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Wind‐generated near‐inertial internal waves (NIWs) are characterized by dominant long‐range equatorward radiation due to the gradient of the planetary vorticity, known as the β‐refraction effect. In this study, we analyze the effects of horizontal model resolution on the long‐range equatorward radiation of NIWs. In a high‐resolution Community Earth System Model (CESM‐HR) with a 0.1° oceanic resolution, about 25% (15%) of NIW energy flux injected downward the surface boundary layer base poleward of 30°N (30°S) radiates into the lower‐latitude region. This ratio decreases to about 15% (8%) in a low‐resolution CESM (CESM‐LR) with a 1° oceanic resolution. The higher long‐range equatorward radiation efficiency in the CESM‐HR than the CESM‐LR is directly attributed to the faster equatorward group velocity of the NIWs of the first three vertical modes, which reflects the better representation of equatorward propagation and beta‐refraction of smaller scale NIWs in the CESM‐HR. The enhancement of equatorward wavenumber induced by the β‐refraction is inhibited in the CESM‐LR, which underrepresent the long‐range equatorward radiation of NIWs. These results underscore the necessity of high‐resolution ocean models in accurately simulating the spatial variabilities of NIWs and their induced turbulent diapycnal mixing in the global ocean. Plain Language Summary: Generated by variable winds like synoptic storms, hurricanes, and typhoons, near‐inertial internal waves (NIWs) are ubiquitous in the upper ocean with frequency close to the inertial frequency. Although NIWs have been extensively studied using numerical modeling, there remains a question on how fine the model horizontal resolution needs to be for their reliable simulations. In this study, we investigate the effect of model horizontal resolution on the long‐range equatorward radiation of NIWs induced by the gradient of planetary vorticity. It is found that the long‐range equatorward radiation of NIWs is significantly weaker in a climate model with a 1° oceanic resolution than in one with a 0.1° oceanic resolution. This finding emphasizes the importance of fine model resolution in accurately simulating the geographical distribution of NIWs and their induced turbulent mixing. Key Points: Long‐range equatorward radiation efficiency of near‐inertial waves (NIWs) is enhanced in high‐resolution models than in low‐resolution modelsEquatorward group velocity of the NIWs of the first three modes is essential in determining the long‐range radiation efficiencyThe beta refraction of NIWs is inhibited in the low‐resolution model [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Wind‐generated near‐inertial internal waves (NIWs) are characterized by dominant long‐range equatorward radiation due to the gradient of the planetary vorticity, known as the β‐refraction effect. In this study, we analyze the effects of horizontal model resolution on the long‐range equatorward radiation of NIWs. In a high‐resolution Community Earth System Model (CESM‐HR) with a 0.1° oceanic resolution, about 25% (15%) of NIW energy flux injected downward the surface boundary layer base poleward of 30°N (30°S) radiates into the lower‐latitude region. This ratio decreases to about 15% (8%) in a low‐resolution CESM (CESM‐LR) with a 1° oceanic resolution. The higher long‐range equatorward radiation efficiency in the CESM‐HR than the CESM‐LR is directly attributed to the faster equatorward group velocity of the NIWs of the first three vertical modes, which reflects the better representation of equatorward propagation and beta‐refraction of smaller scale NIWs in the CESM‐HR. The enhancement of equatorward wavenumber induced by the β‐refraction is inhibited in the CESM‐LR, which underrepresent the long‐range equatorward radiation of NIWs. These results underscore the necessity of high‐resolution ocean models in accurately simulating the spatial variabilities of NIWs and their induced turbulent diapycnal mixing in the global ocean.

Abstract A new configuration of the Community Earth System Model (CESM)/Community Atmosphere Model with full chemistry (CAM‐chem) supporting the capability of horizontal mesh refinement through the use of the spectral element (SE) dynamical core is developed and called CESM/CAM‐chem‐SE. Horizontal mesh refinement in CESM/CAM‐chem‐SE is unique and novel in that pollutants such as ozone are accurately represented at human exposure relevant scales while also directly including global feedbacks. CESM/CAM‐chem‐SE with mesh refinement down to ∼14 km over the conterminous US (CONUS) is the beginning of the Multi‐Scale Infrastructure for Chemistry and Aerosols (MUSICAv0). Here, MUSICAv0 is evaluated and used to better understand how horizontal resolution and chemical complexity impact ozone and ozone precursors over CONUS as compared to measurements from five aircraft campaigns, which occurred in 2013. This field campaign analysis demonstrates the importance of using finer horizontal resolution to accurately simulate ozone precursors such as nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide. In general, the impact of using more complex chemistry on ozone and other oxidation products is more pronounced when using finer horizontal resolution where a larger number of chemical regimes are resolved. Large model biases for ozone near the surface remain in the Southeast US as compared to the aircraft observations even with updated chemistry and finer horizontal resolution. This suggests a need for adding the capability of replacing sections of global emission inventories with regional inventories, increasing the vertical resolution in the planetary boundary layer, and reducing model biases in meteorological variables such as temperature and clouds.

High-resolution climate models have been shown to improve the statistics of tropical storms (TCs) and hurricanes compared to low-resolution models. The impact of increasing horizontal resolution in the TC simulation is investigated exclusively using a series of Atmospheric Global Climate Model (AGCM) runs with idealized aquaplanet steady-state boundary conditions and a fixed operational storm-tracking algorithm. The results show that increasing horizontal resolution helps to detect more hurricanes, simulate stronger extreme rainfall, and emulate better storm structures in the models. However, increasing model resolution does not necessarily produce stronger hurricanes in terms of maximum wind speed, minimum sea-level pressure, and mean precipitation, as the increased number of storms simulated by high-resolution models is mainly associated with weaker storms. The spatial scale at which the analyses are conducted appears to have more important control on these meteorological statistics compared to horizontal resolution of the model grid. When the simulations are analyzed on common low-resolution grids, the statistics of the hurricanes, particularly the hurricane counts, show reduced sensitivity to the horizontal grid resolution and signs of scale invariance. ©2013. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.

Abstract A set of idealized experiments are developed using the Community Atmosphere Model (CAM) to understand the vertical velocity response to reductions in forcing scale that is known to occur when the horizontal resolution of the model is increased. The test consists of a set of rising bubble experiments, in which the horizontal radius of the bubble and the model grid spacing are simultaneously reduced. The test is performed with moisture, through incorporating moist physics routines of varying complexity, although convection schemes are not considered. Results confirm that the vertical velocity in CAM is to first‐order, proportional to the inverse of the horizontal forcing scale, which is consistent with a scale analysis of the dry equations of motion. In contrast, experiments in which the coupling time step between the moist physics routines and the dynamical core (i.e., the “physics” time step) are relaxed back to more conventional values results in severely damped vertical motion at high resolution, degrading the scaling. A set of aqua‐planet simulations using different physics time steps are found to be consistent with the results of the idealized experiments.

Abstract: A set of idealized experiments are developed using the Community Atmosphere Model (CAM) to understand the vertical velocity response to reductions in forcing scale that is known to occur when the horizontal resolution of the model is increased. The test consists of a set of rising bubble experiments, in which the horizontal radius of the bubble and the model grid spacing are simultaneously reduced. The test is performed with moisture, through incorporating moist physics routines of varying complexity, although convection schemes are not considered. Results confirm that the vertical velocity in CAM is to first‐order, proportional to the inverse of the horizontal forcing scale, which is consistent with a scale analysis of the dry equations of motion. In contrast, experiments in which the coupling time step between the moist physics routines and the dynamical core (i.e., the “physics” time step) are relaxed back to more conventional values results in severely damped vertical motion at high resolution, degrading the scaling. A set of aqua‐planet simulations using different physics time steps are found to be consistent with the results of the idealized experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High‐resolution climate models have been shown to improve the statistics of tropical storms (TCs) and hurricanes compared to low‐resolution models. The impact of increasing horizontal resolution in the TC simulation is investigated exclusively using a series of Atmospheric Global Climate Model (AGCM) runs with idealized aquaplanet steady‐state boundary conditions and a fixed operational storm‐tracking algorithm. The results show that increasing horizontal resolution helps to detect more hurricanes, simulate stronger extreme rainfall, and emulate better storm structures in the models. However, increasing model resolution does not necessarily produce stronger hurricanes in terms of maximum wind speed, minimum sea‐level pressure, and mean precipitation, as the increased number of storms simulated by high‐resolution models is mainly associated with weaker storms. The spatial scale at which the analyses are conducted appears to have more important control on these meteorological statistics compared to horizontal resolution of the model grid. When the simulations are analyzed on common low‐resolution grids, the statistics of the hurricanes, particularly the hurricane counts, show reduced sensitivity to the horizontal grid resolution and signs of scale invariance.

Long-term simulations using version 5.1 of the National Center for Atmospheric Research' Community Atmosphere Model at low (T42), medium (T106), and high (T266) resolutions were carried out to study the impact of horizontal resolution on the model's performance in reproducing the climatological features of precipitation over East Asia. The simulated spatial pattern of annual mean precipitation amount improves significantly with increased resolution. The low-resolution model is inadequate to reproduce the precipitation closely associated with fine-scale orographic forcing, such as the narrow large-rainfall belt along the southern edge of the Tibetan Plateau. The distribution of rainfall over and around the elevation of the Tibetan Plateau and high-altitude mountains becomes more realistic at higher resolutions. The proportion of the large-bias (small-bias) area continuously reduces (increases) when moving from T42 to T266 resolution. Simulations at all three resolutions can capture the key features of the major seasonal variation of rainfall arising from the onset and advancement of the Asian monsoon. A novel method is used to evaluate the sensitivity of the simulated intensity-frequency structure to the horizontal resolution. The proportion of light rain, which demonstrates large positive bias in climate models, decreases dramatically at higher resolution. The intensity-frequency structures averaged over steep-terrain regions and plain areas become more distinctive and realistic as the resolution increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new configuration of the Community Earth System Model (CESM)/Community Atmosphere Model with full chemistry (CAM-chem) supporting the capability of horizontal mesh refinement through the use of the spectral element (SE) dynamical core is developed and called CESM/CAM-chem-SE. Horizontal mesh refinement in CESM/CAM-chem-SE is unique and novel in that pollutants such as ozone are accurately represented at human exposure relevant scales while also directly including global feedbacks. CESM/CAM-chem-SE with mesh refinement down to ∼14 km over the conterminous US (CONUS) is the beginning of the Multi-Scale Infrastructure for Chemistry and Aerosols (MUSICAv0). Here, MUSICAv0 is evaluated and used to better understand how horizontal resolution and chemical complexity impact ozone and ozone precursors over CONUS as compared to measurements from five aircraft campaigns, which occurred in 2013. This field campaign analysis demonstrates the importance of using finer horizontal resolution to accurately simulate ozone precursors such as nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide. In general, the impact of using more complex chemistry on ozone and other oxidation products is more pronounced when using finer horizontal resolution where a larger number of chemical regimes are resolved. Large model biases for ozone near the surface remain in the Southeast US as compared to the aircraft observations even with updated chemistry and finer horizontal resolution. This suggests a need for adding the capability of replacing sections of global emission inventories with regional inventories, increasing the vertical resolution in the planetary boundary layer, and reducing model biases in meteorological variables such as temperature and clouds., (© 2022. The Authors. Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Geophysical Union.)