The Project for Intercomparison of Land-surface Parameterization Schemes

Journal Article · Thu Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1993 · Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0477(1993)074<1335:TPFIOL>2.0.CO;2· OSTI ID:5821051

Henderson-Sellers, A; Yang, Z L ^[1]; Dickinson, R E ^[2]

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1. Macquarie Univ., Sydney (Australia)
2. Univ. of Arizona, Tucson, AZ (United States)

The Project for Intercomparison of Land-surface Parameterization Schemes (PILPS) is described and the first stage science plan outlined. PILPS is a project designed to improve the parameterization of the continental surface, especially the hydrological, energy, momentum, and carbon exchanges with the atmosphere. The PILPS Science Plan incorporates enhanced documentation, comparison, and validation of continental surface parameterization schemes by community participation. Potential participants include code developers, code users, and those who can provide datasets for validation and who have expertise of value in this exercise. PILPS is an important activity because existing intercomparisons, although piecemeal, demonstrate that there are significant differences among current global climate models such as cloud and convection parameterizations. It is also clear that too few sensitivity studies have been undertaken with the result that there is not yet enough information to indicate which simplifications or omissions are important for the near-surface continental climate, hydrology, and biogeochemistry. PILPS emphasizes sensitivity studies with and intercomparisons of existing land surface codes and the development of areally extensive datasets for their testing and validation. 111 refs., 4 tabs.

• OSTI ID: 5821051
• Journal Information: Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society; (United States), Journal Name: Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society; (United States) Vol. 74:7; ISSN 0003-0007; ISSN BAMIAT
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540110
540120* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring &amp; Transport-- (1990-)
AIR-BIOSPHERE INTERACTIONS
BIOGEOCHEMISTRY
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CHEMISTRY
CLIMATE MODELS
CLOUDS
CONVECTION
EARTH PLANET
ENERGY TRANSFER
FORECASTING
GEOCHEMISTRY
HEAT TRANSFER
HYDROLOGY
MASS TRANSFER
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
PARAMETRIC ANALYSIS
PLANETS
SENSITIVITY
SURFACES
WEATHER