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Title Evaluating Parameterizations in General Circulation Models: Climate Simulation Meets Weather Prediction
Creator/Author Phillips, T J ; Potter, G L ; Williamson, D L ; Cederwall, R T ; Boyle, J S ; Fiorino, M ; Hnilo, J J ; Olson, J G ; Xie, S ; Yio, J J
Publication Date2004 May 06
OSTI IdentifierOSTI ID: 15014407
Report Number(s)UCRL-JRNL-204048
DOE Contract NumberW-7405-ENG-48
Other Number(s)Journal ID: ISSN 0003-0007; BAMIAT; TRN: US200803%%563
Resource TypeJournal Article
Resource RelationJournal Name: Published in: Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, vol. 85, no. 12, December 31, 2004, pp. 1903-1915; Journal Volume: 85; Journal Issue: 12
Research OrgLawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA
Sponsoring OrgUSDOE
Subject99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS//MATHEMATICS, COMPUTING, AND INFORMATION SCIENCE; 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; 58 GEOSCIENCES; CLIMATES; FORECASTING; GENERAL CIRCULATION MODELS; IMPLEMENTATION; JOINT VENTURES; RADIATIONS; SIMULATION; WEATHER
Description/AbstractTo significantly improve the simulation of climate by general circulation models (GCMs), systematic errors in representations of relevant processes must first be identified, and then reduced. This endeavor demands that the GCM parameterizations of unresolved processes, in particular, should be tested over a wide range of time scales, not just in climate simulations. Thus, a numerical weather prediction (NWP) methodology for evaluating model parameterizations and gaining insights into their behavior may prove useful, provided that suitable adaptations are made for implementation in climate GCMs. This method entails the generation of short-range weather forecasts by a realistically initialized climate GCM, and the application of six-hourly NWP analyses and observations of parameterized variables to evaluate these forecasts. The behavior of the parameterizations in such a weather-forecasting framework can provide insights on how these schemes might be improved, and modified parameterizations then can be tested in the same framework. In order to further this method for evaluating and analyzing parameterizations in climate GCMs, the U.S. Department of Energy is funding a joint venture of its Climate Change Prediction Program (CCPP) and Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program: the CCPP-ARM Parameterization Testbed (CAPT). This article elaborates the scientific rationale for CAPT, discusses technical aspects of its methodology, and presents examples of its implementation in a representative climate GCM.
Country of PublicationUnited States
LanguageEnglish
FormatMedium: ED; Size: PDF-file: 42 pages; size: 0.9 Mbytes
System Entry Date2008 Feb 28

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