Workshop on Future Storm-Resolving Configurations of Community Earth System Model (CESM); Fort Collins, Colorado; Two days in April 2023

Colorado State University, Fort Collins CO

Investigators

Abstract

This award supports a workshop on the topic of global storm resolving configurations of the Community Earth System Model (CESM). CESM includes a full representation of the earth's climate system, including component models for the atmosphere, ocean, land surface, sea ice, and ice sheets. Earth system models like CESM simulate wind, temperature, humidity, and other atmospheric variables on grids in which the grid spacing is too coarse (generally at least 15km) to simulate convection, meaning the overturning atmospheric motions seen in thunderstorms. While it is very difficult to simulate the full range of convective motions, models with grid spacings of a few kilometers (say 3km) are able to simulate the evolution of mesoscale convective systems (MCSs), the large thunderstorm systems that occur over the central US and in other parts of the world. Thus there is interest in developing configurations of CESM with the necessary high resolution and enhanced dynamics and physics required to enable simulation of MCSs and other forms of organized convection. The workshop brings together model developers and users who are interested in the development and use of such configurations. The broader impacts of the workshop come from the desirability of models which are better able to represent weather and climate processes that have substantial impacts on human activities. For instance much of the extreme precipitation in the US comes from MCSs, which are also responsible for hailstorms and tornado outbreaks. More specifically, the workshop benefits the broad community of users and developers of CESM, which is the only earth system developed by and for the global climate research community. Funds from this award will support travel expenses for students and early-career scientists attending the meeting. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.