAA Environmental Modeling System (NEMS) software framework. This aerosol prediction system replaced the NEMS GFS Aerosol Component (NGAC) system in the National Center for Environment Prediction (NCEP) production suite in September 2020 as one of the ensemble members of the Global Ensemble Forecast System (GEFS), dubbed GEFS-Aerosols v1. The aerosol component of atmospheric composition in GEFS is based on the Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF-Chem) that was previously included into FIM-Chem (Zhang et al, 2021). GEFS-Aerosols includes bulk modules from the Goddard Chemistry Aerosol Radiation and Transport model (GOCART). Additionally, the biomass burning plume rise module from High-Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR)-Smoke was implemented; the GOCART dust scheme was replaced by the FENGSHA dust scheme (developed by ARL); the Blended Global Biomass Burning Emissions Product (GBBEPx V3) provides biomass burning emission and Fire Radiative Power (FRP) data; and the global anthropogenic emission inventories are derived from the Community Emissions Data System (CEDS). All sub-grid scale transport and deposition is handled inside the atmospheric physics routines, which required consistent implementation of positive definite tracer transport and wet scavenging in the physics parameterizations used by NCEP’s operational Global Forecast System based on FV3 (FV3GFS). This paper describes the details of GEFS-Aerosols model development and evaluation of real-time and retrospective runs using different observations from in situ measurement, satellite and aircraft data. GEFS-Aerosols predictions demonstrate substantial improvements for both composition and variability of aerosol distributions over those from the former operational NGAC system.

MPAS-Seaice (v1.0.0): Sea-ice dynamics on unstructured Voronoi meshes

We present MPAS-Seaice, a sea-ice model which uses the Model for Prediction Across Scales (MPAS) framework and Spherical Centroidal Voronoi Tessellation (SCVT) unstructured meshes. As well as SCVT meshes, MPAS-Seaice can run on the traditional quadrilateral grids used by sea-ice models such as CICE. The MPAS-Seaice velocity solver uses the Elastic-Viscous-Plastic (EVP) rheology, and the variational discretization of the internal stress divergence operator used by CICE, but adapted for the polygonal cells of MPAS meshes, or alternatively an integral (“weak”) formulation of the stress divergence operator. An incremental remapping advection scheme is used for mass and tracer transport. We validate these formulations with idealized test cases, both planar and on the sphere. The variational scheme displays lower errors than the weak formulation for the strain rate operator but higher errors for the stress divergence operator. The variational stress divergence operator displays increased errors around the pentagonal cells of a quasi-uniform mesh, which is ameliorated with an alternate formulation for the operator. MPAS-Seaice shares the sophisticated column physics and biogeochemistry of CICE, and when used with quadrilateral meshes can reproduce the results of CICE. We have used global simulations with realistic forcing to validate MPAS-Seaice against similar simulations with CICE and against observations. We find very similar results compared to CICE with differences explained by minor differences in implementation such as with interpolation between the primary and dual meshes at coastlines. We have assessed the computational performance of the model, which, because it is unstructured, runs 70 % as fast as CICE for a comparison quadrilateral simulation. The SCVT meshes used by MPAS-Seaice allow culling of equatorial model cells and flexibility in domain decomposition, improving model performance. MPAS-Seaice is the current sea-ice component of the Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM).

Flow separation, dipole formation, and water exchange through tidal straits

We investigate the formation and evolution of dipole vortices and their contribution to water exchange through idealized tidal straits. Self-propagating dipoles are important for transporting and exchanging water properties through straits and inlets in coastal regions. In order to obtain a robust dataset to evaluate flow separation, dipole formation and evolution, and the effect on water exchange, we conduct 164 numerical simulations, varying the width and length of the straits as well as the tidal forcing. We show that dipoles form and start propagating at the time of flow separation, and their vorticity originates in the velocity front formed by the separation. We find that the dipole propagation velocity is proportional to the tidal velocity amplitude and twice as large as the dipole velocity derived for a dipole consisting of two point vortices. We analyze the processes creating a net water exchange through the straits and derive a kinematic model dependent on dimensionless parameters representing strait length, dipole travel distance, and dipole size. The net tracer transport resulting from the kinematic model agrees closely with the numerical simulations and provides an understanding of the processes controlling net water exchange.