An edge-based unstructured mesh discretisation in geospherical framework

An arbitrary finite-volume approach is developed for discretising partial differential equations governing fluid flows on the sphere. Unconventionally for unstructured-mesh global models, the governing equations are cast in the anholonomic geospherical framework established in computational meteorology. The resulting discretisation retains proven properties of the geospherical formulation, while it offers the flexibility of unstructured meshes in enabling irregular spatial resolution. The latter allows for a global enhancement of the spatial resolution away from the polar regions as well as for a local mesh refinement. A class of non-oscillatory forward-in-time edge-based solvers is developed and applied to numerical examples of three-dimensional hydrostatic flows, including shallow-water benchmarks, on a rotating sphere

Simulation of all-scale atmospheric dynamics on unstructured meshes

The advance of massively parallel computing in the nineteen nineties and beyond encouraged finer grid intervals in numerical weather-prediction models. This has improved resolution of weather systems and enhanced the accuracy of forecasts, while setting the trend for development of unified all-scale atmospheric models. This paper first outlines the historical background to a wide range of numerical methods advanced in the process. Next, the trend is illustrated with a technical review of a versatile nonoscillatory forward-in-time finite-volume (NFTFV) approach, proven effective in simulations of atmospheric flows from small-scale dynamics to global circulations and climate. The outlined approach exploits the synergy of two specific ingredients: the MPDATA methods for the simulation of fluid flows based on the sign-preserving properties of upstream differencing; and the flexible finite-volume median-dual unstructured-mesh discretisation of the spatial differential operators comprising PDEs of atmospheric dynamics. The paper consolidates the concepts leading to a family of generalised nonhydrostatic NFTFV flow solvers that include soundproof PDEs of incompressible Boussinesq, anelastic and pseudo-incompressible systems, common in large-eddy simulation of small- and meso-scale dynamics, as well as all-scale compressible Euler equations. Such a framework naturally extends predictive skills of large-eddy simulation to the global atmosphere, providing a bottom-up alternative to the reverse approach pursued in the weather-prediction models. Theoretical considerations are substantiated by calculations attesting to the versatility and efficacy of the NFTFV approach. Some prospective developments are also discussed