Kinetic energy spectrum of horizontal motions in middle-atmosphere models

Data from several middle-atmosphere general circulation models are used to calculate kinetic energy spectra as a function of total horizontal wavenumber n. The horizontal and vertical resolution between models varies but all have upper. boundaries at heights greater than or similar to 80 km. Tropospheric spectra show power-law behavior with slopes slightly shallower than -3 for wavenumbers n greater than or similar to 10 (horizontal wavelengths less than or similar to 4000 km) and are dominated by the rotational part of the flow. These spectra agree well with those calculated using data obtained from a global assimilation model and with the results of previous observational studies. Stratospheric spectra have larger amplitudes than tropospheric ones at planetary scales and smaller amplitudes at smaller scales. Mesospheric spectra are characterized by enhanced spectral amplitudes at all wavenumbers compared to the stratosphere and spectral slopes in the wavenumber range n greater than or similar to 10 are generally shallower. Stratospheric and mesospheric spectra include approximately equal contributions from the rotational and divergent parts of the flow for n greater than or similar to 20 in all models. These features appear to be independent of model resolution. The divergent part of the flow, presumably associated with explicitly resolved inertiogravity waves in the models, increases more rapidly with height above the lower stratosphere than the rotational part. The divergent part is fairly insensitive to season, whereas the rotational part changes considerably between January and July in the middle-atmosphere region. Spectral amplitudes and vertical growth rates of both parts vary widely between models for a given season. The horizontal diffusion schemes used by the models are compared in an attempt to explain some of these differences

Model-measurement comparison of mesospheric temperature inversions, and a simple theory for their occurrence

Mesospheric temperature inversions are well established observed phenomena, yet their properties remain the subject of ongoing research. Comparisons between Rayleigh-scatter lidar temperature measurements obtained by the University of Western Ontario's Purple Crow Lidar (42.9°N, 81.4°W) and the Canadian Middle Atmosphere Model are used to quantify the statistics of inversions. In both model and measurements, inversions occur most frequently in the winter and exhibit an average amplitude of ∼10 K. The model exhibits virtually no inversions in the summer, while the measurements show a strongly reduced frequency of occurrence with an amplitude about half that in the winter. A simple theory of mesospheric inversions based on wave saturation is developed, with no adjustable parameters. It predicts that the environmental lapse rate must be less than half the adiabatic lapse rate for an inversion to form, and it predicts the ratio of the inversion amplitude and thickness as a function of environmental lapse rate. Comparison of this prediction to the actual amplitude/thickness ratio using the lidar measurements shows good agreement between theory and measurements

Sponge layer feedbacks in middle-atmosphere models

Middle-atmosphere models commonly employ a sponge layer in the upper portion of their domain. It is shown that the relaxational nature of the sponge allows it to couple to the dynamics at lower levels in an artificial manner. In particular, the long-term zonally symmetric response to an imposed extratropical local force or diabatic heating is shown to induce a drag force in the sponge that modifies the response expected from the “downward control” arguments of Haynes et al. [1991]. In the case of an imposed local force the sponge acts to divert a fraction of the mean meridional mass flux upward, which for realistic parameter values is approximately equal to exp(−Δz/H), where Δz is the distance between the forcing region and the sponge layer and H is the density scale height. This sponge-induced upper cell causes temperature changes that, just below the sponge layer, are of comparable magnitude to those just below the forcing region. In the case of an imposed local diabatic heating, the sponge induces a meridional circulation extending through the entire depth of the atmosphere. This circulation causes temperature changes that, just below the sponge layer, are of opposite sign and comparable in magnitude to those at the heating region. In both cases, the sponge-induced temperature changes are essentially independent of the height of the imposed force or diabatic heating, provided the latter is located outside the sponge, but decrease exponentially as one moves down from the sponge. Thus the effect of the sponge can be made arbitrarily small at a given altitude by placing the sponge sufficiently high; e.g., its effect on temperatures two scale heights below is roughly at the 10% level, provided the imposed force or diabatic heating is located outside the sponge. When, however, an imposed force is applied within the sponge layer (a highly plausible situation for parameterized mesospheric gravity-wave drag), its effect is almost entirely nullified by the sponge-layer feedback and its expected impact on temperatures below largely fails to materialize. Simulations using a middle-atmosphere general circulation model are described, which demonstrate that this sponge-layer feedback can be a significant effect in parameter regimes of physical interest. Zonally symmetric (two dimensional) middle-atmosphere models commonly employ a Rayleigh drag throughout the model domain. It is shown that the long-term zonally symmetric response to an imposed extratropical local force or diabatic heating, in this case, is noticeably modified from that expected from downward control, even for a very weak drag coefficien

A low-order model investigation of the analysis of gravity waves in the ensemble Kalman filter.

The behavior of the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) is examined in the context of a model that exhibits a nonlinear chaotic (slow) vortical mode coupled to a linear (fast) gravity wave of a given amplitude and frequency. It is shown that accurate recovery of both modes is enhanced when covariances between fast and slow normal-mode variables (which reflect the slaving relations inherent in balanced dynamics) are modeled correctly. More ensemble members are needed to recover the fast, linear gravity wave than the slow, vortical motion. Although the EnKF tends to diverge in the analysis of the gravity wave, the filter divergence is stable and does not lead to a great loss of accuracy. Consequently, provided the ensemble is large enough and observations are made that reflect both time scales, the EnKF is able to recover both time scales more accurately than optimal interpolation (OI), which uses a static error covariance matrix. For OI it is also found to be problematic to observe the state at a frequency that is a subharmonic of the gravity wave frequency, a problem that is in part overcome by the EnKF.However, error in themodeled gravity wave parameters can be detrimental to the performance of the EnKF and remove its implied advantages, suggesting that a modified algorithm or a method for accounting for model error is needed

Recent Developments in Understanding Two-dimensional Turbulence and the Nastrom-Gage Spectrum

Two-dimensional turbulence appears to be a more formidable problem than three-dimensional turbulence despite the numerical advantage of working with one less dimension. In the present paper we review recent numerical investigations of the phenomenology of two-dimensional turbulence as well as recent theoretical breakthroughs by various leading researchers. We also review efforts to reconcile the observed energy spectrum of the atmosphere (the spectrum) with the predictions of two-dimensional turbulence and quasi-geostrophic turbulence.Comment: Invited review; accepted by J. Low Temp. Phys.; Proceedings for Warwick Turbulence Symposium Workshop on Universal features in turbulence: from quantum to cosmological scales, 200

The Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP)

The Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP) was established to study and intercompare climate simulations made with coupled ocean-atmosphere-cryosphere-land GCMs. There are two main phases (CMIP1 and CMIP2), which study, respectively, 1) the ability of models to simulate current climate, and 2) model simulations of climate change due to an idealized change in forcing (a 1% per year CO2 increase). Results from a number of CMIP projects were reported at the first CMIP Workshop held in Melbourne, Australia, in October 1998. Some recent advances in global coupled modeling related to CMIP were also reported. Presentations were based on preliminary unpublished results. Key outcomes from the workshop were that 1) many observed aspects of climate variability are simulated in global coupled models including the North Atlantic oscillation and its linkages to North Atlantic SSTs, El Niño-like events, and monsoon interannual variability; 2) the amplitude of both high- and low-frequency global mean surface temperature variability in many global coupled models is less than that observed, with the former due in part to simulated ENSO in the models being generally weaker than observed, and the latter likely to be at least partially due to the uncertainty in the estimates of past radiative forcing; 3) an El Niño-like pattern in the mean SST response with greater surface warming in the eastern equatorial Pacific than the western equatorial Pacific is found by a number of models in global warming climate change experiments, but other models have a more spatially uniform or even a La Niña-like, response; 4) flux adjustment, by definition, improves the simulation of mean present-day climate over oceans, does not guarantee a drift-free climate, but can produce a stable base state in some models to enable very long term (1000 yr and longer) integrations-in these models it does not appear to have a major effect on model processes or model responses to increasing CO2; and 5) recent multicentury integrations show that a stable surface climate can be attained without flux adjustment (though still with some systematic simulation errors)

Seasonal variations of the semi-diurnal and diurnal tides in the MLT: multi-year MF radar observations from 2–70 N, modelled tides (GSWM, CMAM)

In an earlier paper (Manson et al., 1999a) tidal data (1990–1997) from six Medium Frequency Radars (MFR) were compared with the Global Scale Wave Model (GSWM, original 1995 version). The radars are located between the equator and high northern latitudes: Christmas Island (2° N), Hawaii (22° N), Urbana (40° N), London (43° N), Saskatoon (52° N) and Tromsø (70° N). Common harmonic analysis was applied, to ensure consistency of amplitudes and phases in the 75–95 km height range. For the diurnal tide, seasonal agreements between observations and model were excellent while for the semi-diurnal tide the seasonal transitions between clear solstitial states were less well captured by the model. Here the data set is increased by the addition of two locations in the Pacific-North American sector: Yamagawa 31° N, and Wakkanai 45° N. The GSWM model has undergone two additional developments (1998, 2000) to include an improved gravity wave (GW) stress parameterization, background winds from UARS systems and monthly tidal forcing for better characterization of seasonal change. The other model, the Canadian Middle Atmosphere Model (CMAM) which is a General Circulation Model, provides internally generated forcing (due to ozone and water vapour) for the tides. The two GSWM versions show distinct differences, with the 2000 version being either closer to, or further away from, the observations than the original 1995 version. CMAM provides results dependent upon the GW parameterization scheme inserted, but one of the schemes provides very useful tides, especially for the semi-diurnal component

Gravity wave activity and dynamical effects in the middle atmosphere (60-90km): observations from an MF/MLT radar network, and results from the Canadian Middle Atmosphere Model (CMAM)

It has become increasingly clear that Gravity Waves (GW) have an essential and often dominant role in the dynamics of the Middle Atmosphere. This leads to them having strong impacts upon the thermal structure and the distribution of atmospheric constituents. However, the radar observations of GW have been limited in their latitudinal extent during the past decade, and although satellite observations are now significantly contributing, global-seasonal climatologies of important characteristics are still inadequate. With regard to models, the inclusion of GW-drag effects has been problematic. Usually no seasonal or latitudinal variation in the subgrid-scale GW-drag parameterization scheme is included, and varieties of parameterization schemes have been used. Although these often make conflicting assumptions, they generally produce similarly acceptable end-products, e.g. zonal-mean zonal wind fields. In this paper, we report upon the beginnings of a substantial program, using observations from a network of MF radars (North America, Pacific and Europe), and data from the Canadian Middle Atmosphere Model (CMAM). This model allows the tidal and planetary wave fields to be assessed, characteristics and climatologies of which are well known from the MF Radars. Here we focus upon the tides. There are useful similarities in the observed and modeled background wind and wave fields, and strong indications that the two non-orographic GW-drag parameterization schemes (Hines; Medvedev–Klaassen) have significant and differing effects upon the dynamics of the modeled atmosphere. It is shown that this comparison process is valuable in the evaluation, and potentially the optimization, of parameterization schemes.A. H. Manson, , a, C. E. Meeka, J. Koshykb, S. Frankec, D. C. Frittsd, D. Riggind, C. M. Halle, W. K Hockingf, J. MacDougallf, K. Igarashig and R. A. Vincenthttp://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/211/description#descriptio