Modelling class/workshop

Motivation

Many of us are using modelling more or less extensively as a part of our thesis and even if one wouldn’t be using any model, it would be very beneficial to have some knowledge about running simulations. Also it is relatively easy to get access to different model codes in general and even set up an experiment. However, it might be often be that the user doesn't understand all the issues related to the set-up and in the worst case one might try to interpret some model artifacts as meaningfull results. We hope this course could give some insight in these issues.

This class would use the NorESM model and could benefit its development

The idea in short

• Run some rather simple sensitivity test which tell something about the fundamental about model behaviour
  • Test different grids
  • Different time stepping?
  • Solar radiation, land-use, Coriolis parameter, slab vs. full ocean
• The analysis of the results would be probably interesting, but not in the main role of this course.
  • However, students would deliver a short report and a seminar (reports could be at least a in house source for validation)

Learning outcomes

• Learn some fundamentals of different type of models
  • What type of questions can be answered with full climate models, ocean/atmosphere stand-alone etc.
• Learn some fundamentals about the dynamics
  • Why is the Gulf Stream in displaces southward in the models?
  • Why is there no MJO in the model?
  • One often comes across someone making statements like 'don't pay attention to that feature, models/this specific mode never gets it right' or 'yeah, I know that thing, that's just an artefact' and this seems to often be some 'known' issues, but where do they come from (and (how) do we know)?
• Conservation of properties
  • Why models conserve/don't conserve some properties, why should/shouldn't they, and why do we even care?
  • First steps about model validation
• Learn how to set-up and run a sensitivity test with a climate model

Time Plan

• One week intensive lectures and setting-up
  • 3-5 days of lectures (some overlap with setting up the model)
  • 2-3 days of setting up the model experiments (some overlap with the lectures)
• Period of one month for running the experiments and analysing the data
• 1 day for the final seminars (arranged as webinar)
  • In addition also a short written report with the main findings

Questions to find out and solve

• Might be computer expensive, data storage?
  • The computer time shouldn't be much of a problem
  • Since the data storage is also short term it's probably not an issue
• Lecturers?
  • The best experience with NorESM is already in-house, here are some names with couple of outside guys
  • Bergen: Mats, Ingo, Helge, Odd-Helge, Mehmet, Thomas
  • Oslo: Lars Petter Røed
  • Boulder: Cindy Bruyere

• Examples of the somewhat similar ones out there already?
  • Stockholm University is offering a class titled "introduction to climate modelling"
    • This class sounds like it could be the basis for ours
    • More information flyer, description and schedule
  • The University of Helsinki/Finnish met institute is offering a class, where they choose a different model each time and do some specific tests and write a short report. This class is also offered as a web-course for anyone interested.
  • There is also a the European Earth System and Climate Modelling School lead by the NCAS & MPI-M, the length is similar.