NERC NERC Strategy for Earth System Modelling: Technical Support Audit Report Version 1.1 December 2009 Contact Details Dr Zofia Stott Assimila Ltd 1 Earley Gate The University of Reading Reading, RG6 6AT Tel: +44 (0)118 966 0554 Mobile: +44 (0)7932 565822 email: [email protected] NERC STRATEGY FOR ESM – AUDIT REPORT VERSION1.1, DECEMBER 2009 Contents 1. BACKGROUND ....................................................................................................................... 4 1.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 4 1.2 Context .................................................................................................................... 4 1.3 Scope of the ESM audit ............................................................................................ 4 1.4 Methodology ............................................................................................................ 5 2. Scene setting ........................................................................................................................... 7 2.1 NERC Strategy......................................................................................................... 7 2.2 Definition of Earth system modelling ........................................................................ 8 2.3 Broad categories of activities supported by NERC ................................................. 10 2.4 Structure of the report ............................................................................................ 12 3. Climate and Earth system modelling at Met Office /Hadley Centre ......................................... 13 3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 13 3.2 A MOHC perspective.............................................................................................. 13 4. Climate and Earth system models .......................................................................................... 18 4.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 18 4.2 HadGEM ................................................................................................................ 18 4.2.1 High Resolution Climate Modelling Programme: HiGEM, NUGEM, HadGEM3-H. 18 4.2.2 QESM .................................................................................................................. 19 4.2.3 Vertically extended HadGEM models ................................................................... 19 4.2.4 Use of HadGEM models ...................................................................................... 20 4.3 HadCM3 and related models .................................................................................. 20 4.3.1 CHIME ................................................................................................................. 20 4.3.2 FAMOUS ............................................................................................................. 21 4.3.3 HadAM3 – enabled with water isotopes ............................................................... 22 4.3.4 Climateprediction.net ........................................................................................... 22 4.3.5 Use of HadCM3 ................................................................................................... 23 4.4 GENIE .................................................................................................................... 23 4.5 Other climate and Earth system models used in UK ............................................... 24 4.6 Key issues .............................................................................................................. 24 5. Atmospheric dynamics ........................................................................................................... 27 5.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 27 5.2 IGCM ..................................................................................................................... 27 5.3 Models used by NCAS Weather ............................................................................. 27 5.4 AtmosFOAM .......................................................................................................... 28 5.5 Key issues .............................................................................................................. 28 6. Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols ...................................................................................... 29 6.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 29 6.2 UKCA ..................................................................................................................... 29 6.3 GLOMAP ................................................................................................................ 30 6.4 CAM-Chem and WACCM ....................................................................................... 32 6.5 FRSGC/UCI Chemical Transport Model ................................................................. 32 1 NERC STRATEGY FOR ESM – AUDIT REPORT VERSION1.1, DECEMBER 2009 6.6 GEOS-Chem .......................................................................................................... 33 6.7 HadAM3-STOCHEM and HadCM3-STOCHEM ...................................................... 33 6.8 TOMCAT/SLIMCAT, p-TOMCAT............................................................................ 34 6.9 Key issues .............................................................................................................. 34 7. Land ....................................................................................................................................... 36 7.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 36 7.2 JULES and its components .................................................................................... 36 7.3 MEGAN .................................................................................................................. 37 7.4 Carbon Cycle Data Assimilation System ................................................................ 37 7.5 Global Dynamical Vegetation Models ..................................................................... 38 7.6 Key issues .............................................................................................................. 38 8. Physical ocean ....................................................................................................................... 40 8.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 40 8.2 NEMO .................................................................................................................... 40 8.3 ICOM ..................................................................................................................... 42 8.4 POLCOMS ............................................................................................................. 43 8.5 Other models ......................................................................................................... 43 8.6 Key issues .............................................................................................................. 43 9. Ocean biogeochemistry.......................................................................................................... 45 9.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 45 9.2 ERSEM .................................................................................................................. 45 9.3 MEDUSA ................................................................................................................ 46 9.4 PlankTOM .............................................................................................................. 46 9.5 Key issues .............................................................................................................. 47 10. Ice sheets and shelves .................................................................................................... 49 10.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 49 10.2 Glimmer-CISM ....................................................................................................... 49 10.3 BASISM ................................................................................................................. 50 10.4 Key issues .............................................................................................................. 50 11. Sea ice ............................................................................................................................ 51 11.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 51 11.2 CICE ...................................................................................................................... 51 11.3 LIM ........................................................................................................................