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Title: A flexible importance sampling method for integrating subgrid processes

Journal Article · · Geoscientific Model Development (Online)
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Numerical models of weather and climate need to compute grid-box-averaged rates of physical processes such as microphysics. These averages are computed by integrating subgrid variability over a grid box. For this reason, an important aspect of atmospheric modeling is spatial integration over subgrid scales. The needed integrals can be estimated by Monte Carlo integration. Monte Carlo integration is simple and general but requires many evaluations of the physical process rate. To reduce the number of function evaluations, this paper describes a new, flexible method of importance sampling. It divides the domain of integration into eight categories, such as the portion that contains both precipitation and cloud, or the portion that contains precipitation but no cloud. It then allows the modeler to prescribe the density of sample points within each of the eight categories. The new method is incorporated into the Subgrid Importance Latin Hypercube Sampler (SILHS). Here, the resulting method is tested on drizzling cumulus and stratocumulus cases. In the cumulus case, the sampling error can be considerably reduced by drawing more sample points from the region of rain evaporation.

Research Organization:
Univ. of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR)
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0008323
OSTI ID:
1236407
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1268218
Journal Information:
Geoscientific Model Development (Online), Journal Name: Geoscientific Model Development (Online) Vol. 9 Journal Issue: 1; ISSN 1991-9603
Publisher:
Copernicus Publications, EGUCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
Germany
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 2 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
independent-column approximation
stratiform cloud microphysics
probability density-functions
community atmosphere model
boundary-layer clouds
large-eddy simulation
large-scale models
part i
marine stratocumulus
parameterization