Numerical experimentation with a high-resolution ocean model

Principal Investigator(s)

Dr. J.S. von Storch
Max-Planck Institute
Bundesstr. 55
D-20146 Hamburg,
Germany

jin-song.storch@dkiz.de

Project description

The first area of work to be pursued is the further development of the high-resolution version of the MPI-OM ocean model. The IPCC runs performed with the MPI-OM at different resolutions (i.e. with MPI-OM/GR3 and MPI-OM/GR15) show different changes in the meridional overturning circulation in warmer climates. The results suggests that the response of the meridional circulation might depend on the resolution of the ocean model. To study this dependence, high-resolution versions of the MPI-OM model (i.e. with MPI-OM/GR03 and MPI-OM/GR01) will be developed. The development focuses on the tuning of eddy viscosity and eddy diffusivity. The tuning will be done using a series of short integrations, after a long spin-up run with the respective version of the MPI-OM model.

The second area is the investigation of changes in the response of the meridional overturning to an additional fresh water input due to changes in the resolution. For this purpose, the high-resolution MPI-OM (at resolution GR09 and later GR03) will be coupled to the T30 ECHAM5 atmospheric model. After spin-up runs which also serve as the control runs, an additional fresh water flux equivalent to 0.1 Sv of water will be imposed to the northern North Atlantic between 50-70N for 100 years. The difference in the meridional overturning circulation derived from the experiment and the control run defines the response of the coupled model with respective resolutions. This difference will be compared with the results obtained from experiments using the same coupled model but the MPI-OM at lower resolutions.

For more details, please also refer to the latest progress report.

Additional information

Project started in 2006