Exploratory Research on the Causes of Salinity Errors in the CCSM Coupled Climate Models with Focus on the Subpolar North Pacific

0451479智力上的优点：在过去的10年里，耦合气候模式取得了巨大的进步，它们被用于区域和全球气候预测。因此，迫切需要对它们的业绩进行批判性评价。在科学界的帮助下，美国国家大气研究中心（NCAR）开发的社区气候系统模型（CCSM第2版）显示，在副极地北太平洋的海表盐度（SSS）太高的地方，海表盐度存在显着误差。初步调查表明，类似的错误发生在最新版本的模型。与SSS误差有关的是西副极地北太平洋的混合层太深。该项目将分析完全耦合的海洋-大气模式和混合层海洋耦合到大气环流模式时，它成为可用的。特别是，研究将集中在什么是导致错误的海洋模式上的错误的后果是什么。预期的结果包括更好地了解SSS在耦合气候系统中发挥的作用。将确定上层海洋盐度平衡的误差如何打破亚极地北太平洋淡水主导的分层。将讨论蒸发、降水和径流误差的重要性，以及海冰和海洋运输和混合过程造成的误差。还将研究海洋中的热量和淡水输送，重点是北太平洋，以及如何在耦合模式中形成模态和中间水。这项研究将导致更好地了解CCSM模型的工作原理和需要在model.Broader影响：拟议的研究将增加一个显着的贡献，社区气候系统建模（CCSM）的评估和发展的努力在NCAR的成员的学术海洋学社区。首席研究员也是社区努力的参与者，以确定地球科学的千万亿次计算需求。直接参与CCSM模型将有助于这一努力。这两个PI都来自海洋学中代表性不足的群体，与NCAR的CCSM科学家合作将使他们能够进一步发展自己的职业生涯。主要方案干事还积极参与规划一个讲习班，以建立一个物理海洋学妇女指导网络。

0451479Intellectual Merit: Tremendous advances in coupled climate models have been made in the last 10 years and they are being used both for both region and global predictions of climate. As such, there is an urgent need to evaluate their performance critically. The Community Climate System Model (CCSM version 2) developed at National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) with help from the scientific community shows significant errors in sea surface salinity in the sub-polar North Pacific where the sea surface salinity (SSS) is too high. Preliminary investigation indicates that similar errors occur in the most recent version of the model. Related to the SSS errors are far too deep mixed-layers is the western sub-polar North Pacific. This project will analyze the fully coupled ocean-atmosphere model and a mixed-layer ocean coupled to an atmospheric general circulation model when it becomes available. In particular, the research will focus on what is causing the errors and what the consequences for the errors on the ocean model.The expected results include a better understanding of the role that SSS plays in the coupled climate system. How errors in the upper ocean salinity budget act to break the fresh water dominated stratification in the subpolar North Pacific will be established. The importance of evaporation, precipitation, and runoff errors, as well as errors owing to sea-ice and ocean transport and mixing processes will be addressed. Tthe heat and fresh water transport in the ocean, with focus on the North Pacific and how mode and intermediate water form in the coupled model will also be examined. This study will lead to improved understanding on how the CCSM model works and what improvements need to be made in the model.Broader Impacts: The proposed research will add a significant contribution to the evaluation and development of the Community Climate System Modeling (CCSM) effort at NCAR by members of the academic oceanographic community. The lead investigator is also a participant in a community effort to establish petascale computing needs for the geosciences. Direct involvement with the CCSM model will help in this effort. Both PI's are from an under-represented group in oceanography and the collaboration with CCSM scientists at NCAR will enable them to further develop their careers. The lead PI is also actively involved in the planning of a workshop to establish a mentoring network for women in physical oceanography.