The Separate Physics and Dynamics Setup (SPADS) for analyzing scale dependency of physics

 

Authors

William I. Gustafson — Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Category

Modeling

Description

At the previous ASR Science Team Meeting, this project presented the concept of using separate grids within an atmospheric model to investigate scaling behavior of physics parameterizations. Since then, this method has been further developed under the moniker “Separate Physics and Dynamics Setup” (SPADS). At this point, the SPADS technique has been coded into the Weather Research and Forecasting model for analyzing the behavior of cloud parameterizations across scales ranging from cloud-scale-resolving to the mesoscale, with the potential for analyzing larger scales as well. Preliminary results will be shown for cumulus and microphysical parameterizations showing how they behave very differently when presented with atmospheric states gridded at different resolutions. The results have implications for designing scale-aware parameterizations for next generation climate models that use multi-resolution grids, such as the High-Order Method Modeling Environment (HOMME) and Model for Prediction Across Scales (MPAS) cores in the Community Earth System Model.