ITR/AP: A Prototype Framework for Globalization of Regional Models of the Atmosphere

University Of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore MD

Investigators

Abstract

The objective of this ITR-small award is to develop a prototype for a unified computational framework able to provide an effective expansion to global coverage of any regional model based on the grid-point method. This 'Globalization Framework' will be augmented by a capability for local enhancement of resolution over selected areas of interest and the movement of the better-resolved domains over the globe. The globalization will be achieved through application of a class of quasi-uniform spherical grids, that avoids the well-known problem of over-resolving of the polar regions typical for the standard longitude-latitude mesh. The technique of grid overlapping will be used for local enhancement of resolution. The regional model used at National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), the eta model, will be used as a prototype for the project. The framework will be developed for a combined use on a workstation (in the pre- and post-processing stage) using an object-oriented paradigm, and on a mainframe distributed memory computer (in the execution stage). For the benefit of the broader community, the pre/post-processing stage will also be tested and adjusted to the Linux environment, and the execution stage to a cluster of PCs. The work is important because it is a novel application of a numerical technique that will offer new insights into regional climate studies.