Search Menu
DOE PAGES title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information
Search Scholarly Publications

Title: The KPP boundary layer scheme for the ocean: revisiting its formulation and benchmarking one-dimensional simulations relative to LES

Journal Article · · Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [2]; ORCiD logo [3]; ORCiD logo [2];  [3];  [3]; ORCiD logo [3];  [2];  [1];  [4]
  1. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
  2. NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Lab., Princeton, NJ (United States); Princeton Univ., NJ (United States). Program in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences
  3. National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO (United States). Climate and Global Dynamics Lab.
  4. Leibniz Inst. for Baltic Sea Research, Rostock (Germany)
+ Show Author Affiliations

We evaluate the Community ocean Vertical Mixing (CVMix) project version of the K-profile parameterization (KPP) for modeling upper ocean turbulent mixing. For this purpose, one-dimensional KPP simulations are compared across a suite of oceanographically relevant regimes against horizontally averaged large eddy simulations (LES). We find the standard configuration of KPP consistent with LES across many forcing regimes, supporting its physical basis. Our evaluation also motivates recommendations for KPP “best practices” within ocean circulation models, and identifies areas where further research is warranted. The original treatment of KPP recommends the matching of interior diffusivities and their gradients to the KPP predicted values computed in the ocean surface boundary layer (OSBL). However, we find that difficulties in representing derivatives of rapidly changing diffusivities near the base of the OSBL can lead to loss of simulation fidelity. To mitigate this difficulty, we propose and evaluate two computationally simpler approaches: (1) match to the internal predicted diffusivity alone, (2) set the KPP diffusivity to zero at the OSBL base. We find the KPP entrainment buoyancy flux to be sensitive to vertical grid resolution and details of how to diagnose the KPP boundary layer depth. We modify the KPP turbulent shear velocity parameterization to reduce resolution dependence. Additionally, an examination of LES vertical turbulent scalar flux budgets shows that the KPP parameterized non-local tracer flux is incomplete due to the assumption that it solely redistributes the surface tracer flux. This result motivates further studies of the non-local flux parameterization.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF); Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), Boulder, CO (United States); Princeton Univ., NJ (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER); USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA); National Science Foundation (NSF); Princeton Univ. (United States)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC52-06NA25396; AC05-00OR22725; SC0012605
OSTI ID:
1480901
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1475346; OSTI ID: 1480902
Report Number(s):
LA-UR-16-26992
Journal Information:
Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, Vol. 10, Issue 11; ISSN 1942-2466
Publisher:
American Geophysical Union (AGU)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (75)

Toward a Unified Parameterization of the Boundary Layer and Moist Convection. Part I: A New Type of Mass-Flux Model journal August 2001
An improved mixed layer model for geophysical applications journal January 1994
Direct measurements of upper ocean currents and water properties across the tropical Pacific during the 1990s journal January 2002
Stability constraints for oceanic numerical models: implications for the formulation of time and space discretizations journal August 2015
Modeling the Seasonal Cycle of the Upper Ocean journal February 1988
Richardson Number Criterion for the Nonlinear Stability of Three-Dimensional Stratified Flow journal June 1984
OMIP contribution to CMIP6: experimental and diagnostic protocol for the physical component of the Ocean Model Intercomparison Project journal January 2016
Large-Eddy Simulation of the Diurnal Cycle of Deep Equatorial Turbulence journal January 1998
Estimating climatological planetary boundary layer heights from radiosonde observations: Comparison of methods and uncertainty analysis journal January 2010
Entrainment Parameterization in Convective Boundary Layers journal March 1999
Improvement of the K-profile Model for the Planetary Boundary Layer based on Large Eddy Simulation Data journal May 2003
A Note on the Vertical Structure of the Eddy Exchange Coefficient in the Planetary Boundary Layer journal November 1970
Langmuir mixing effects on global climate: WAVEWATCH III in CESM journal July 2016
Theoretical expression for the countergradient vertical heat flux journal October 1972
The instability and breaking of long internal waves journal November 2005
A Finite-Element Model of the Atmospheric Boundary Layer Suitable for Use with Numerical Weather Prediction Models journal October 1982
Toward a K-Profile Parameterization of Langmuir Turbulence in Shallow Coastal Shelves journal December 2015
Development of a turbulence closure model for geophysical fluid problems journal January 1982
On the importance of Major Baltic Inflows for oxygenation of the central Baltic Sea: IMPORTANCE OF MAJOR BALTIC INFLOWS journal February 2017
Parameterization of Langmuir Circulation in the Ocean Mixed Layer Model Using LES and Its Application to the OGCM journal January 2016
Simulations of shear instabilities in interfacial gravity waves journal February 2010
Evaluation and model impacts of alternative boundary-layer height formulations journal December 1996
An Analysis of Closures for Pressure-Scalar Covariances in the Convective Boundary Layer journal November 1986
Energetic Submesoscales Maintain Strong Mixed Layer Stratification during an Autumn Storm journal October 2017
The Counter-Gradient Heat Flux in the Lower Atmosphere and in the Laboratory journal September 1966
An evaluation of neutral and convective planetary boundary-layer parameterizations relative to large eddy simulations journal April 1996
Diurnal Coupling in the Tropical Oceans of CCSM3 journal June 2006
Parameterization of Frontal Symmetric Instabilities. I: Theory for Resolved Fronts journal January 2017
On the stability of heterogeneous shear flows journal June 1961
Real Freshwater Flux as a Natural Boundary Condition for the Salinity Balance and Thermohaline Circulation Forced by Evaporation and Precipitation journal November 1993
A Comparison of Shear- and Buoyancy-Driven Planetary Boundary Layer Flows journal April 1994
Review of non-local mixing in turbulent atmospheres: Transilient turbulence theory journal January 1993
Ocean Turbulence. Part I: One-Point Closure Model—Momentum and Heat Vertical Diffusivities journal June 2001
Analyses and simulations of the upper ocean's response to Hurricane Felix at the Bermuda Testbed Mooring site: 13-23 August 1995: ANALYSES OF THE UPPER OCEAN'S RESPONSE TO HURRICANE FELIX journal December 2002
Diurnal cycling: Observations and models of the upper ocean response to diurnal heating, cooling, and wind mixing journal January 1986
Surface gravity wave effects in the oceanic boundary layer: large-eddy simulation with vortex force and stochastic breakers journal November 2007
A numerical method for the study of the circulation of the world ocean journal October 1969
Second-order turbulence closure models for geophysical boundary layers. A review of recent work journal May 2005
Langmuir Turbulence Parameterization in Tropical Cyclone Conditions journal March 2016
Modelling turbulent vertical mixing sensitivity using a 1-D version of NEMO journal January 2015
Comparison of the simulated upper-ocean vertical structure using 1-dimensional mixed-layer models journal July 2016
Nonlocal fluxes and Stokes drift effects in the K-profile parameterization journal July 2002
A simple model of the atmospheric boundary layer; sensitivity to surface evaporation journal October 1986
Stratocumulus-capped mixed layers derived from a three-dimensional model journal June 1980
Transient upwelling in the central Baltic Sea journal November 2010
Eddy Diffusivity and Countergradient Transport in the Convective Atmospheric Boundary Layer journal July 1991
Energetic Submesoscales Maintain Strong Mixed Layer Stratification during an Autumn Storm text January 2017
A one-dimensional model of the seasonal thermocline II. The general theory and its consequences journal January 1967
Validation of Vertical Mixing in an Equatorial Ocean Model Using Large Eddy Simulations and Observations journal March 1999
Oceanic vertical mixing: A review and a model with a nonlocal boundary layer parameterization journal January 1994
Langmuir turbulence in the ocean journal March 1997
Pressure-potential-temperature covariance in convection with rotation journal January 2001
Evaluation of parametrization schemes for the convective boundary layer using large-eddy simulation results journal November 1996
Mixed layer modeling in the East Pacific warm pool during 2002 journal July 2011
Comparative Analysis of Four Second-Moment Turbulence Closure Models for the Oceanic Mixed Layer journal August 2001
An Improved Second-Moment Closure Model of Langmuir Turbulence journal January 2015
An eddy-diffusivity/mass-flux parametrization for dry and shallow cumulus convection journal October 2004
Langmuir–Submesoscale Interactions: Descriptive Analysis of Multiscale Frontal Spindown Simulations journal September 2014
Non-local ocean mixing model and a new plume model for deep convection journal January 2007
Are there inescapable issues prohibiting the use of terrain-following coordinates in climate models? journal January 2012
Gravitational, Symmetric, and Baroclinic Instability of the Ocean Mixed Layer journal April 1998
On the penetration of a turbulent layer into stratified fluid journal July 1969
Tracer Conservation with an Explicit Free Surface Method for z -Coordinate Ocean Models journal May 2001
Impact of planetary boundary layer turbulence on model climate and tracer transport journal January 2015
A multi-resolution approach to global ocean modeling journal September 2013
Statistics of Conservative Scalars in the Convective Boundary Layer journal November 1984
Irradiance Measurements in the Upper Ocean journal November 1977
Vertical Mixing by Langmuir Circulations journal June 2000
Models of cloud-topped mixed layers under a strong inversion journal July 1968
Convective Velocity and Temperature Scales for the Unstable Planetary Boundary Layer and for Rayleigh Convection journal November 1970
A one-dimensional model of the seasonal thermocline II. The general theory and its consequences journal February 1967
Buoyancy Effects in Fluids journal October 1973
Ocean dynamics journal November 2017
Parameterization of Frontal Symmetric Instabilities. I: Theory for Resolved Fronts text January 2017
A Numerical Method for the Study of the Circulation of the World Ocean journal August 1997

Cited By (4)

The GFDL Global Ocean and Sea Ice Model OM4.0: Model Description and Simulation Features journal October 2019
Influence of Mesoscale Features on Mixed Layer Dynamics in the Arabian Sea journal May 2019
Global Impacts of Subseasonal (<60 Day) Wind Variability on Ocean Surface Stress, Buoyancy Flux, and Mixed Layer Depth journal December 2019
Comparing Ocean Surface Boundary Vertical Mixing Schemes Including Langmuir Turbulence journal November 2019

Figures / Tables (24)

Table 1(p. 69)table Table 1
Table 2(p. 70)table Table 2
Table 3(p. 71)table Table 3
Table 4(p. 72)table Table 4
Table 5(p. 73)table Table 5
Table 6(p. 74)table Table 6
Table A.1(p. 75)table Table A.1
Figure 1(p. 76)figure Figure 1
Figure 2(p. 77)figure Figure 2
Figure 3(p. 78)figure Figure 3
Figure 4(p. 79)figure Figure 4
Figure 5(p. 80)figure Figure 5
Figure 6(p. 81)figure Figure 6
Figure 7(p. 82)figure Figure 7
Figure 8(p. 83)figure Figure 8
Figure 9(p. 84)figure Figure 9
Figure 10(p. 85)figure Figure 10
Figure 11(p. 86)figure Figure 11
Figure 12(p. 87)figure Figure 12
Figure 13(p. 88)figure Figure 13
Figure 14(p. 89)figure Figure 14
Figure 15(p. 90)figure Figure 15
Figure 16(p. 91)figure Figure 16
Figure 17(p. 92)figure Figure 17

Similar Records

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
KPP
vertical mixing
ocean surface boundary layer
parameterization
ocean model