Non-hydrostatic Model Research Articles

Response of convective systems to the orbital forcing of the last interglacial in a global nonhydrostatic atmospheric model with and without a convective parameterization

Nonhydrostatic Icosahedral Atmospheric Model (NICAM) coupled with a slab ocean model was applied to a paleoclimate research for the first time. The model was run at a horizontal resolution of 56 km with and without a convective parameterization, given the orbital parameters of the last interglacial (127,000 years before present). The simulated climatological mean-states are qualitatively similar to those in previous studies reinforcing their robustness, however, the resolution of this model enables to represent the narrow precipitation band along the southern edge of the Tibetan Plateau. A particular focus was given to convectively coupled disturbances in our analysis. The simulated results show a greater signal of the Madden–Julian Oscillation and weakening of the moist Kelvin waves. Although the model's representation of the boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation in the present-day simulations is not satisfactory, a significant enhancement of its signal is found in the counterpart of the last interglacial. The density of the tropical cyclones decreases over the western north Pacific, north Atlantic and increases over the south Indian Ocean and south Atlantic. The model's performance is generally better when the convective parameterization is used, but the tropical cyclones are better represented without the convective parameterization. Additional simulations using the low-resolution topography reveals that the better representation of the Tibetan Plateau enhances the boreal summer Asian monsoon and its impact is similar and comparable to that of the orbital parameters over the south Asia and the Indian Ocean.

Uncertainty in Aerosol Rainout Processes through the Case of the Radioactive Materials Emitted by the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant in March 2011

The process of an aerosol rainout in wet deposition induces large uncertainties among atmospheric aerosol simulations, especially for particles in the fine mode. In this study, we performed an intercomparison study of four different rainout schemes on the model (the nonhydrostatic icosahedral atmospheric model or NICAM) to simulate particulate Cs-137 in the emission scenario of the March 2011 accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant. The schemes include global climate models (GCMs) approach with a simple tuning parameter to determine the scavenging coefficient, and another optimized for cloud resolving models (CRMs) to account for prognostic precipitation and realistic vertical transport. The third approach was the conventional method under the assumption of a pseudo-first-order approximation based on the surface precipitation flux. The fourth approach was involved in offline chemical transport models (CTMs) with a simplified parametric analysis approach to clouds and precipitation flux. In most experiments, statistical metrics of the Cs-137 concentrations using in-situ measurements were calculated to be within ±30 % (bias), 0.6–0.9 (correlation), 67–112 Bq m−3 (uncertainty), and < 40 % (precision within a factor of 10). The CRM-type method yielded the best results but required a lower limit of tuning parameters to compensate for the results. Both the GCM-type and the conventional methods were also useful by setting proper tuning parameters. The CTM-type yielded better correlation and lower uncertainty but larger negative bias. These analyses suggest the overestimation of the conversion rate from cloud droplets into raindrops by the NICAM. However, this cannot be resolved by simply interchanging cloud microphysics schemes. It was found that the sensitivity of the rainout scheme has a stronger influence on the Cs-137 concentration than the different treatments of cloud microphysics. Thus, to replicate the observed Cs-137 distribution, it is essential to have a better meteorological field as well as a proper rainout scheme.

数値シミュレーションで得られた上陸前の台風Faxai (1915)の強度・構造変化

A numerical simulation of Typhoon Faxai (1915), which made landfall with a central pressure of 960 hPa in the Kanto region of Japan, was conducted using a nonhydrostatic numerical model with a 1-km grid spacing. Faxai sustained a symmetric structure until the landfall and caused severe damage due to strong winds. The simulation successfully simulated the realistic track and intensity of Faxai for 48 h around landfall. The simulated intensity was strong until the time of landfall, and the spatial size of the vortex was small. The structure of the simulated Faxai, identified as having an axisymmetric flow field and eyewall, was similar to that of a welldeveloped tropical cyclone (TC) in the tropics. Around the TC center, the surface latent heat flux was over 300 W m−2 until landfall, and the vertical wind shear was less than 9 m s−1 between the 1.5- and 12.0-km altitudes, which is relatively weak at midlatitudes. The maximum potential intensity (MPI) was calculated using environmental parameters around the simulated TC. The simulated and best track TC intensities exceeded the MPI for approximately 12 h before landfall, that is, the TC was in a superintense state. The superintensity was mainly caused by the presence of supergradient wind, which, in turn, resulted from the strong intensity and axisymmetric structure of the typhoon. The simulated TC satisfies the assumptions for the formulation of the MPI during the quasi-steady state, except for the gradient wind balance, implying that the structure of a TC is similar to that of a developed TC in the tropics. The present analyses suggest that the strong intensity of Faxai results from favorable environmental conditions and vortex structure.

Interactions between a Tropical Cyclone and Upper-Tropospheric Cold-Core Lows Simulated by an Atmosphere-Wave-Ocean Coupled Model: A Case Study of Typhoon Jongdari (2018)

Typhoon Jongdari (2018) took an unusual track along the circumference of an upper-tropospheric cold low (UTCL) before making landfall in Japan on 29 July. To investigate the effects of atmosphere–ocean interactions and interactions between the UTCL and Jongdari on the storm's track, numerical simulations were conducted with a 3-km-mesh nonhydrostatic atmosphere model and an atmosphere–wave–ocean coupled model, using different initial conditions created by adopting different start times of numerical integration. The UTCL was characterized by high potential vorticity (PV), low pressure, and low relative humidity on the 355-K isotherm surface. While the UTCL moved southwestward north of Jongdari from 25 to 27 July, simulation results indicate that Jongdari traveled counterclockwise along the circumference of the UTCL. After Jongdari moved westward, the coupled model clearly simulated sea surface cooling along the track. Jongdari weakened after making landfall while the UTCL also weakened south of Japan. In particular, latent heat flux from the sea and the resulting humidification of the upper troposphere through the convection affected the UTCL. When Jongdari redeveloped over the ocean south of Kyushu, some simulations showed that Jongdari merged with the UTCL there as a result of high PV in Jongdari and relatively low upper-tropospheric PV near the UTCL. Ocean coupling helped sustain the uppertropospheric PV near the UTCL and weakened the column of elevated PV associated with Jongdari, which affected the location of the tropopause folding transformed from the UTCL by lowering the PV column of Jongdari and weakening the upper-tropospheric outflow from the center. Because the steering flow of Jongdari was affected by the geostrophic-balanced cyclonic circulation created by the UTCL, a larger difference of the atmospheric initial conditions between the initial times had a stronger influence on track and intensity simulations of both Jongdari and UTCL than ocean coupling.

ASUCA: The JMA Operational Non-hydrostatic Model

The non-hydrostatic numerical weather prediction (NWP) model ASUCA developed by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) was launched into operation as 2 and 5 km-resolution regional models in 2015 and 2017, respectively. This paper outlines specifications of ASUCA with focus on the dynamical core and its configuration/accuracy as an operational model. ASUCA is designed for high computational stability and efficiency, mass conservation and forecast accuracy. High computational stability is achieved via a time-split integration scheme to compute acoustic terms and an advection scheme with a flux-limiter function to avoid numerical oscillation. In addition, vertical advection and sedimentation are calculated together with another exclusive time-splitting technique. ASUCA adopts hybrid parallelization using Message Passing Interface (MPI) and Open Multi Processing (OpenMP) for high computational efficiency on massive parallel scalar computers. The three-dimensional arrays are allocated such that the vertical direction is the stride-one innermost dimension to make effective use of cache and multi-thread parallelization. This is particularly advantageous for physical processes evaluated in a vertical column. To ensure mass conservation, density rather than pressure is integrated as a prognostic variable in flux-form fully compressible governing equations. ASUCA exhibited better performance than the previous operational model in idealized and NWP tests.

Study on transformation and runup processes of tsunami-like wave over permeable fringing reef using a nonhydrostatic numerical wave model

Coral reefs are abundant in tropical and subtropical coastal regions. Besides their important role to ecosystems, coral reefs also act as natural buffers that help protect coastal regions from impacts of extreme surge and waves, such as those generated during hurricanes and tsunamis. Recent studies revealed that the bottom of coral reef has very similar properties as porous media. This paper investigates the hydrodynamic characteristics of the transformation and runup processes of tsunami-like wave impinging on a permeable fringing reef by applying a nonhydrostatic numerical wave model (NHWAVE). Effects of prominent factors, such as wave height, water depth, and thickness, median diameter and porosity of the permeable layer of fringing reef, on the hydrodynamic characteristics of tsunami-like wave over permeable fringing reef are discussed in detail. Results show that when the friction effects of the bottom of fringing reef are modelled using the classical quadratic friction law, the protective function of fringing reefs can be grossly underestimated. Research findings drawn from this study can further broaden our understanding on the hydrodynamic characteristics of fringing reefs under the impact of extreme surges and waves.

A numerical investigation of wave and current fields along bathymetry with porous media

A three-dimensional non-hydrostatic model based on Volume-Averaged, Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes equations (VARANS) in the σ coordinate is presented. It is coupled with a non-linear k−ε turbulence model. The model's performance on wave interactions with porous structures is validated against laboratory data, including dam-break flows through a porous wall, solitary waves propagating over a submerged permeable obstacle, as well as periodic waves propagating over a submerged porous breakwater with wave breaking. Compared with models that use a volume-of-fluid approach, the high computational efficiency of the present model is demonstrated and stressed. Furthermore, the model is shown to be capable of simulating well wave transformation and wave-driven currents in a reef-lagoon-channel system, using the experimental data of Zheng et al. (2020). Next, the effects on wave-height, mean water level and wave-driven currents, caused by porous layers are studied. It is seen that the porous beds can reduce wave height about 43% on the reef flat, while wave setup is comparable (6% mean difference) between corresponding smooth and porous structures. Velocities of the wave-driven currents on the reef flat and the rip currents in the channel decrease by 16% and 21% with porous media. Moreover, results show only small discrepancies with varied porosities.

Response of a tropical cyclone to a subsurface ocean eddy and the role of boundary layer dynamics

AbstractWe analyse a tropical cyclone simulated for a realistic ocean‐eddy field using the global, nonhydrostatic, fully coupled atmosphere–ocean ICOsahedral Nonhydrostatic (ICON) model. After intensifying rapidly, the tropical cyclone decays following its interaction with a cold wake and subsequently reintensifies as it encounters a subsurface, warm‐core eddy. To understand the change in the azimuthal‐mean structure and intensity of the tropical cyclone, we invoke a conceptual framework, which recognises the importance of both boundary‐layer dynamics and air–sea interactions. Crucially, the framework recognises that the change in the mean radius of updraught at the boundary‐layer top is regulated by the expanding outer tangential wind field through boundary‐layer dynamics. The decrease in the average equivalent potential temperature of the boundary‐layer updraught during the early decay phase is related to an increase in the mean radius of the updraught rather than air–sea interactions. However, later in the decay phase, air–sea interactions contribute to the decrease, which is accompanied by a decrease in the vertical mass flux in the eyewall updraught and, ultimately, a more pronounced spin‐down of the tropical cyclone. Air–sea interactions are also important during reintensification, where the tendencies are reversed, that is, the mean radius of the boundary‐layer updraught decreases along with an increase in its average equivalent potential temperature and vertical mass flux. The importance of boundary‐layer dynamics to the change in the azimuthal‐mean structure is underscored by the ability of a steady‐state slab boundary‐layer model to predict an increasing and, to a lesser extent, decreasing radius of forced ascent for periods of decay and reintensification, respectively. Finally, our simulation highlights the importance of the ocean‐eddy field for tropical cyclone intensity forecasts, since the simulated warm‐core eddy does not display any sea‐surface temperature (SST) signal until it is encountered by the tropical cyclone.

An efficient three-dimensional non-hydrostatic model for undular bores in open channels

A three-dimensional (3D) non-hydrostatic model is presented to simulate open-channel free-surface flows involving undular bores. The 3D unsteady mass conservation and momentum equations are solved using an explicit projection method in a nonstandard staggered grid. The grid system is built from a two-dimensional horizontal structured grid by adding horizontal layers. The model is validated using four typical benchmark problems, including undular bore development, an undular bore generated by a sudden discharge, and two test cases involving undular hydraulic jumps. The proposed model results are compared with experimental data and results from other models. Overall, the agreement between the proposed model results and experimental data is generally good, demonstrating the capability of the model to resolve undular bores. In addition, the non-hydrostatic pressure field under the undular free surface is revealed, and the efficiency of the proposed model is presented. It is shown that the proposed model behaves better than a volume of fluid model in terms of efficiency, because the proposed model can use fewer computational grid cells to resolve undular bores in open channels.

On the runup parameterisation for reef-lined coasts

The degradation of coastal ecosystems in recent years, combined with more intense storms and greater sea levels associated with climate change, are likely to increase vulnerability to coastal flooding along reef-lined coasts. Therefore, there is a need to accurately predict extreme water levels to identify areas with high vulnerability and implement mitigation measures. Runup parameterisations allow a rapid assessment of coastal vulnerability at a regional to global scale, however these formulations are primarily developed for beaches. Hydrodynamic forcing and reef geometry are key parameters for the estimation of coastal flooding in reef environments. The present study aims to develop runup parameterisations for an idealised 2DV reef-lined coast profile using a widely validated nonlinear non-hydrostatic numerical model (SWASH). The numerical model is employed to simulate different combinations of wave conditions, water levels, and reef geometries. A machine learning (ML) approach, in the form of genetic programming, is used to identify the most suitable predictors for wave runup based on the numerical results. Analysis of runup results suggests that runup parameterisations can be improved for reef environments by incorporating the crest elevation, lagoon width, reef flat depth, and forereef slope. A dimensional and non-dimensional parameterisation that include reef geometry are presented. Further research efforts should be devoted to incorporate the effects of bed roughness and three-dimensional processes in this framework that were not taken into account in the present work.

Panama’s Current Climate Replicability in a Non-Hydrostatic Regional Climate Model Nested in an Atmospheric General Circulation Model

To simulate the current climate, a 20-year integration of a non-hydrostatic regional climate model (NHRCM) with grid spacing of 5 and 2 km (NHRCM05 and NHRCM02, respectively) was nested within the AGCM. The three models did a similarly good job of simulating surface air temperature, and the spatial horizontal resolution did not affect these statistics. NHRCM02 did a good job of reproducing seasonal variations in surface air temperature. NHRCM05 overestimated annual mean precipitation in the western part of Panama and eastern part of the Pacific Ocean. NHRCM05 is responsible for this overestimation because it is not seen in MRI-AGCM. NHRCM02 simulated annual mean precipitation better than NHRCM05, probably due to a convection-permitting model without a convection scheme, such as the Kain and Fritsch scheme. Therefore, the finer horizontal resolution of NHRCM02 did a better job of replicating the current climatological mean geographical distributions and seasonal changes of surface air temperature and precipitation.

Uncertainty of wave runup prediction on coral reef-fringed coasts using SWASH model

Predicting wave runup on reef-fringed coasts using phase-resolving modelings suffers from uncertainty induced by wave randomness, spectral-width determination, and reef-surface-roughness reproduction. A multi-layer non-hydrostatic model SWASH was first validated against two physical experiments and then applied to simulate runup over coral reefs. Simulations with different wave sequences for the same wave condition indicated that infragravity swash (RIGW) variability was the main contributor to the extreme runup (R2%) uncertainty. RIGW was positively correlated to the off-reef incident-wave groupiness factor and the average number of waves per wave group, suggesting that prior knowledge of incident group structure could help in reducing the uncertainty of runup prediction. In ensembles with 100 simulations of different random wave sequences, the ratio of R2% with 5% exceedance level to R2% with 95% exceedance level decreased with increasing number of spectral components and approached to 1.15–1.3 with over 600 components. Runup uncertainty induced by randomly phasing did not significantly vary with spectral widths and reef-surface roughness. Runup uncertainty due to arbitrarily specifying reef-surface roughness was much more significant than the uncertainty induced by wave randomness and spectral width, suggesting that accurate reproduction of reef surface roughness has a high priority in physical and numerical modelings.

A numerical study of submarine–landslide–generated tsunami and its propagation in Majene, West Sulawesi

On 14th January 2021, there was a devastating earthquake (Mw 6.2) hit Mamuju and Majene, West Sulawesi, Indonesia at 18.28 UTC. According to National Disaster Management Authority, this event causes 84 casualties and 279 houses were damaged. The Sulawesi Island is situated in a very complex tectonic region, there are several thrusts and faults along the area such as Majene Thrust, Palu-Karo Thrust, Matano Fault, and Tolo Thrust that can lead to tectonic activities. One of the largest earthquakes was a 7.9 Mw in 1997 generated from North Sulawesi Megathrust that caused a catastrophic tsunami. Moreover, there were 9 tsunami events in the Makassar Strait from the year 1800 to 1999. In this research, three different scenarios of the tsunami in Majene were applied to obtain the tsunami elevation. Makassar Strait could be potentially generated tsunami wave from submarine landslides due to its steep bathymetry that will impact the coastline at Sulawesi and Kalimantan, so it is necessary to model the tsunami propagation using submarine landslide as the tsunami generation. The volume of submarine landslide had been used in tsunami submarine landslide modelling as an input. Those are included the height, width and length of the submarine landslide volume. Furthermore, the domain bathymetry was obtained from National Bathymetry (BatNas) with spacing grid of 300 m × 300 m. The submarine landslide coordinate is also needed as a source of tsunami at 2.98°S and 118.94°E. The slide angle and slope angle are also inputted in this modelling with three experimental volumes, namely 1 km3, 0.8 km3, and 0.5 km3. This submarine landslide tsunami modelling used the Non-Hydrostatic WAVE Model (NHWAVE) method to obtain tsunami wave generation. The result from NHWAVE model will be used for initial elevation of tsunami wave propagation using the Fully Nonlinear Boussinesq wave model - Total Variation Diminishing (FUNWAVE - TVD) method. The highest initial tsunami elevation value at each observation point obtained from the NHWAVE model occurred at point 18 (the closest location to the earthquake source), which is around 0.4 –1.2 m. The FUNWAVE simulation result is the tsunami wave propagation for 180 minutes later. In the 180th minute, the tsunami wave was still propagating towards the north of Sulawesi Island to the east of Kalimantan Island.

A convolutional neural network based model to predict nearshore waves and hydrodynamics

This study proposes a convolutional neural network (CNN) based model to predict waves and hydrodynamics in the nearshore zone. Specifically, we address the so-called next-frame prediction of wave and hydrodynamic conditions using the previous-step conditions. A laboratory experiment on unsteady rip currents is simulated using the non-hydrostatic model SWASH. The simulated wave and hydrodynamic results are divided into two groups. The first group of data is used to train the CNN model, and the second group of data is used to evaluate the trained model by comparing the simulated water surface elevation, cross-shore velocity, and longshore velocity by SWASH with the corresponding prediction by the trained CNN model. The result shows that the CNN model accurately predicts the wave propagation over the offshore slope, wave breaking over the sandbar, and bore propagation over the shore including detailed wave crest bending and separation. Time-averaged water level comparison further confirms that the CNN model captures the wave setup induced by wave breaking. The CNN model also correctly predicts the cross-shore velocity and longshore velocity driven by wave breaking over sandbars and wave–current interaction. Finally, the low-frequency nearshore circulation pattern predicted by the CNN model is also evaluated by time-averaging the velocity field. The comparison shows that the CNN model correctly predicts the distribution of circulation cells and the number of cells, as simulated by the SWASH model. This work serves as a paradigm to integrate traditional coastal modeling with machine learning to study coastal processes.

Mineral dust cycle in the Multiscale Online Nonhydrostatic AtmospheRe CHemistry model (MONARCH) Version 2.0

Abstract. We present the dust module in the Multiscale Online Non-hydrostatic AtmospheRe CHemistry model (MONARCH) version 2.0, a chemical weather prediction system that can be used for regional and global modeling at a range of resolutions. The representations of dust processes in MONARCH were upgraded with a focus on dust emission (emission parameterizations, entrainment thresholds, considerations of soil moisture and surface cover), lower boundary conditions (roughness, potential dust sources), and dust–radiation interactions. MONARCH now allows modeling of global and regional mineral dust cycles using fundamentally different paradigms, ranging from strongly simplified to physics-based parameterizations. We present a detailed description of these updates along with four global benchmark simulations, which use conceptually different dust emission parameterizations, and we evaluate the simulations against observations of dust optical depth. We determine key dust parameters, such as global annual emission/deposition flux, dust loading, dust optical depth, mass-extinction efficiency, single-scattering albedo, and direct radiative effects. For dust-particle diameters up to 20 µm, the total annual dust emission and deposition fluxes obtained with our four experiments range between about 3500 and 6000 Tg, which largely depend upon differences in the emitted size distribution. Considering ellipsoidal particle shapes and dust refractive indices that account for size-resolved mineralogy, we estimate the global total (longwave and shortwave) dust direct radiative effect (DRE) at the surface to range between about −0.90 and −0.63 W m−2 and at the top of the atmosphere between −0.20 and −0.28 W m−2. Our evaluation demonstrates that MONARCH is able to reproduce key features of the spatiotemporal variability of the global dust cycle with important and insightful differences between the different configurations.

Comparison between the Lagrangian and Eulerian Approach for Simulating Regular and Solitary Waves Propagation, Breaking and Run-Up

The present paper places emphasis on the most widely used Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) approaches, namely the Eulerian and Lagrangian methods each of which is characterized by specific advantages and disadvantages. In particular, a weakly compressible smoothed particle (WCSPH) model, coupled with a sub-particle scale (SPS) approach for turbulent stresses and a new depth-integrated non-hydrostatic finite element model were employed for the simulation of regular breaking waves on a plane slope and solitary waves transformation, breaking and run-up. The validation of the numerical schemes was performed through the comparison between numerical and experimental data. The aim of this study is to compare the two modeling methods with an emphasis on their performance in the simulation of hydraulic engineering problems.

Rapid Update with EnVar Direct Radar Reflectivity Data Assimilation for the NOAA Regional Convection-Allowing NMMB Model over the CONUS: System Description and Initial Experiment Results

This study first describes the extended Grid-Point Statistical Interpolation analysis system (GSI)-based ensemble-variational data assimilation (DA) system within the North American Mesoscale Rapid Refresh (NAMRR) system for the Nonhydrostatic Multiscale Model on the B grid (NMMB). Experiments were conducted to examine three critical aspects of data assimilation configuration in this system. Ten retrospective high-impact convective cases during the warm season of 2015–2016 were adopted for testing. A 10-member, 18 h ensemble forecast was launched for each experiment. Specifically, the experiment using horizontal (vertical) localization radii (Lr) of 300 km (0.55-scaled height measured in the nature log of pressure) overall had more skills than that of 500 km (1.1-scaled height) for conventional in-situ observation assimilation. Diagnostics suggest that the higher forecast skills could be attributed to applying smaller Lr in the boundary with large temperature and moisture gradients. For radar DA, the experiment was more skillful with horizontal (vertical) Lr of 15 km (1.1-scaled height) than that of 12 km (0.55-scaled height). Diagnostics suggest that the improved forecasts were achieved by using wider Lr to spread radar observations into unobserved areas more effectively. Slight forecast skill differences between the relaxation inflation factors of 95% and 65% are presented. The impact of varying inflation magnitudes primarily occurred in the upper-level spread.

Effects of Number Concentration of Cloud Condensation Nuclei on Moist Convection Formation

AbstractWe examined the sensitivity of the formation of moist convection to the number of aerosols that serve as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) based on a set of numerical experiments using a nonhydrostatic model with a bin cloud microphysics model. Additionally, a linear stability analysis for an air parcel incorporating effects of the CCN number concentration (NCCN) has been conducted to further demonstrate the findings in numerical experiments. The results of the numerical experiments show that moist convection does not form when NCCN ≤ 10 cm−3. The sensitivity to NCCN can be divided into three regimes: when NCCN ≤ 10 cm−3, convection does not form or not fully develop; when 1 ≤ NCCN ≤ 102 cm−3, maximum vertical velocity increases with NCCN; and when NCCN ≥ 102 cm−3, the intensity of convection does not largely depend on NCCN. We demonstrate that the main reason convection does not form under environments with a small NCCN is that the time scale for condensation is longer than that to change environmental conditions. Given a supersaturated environment, fewer droplets form when NCCN is small and the size of droplets is potentially large. Consequently, the amount of latent heating is limited and the air parcel cannot obtain buoyancy within a reasonable time scale. Linear stability analysis using a parcel model considering the effect of NCCN without ice-phase processes shows unstable and stable regimes as a function of the number of droplets. The analytically obtained critical droplet number for the convection formation well corresponds to the minimum NCCN beyond which convection forms in the present numerical experiments.

NORA3: A Nonhydrostatic High-Resolution Hindcast of the North Sea, the Norwegian Sea, and the Barents Sea

AbstractThe 3-km Norwegian Reanalysis (NORA3) is a 15-yr mesoscale-permitting atmospheric hindcast of the North Sea, the Norwegian Sea, and the Barents Sea. With a horizontal resolution of 3 km, the nonhydrostatic numerical weather prediction model HARMONIE–AROME runs explicitly resolved deep convection and yields hindcast fields that realistically downscale the ERA5 reanalysis. The wind field is much improved relative to its host analysis, in particular in mountainous areas and along the improved grid-resolving coastlines. NORA3 also performs much better than the earlier hydrostatic 10-km Norwegian Hindcast Archive (NORA10) in complex terrain. NORA3 recreates the detailed structures of mesoscale cyclones with sharp gradients in wind and with clear frontal structures, which are particularly important when modeling polar lows. In extratropical windstorms, NORA3 exhibits significantly higher maximum wind speeds and compares much better to observed maximum wind than do NORA10 and ERA5. The activity of the model is much more realistic than that of NORA10 and ERA5, both over the ocean and in complex terrain.

Simulation and analysis of marine hydrodynamics based on the El Niño scenario

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVESEl Nino - Southern Oscillation is known to affect the marine and terrestrial environment in Southeast Asia, Australia, northern South America, and southern Africa. There has been much research showing that the effects of El Nino - Southern Oscillation are extensive. In this study, a simulation of an El Nino event is carried out, which is ideal in the vertical layer of the Pacific Ocean (0-250 meters). The fast Fourier transform is used to process the vertical modeling data so that the results can accurately represent El Nino.METHODSA non-hydrostatic 3-dimensional numerical model is used in this research. To separate the signal produced and obtain the quantitative difference of each sea layer, the simulation results are analyzed using the fast Fourier transform. Winds blow from the west to the east of the area in perfect El Nino weather, with a reasonably high wind zone near the equator (forming a cosine). Open fields can be found on the north and south sides, while closed fields can be found on the west and east sides. Density is uniform up to a depth of 100 meters, then uniformly increases by 1 kilogram per cubic meter from 100 to 250 meters. FINDINGSThe results of the model simulation show that one month later (on the 37th day), the current from the west has approached the domain's east side, forming a complete coastal Kelvin wave. The shape of coastal Kelvin waves in the eastern area follows a trend that is similar to the OSCAR Sea Surface Velocity plot data obtained from ERDDAP in the Pacific Ocean in October 2015. In this period, the density at a depth of 0-100 meters is the same, while the density at the depth layer underneath is different. CONCLUSIONStrong winds could mix water masses up to a depth of 100 meters, implying that during an ideal El Nino, the stratification of the water column is influenced by strong winds. The eastern domain has the highest sea level amplitude, resulting in perfect mixing up to a depth of 100 m, while wind effect is negligible in the lower layers. The first layer (0-50 m) and the second layer (50-100 m) have the same density and occur along the equator, according to FFT. The density is different and much greater in the third layer (100-150 m).