E-poster: displaying the parameterization's decision process in a CAPT-initialized CAM with organized convection scheme

 
Poster PDF

Authors

Brian Mapes — University of Miami
Baohua Chen — University of Miami
Hsi-Yen Ma — Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Category

Modeling

Description

Climate model parameterizations are often evaluated in a disconnected way. On the one hand, their conceptual basis and equation set is discussed for its reasonableness. On the other hand, highly statistical aspects of their performance are evaluated (climate simulation characteristics).

In between lies the code implementation and what is actually going on from timestep to timestep within the model's weather. These are harder to discuss because they are harder to communicate.

In this e-poster (a small poster and a laptop), initialized runs of our experimental organized-convection scheme version of Community Atmosphere Model 5 (CAM5) are displayed using the Integrated Data Viewer. The poster provides necessary information on the model and unique convection scheme. In the screen display, the parameterization's buoyancy, entrainment rates, and other interior variables, along with its tendencies, are displayed as plan views and cross-sections, within a rich, multi-layered display of the model weather. Convective processes can be scrutinized in the context of interactive skew-T profiler, which be dragged to any location and time. This unprecedented view inside the model's world has uncovered a few subtle bugs and highlights the challenges and partial successes of simulating organized convection with two plumes of different entrainment rates plus large-scale condensation.