Abstract
Abstract. A new regional coupled ocean–atmosphere model is developed and its implementation is presented in this paper. The coupled model is based on two open-source community model components: the MITgcm ocean model and the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) atmosphere model. The coupling between these components is performed using ESMF (Earth System Modeling Framework) and implemented according to National United Operational Prediction Capability (NUOPC) protocols. The coupled model is named the Scripps–KAUST Regional Integrated Prediction System (SKRIPS). SKRIPS is demonstrated with a real-world example by simulating a 30 d period including a series of extreme heat events occurring on the eastern shore of the Red Sea region in June 2012. The results obtained by using the coupled model, along with those in forced stand-alone oceanic or atmospheric simulations, are compared with observational data and reanalysis products. We show that the coupled model is capable of performing coupled ocean–atmosphere simulations, although all configurations of coupled and uncoupled models have good skill in modeling the heat events. In addition, a scalability test is performed to investigate the parallelization of the coupled model. The results indicate that the coupled model code scales well and the ESMF/NUOPC coupler accounts for less than 5 % of the total computational resources in the Red Sea test case. The coupled model and documentation are available at https://library.ucsd.edu/dc/collection/bb1847661c (last access: 26 September 2019), and the source code is maintained at https://github.com/iurnus/scripps_kaust_model (last access: 26 September 2019).
Highlights
Accurate and efficient forecasting of oceanic and atmospheric circulation is essential for a wide variety of highimpact societal needs, including extreme weather and climate events (Kharin and Zwiers, 2000; Chen et al, 2007), environmental protection and coastal management (Warner et al, 2010), management of fisheries (Roessig et al, 2004), marine conservation (Harley et al, 2006), water resources (Fowler and Ekström, 2009), and renewable energy (Barbariol et al, 2013)
The simulation results obtained by using different model configurations are presented to show that Scripps–KAUST Regional Integrated Prediction System (SKRIPS) is capable of performing coupled ocean–atmosphere simulations
The T 2 from CPL, ATM.STA, and ATM.DYN are compared with the validation data to evaluate the atmospheric component of SKRIPS; the Sea surface temperature (SST) obtained from CPL and OCN.DYN are compared to validate the atmospheric component of SKRIPS; the surface heat fluxes and 10 m wind are used to assess the coupled system
Summary
Accurate and efficient forecasting of oceanic and atmospheric circulation is essential for a wide variety of highimpact societal needs, including extreme weather and climate events (Kharin and Zwiers, 2000; Chen et al, 2007), environmental protection and coastal management (Warner et al, 2010), management of fisheries (Roessig et al, 2004), marine conservation (Harley et al, 2006), water resources (Fowler and Ekström, 2009), and renewable energy (Barbariol et al, 2013). R. Sun et al.: SKRIPS v1.0: a regional coupled ocean–atmosphere modeling framework proved the SST (sea surface temperature) and atmospheric circulation forecast. Enhanced numerical stability in the coupled simulation was observed These early attempts were followed by other practitioners in ocean-basin-scale climate simulations (e.g., Huang et al, 2004; Aldrian et al, 2005; Xie et al, 2007; Seo et al, 2007; Somot et al, 2008; Fang et al, 2010; Boé et al, 2011; Zou and Zhou, 2012; Gualdi et al, 2013; Van Pham et al, 2014; Chen and Curcic, 2016; Seo, 2017). Huang et al (2004) implemented a regional coupled model to study three major important patterns contributing to the variability and predictability of the Atlantic climate. This study helped substantiate the importance of ocean–atmosphere feedbacks involving oceanic mesoscale variability features
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