A high-order staggered finite-element vertical discretization for non-hydrostatic atmospheric models
Atmospheric modeling systems require economical methods to solve the non-hydrostatic Euler equations. Two major differences between hydrostatic models and a full non-hydrostatic description lies in the vertical velocity tendency and numerical stiffness associated with sound waves. In this work we introduce a new arbitrary-order vertical discretization entitled the staggered nodal finite-element method (SNFEM). Our method uses a generalized discrete derivative that consistently combines the discontinuous Galerkin and spectral element methods on a staggered grid. Our combined method leverages the accurate wave propagation and conservation properties of spectral elements with staggered methods that eliminate stationary (2Δx) modes. Furthermore, high-order accuracy also eliminates the need for a reference state to maintain hydrostatic balance. In this work we demonstrate the use of high vertical order as a means of improving simulation quality at relatively coarse resolution. We choose a test case suite that spans the range of atmospheric flows from predominantly hydrostatic to nonlinear in the large-eddy regime. Lastly, our results show that there is a distinct benefit in using the high-order vertical coordinate at low resolutions with the same robust properties as the low-order alternative.
- Research Organization:
- Univ. of California, Davis, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC)
- Grant/Contract Number:
- SC0014669
- OSTI ID:
- 1255170
- Alternate ID(s):
- OSTI ID: 1268264
- Journal Information:
- Geoscientific Model Development (Online), Journal Name: Geoscientific Model Development (Online) Vol. 9 Journal Issue: 5; ISSN 1991-9603
- Publisher:
- Copernicus Publications, EGUCopyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- Germany
- Language:
- English
Web of Science
Similar Records
A high accuracy/resolution spectral element/Fourier–Galerkin method for the simulation of shoaling non-linear internal waves and turbulence in long domains with variable bathymetry
Local bounds preserving stabilization for continuous Galerkin discretization of hyperbolic systems