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 kind of knowledge of running some simulations. This class would use the NorESM model and 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, 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 some one making statements like 'don't pay atention 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 so they come from (and 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

• 1-2 day of lectures
• 2-3 days of setting up the model experiments
• 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
  • Oslo: Lars Petter Røed
  • Boulder: Cindy Bruyere

• Examples of the somewhat similar ones out there already?
  • 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. . This way ResClim students would also have a guaranteed place on the class.