Myung-Seo Koo

The Global/Regional Integrated Model system (GRIMs)

A multiscale atmospheric/oceanic model system with unified physics, the Global/Regional Integrated Model system (GRIMs) has been created for use in numerical weather prediction, seasonal simulations, and climate research projects, from global to regional scales. It includes not only the model code, but also the test cases and scripts. The model system is developed and practiced by taking advantage of both operational and research applications. This article outlines the history of GRIMs, its current applications, and plans for future development, providing a summary useful to present and future users.

Diurnal variations of simulated precipitation over East Asia in two regional climate models

[1] The diurnal variations of precipitation over East Asia simulated by the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Regional Spectral Model (RSM) and the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model are evaluated during the integration period of June-July-August (JJA) 2006. The models reproduce the observed seasonal mean of large-scale features and precipitation satisfactorily, although the bias patterns differ in both models. The lower tropospheric circulation features are better reproduced by the WRF, while the upper-level circulations closely follow the RSM analysis. Furthermore, the RSM simulated seasonal precipitation is distinctly overestimated over land, whereas the oceanic precipitation is exaggerated by the WRF. However, the characteristics of the diurnal cycle of precipitation simulated by the two models are very similar in many aspects. Both models reproduce an afternoon peak over land and a daybreak peak over oceans. The simulated diurnal and semidiurnal cycles of precipitation amount are also comparable to the corresponding observations. However, the peaks are shifted approximately 2 h ahead. The diurnal variation of the frequency is fairly well simulated, although the semidiurnal variations are poorly resolved. The diurnal and semidiurnal variations of the intensity are not captured by either model. The ensemble mean of the model results does not provide a distinct advantage in appraising the diurnal variation of precipitation. Further physics sensitivity experiments reveal that the cumulus parameterization process influences the modulation of the simulated phase at maximum precipitation over land, whereas the amplitude is more highly controlled by the boundary layer processes.

An Evaluation of the Software System Dependency of a Global Atmospheric Model

AbstractThis study presents the dependency of the simulation results from a global atmospheric numerical model on machines with different hardware and software systems. The global model program (GMP) of the Global/Regional Integrated Model system (GRIMs) is tested on 10 different computer systems having different central processing unit (CPU) architectures or compilers. There exist differences in the results for different compilers, parallel libraries, and optimization levels, primarily a result of the treatment of rounding errors by the different software systems. The system dependency, which is the standard deviation of the 500-hPa geopotential height averaged over the globe, increases with time. However, its fractional tendency, which is the change of the standard deviation relative to the value itself, remains nearly zero with time. In a seasonal prediction framework, the ensemble spread due to the differences in software system is comparable to the ensemble spread due to the differences in initial co...

Advances in land modeling of KIAPS based on the Noah Land Surface Model

As of 2013, the Noah Land Surface Model (LSM) version 2.7.1 was implemented in a new global model being developed at the Korea Institute of Atmospheric Prediction Systems (KIAPS). This land surface scheme is further refined in two aspects, by adding new physical processes and by updating surface input parameters. Thus, the treatment of glacier land, sea ice, and snow cover are addressed more realistically. Inconsistencies in the amount of absorbed solar flux at ground level by the land surface and radiative processes are rectified. In addition, new parameters are available by using 1-km land cover data, which had usually not been possible at a global scale. Land surface albedo/emissivity climatology is newly created using Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellitebased data and adjusted parameterization. These updates have been applied to the KIAPS-developed model and generally provide a positive impact on near-surface weather forecasting.

Double Fourier series dynamical core with hybrid sigma-pressure vertical coordinate

The hybrid sigma-pressure vertical coordinate is implemented into the double Fourier series (DFS) dynamical core of the Global/Regional Integrated Model system (GRIMs). Using traditional verification metrics, the model is quantitatively compared to a model that uses the terrain-following sigma coordinate. The distribution and skill scores for precipitation simulated with the hybrid coordinate are not significantly different from those found using the sigma coordinate. The hybrid coordinate has a positive effect on medium-range forecast skill in terms of geopotential height and temperature, especially in the tropics and upper layers of the atmosphere. Furthermore, the root-mean-squared error for relative humidity is significantly reduced near 100 hPa in the Northern (Southern) Hemisphere for a boreal summer (winter). The effect of the hybrid coordinate is found to be almost the same in the GRIMs-spherical harmonics (SPH) dynamical core. For the GRIMs-DFS dynamical core, the hybrid coordinate is insensitive to the abrupt transition of diffusivity at approximately 100 hPa, where numerical diffusion errors occur with the sigma coordinate. This suggests that the hybrid coordinate is necessary for the unique horizontal diffusion method of the GRIMs-DFS dynamical core.

Effects of Diurnal Cycle on a Simulated Asian Summer Monsoon

AbstractThis study investigates the effects of the diurnal cycle on monsoonal circulations over Asia in summer with a focus on precipitation. To this end, two sets of experiments are designed in a regional climate modeling framework forced by reanalysis data. The control experiment is a normal integration in which radiation is computed hourly, whereas the no-diurnal experiment is an experimental integration in which the daily averaged solar flux is computed once a day. Analysis of the results from the two experiments reveals that the diurnal cycle enhances the daily averaged sensible heat flux over land and the latent flux over oceans, which means that daytime net solar heating exceeds nighttime cooling in terms of the effects in surface climate and monsoonal circulations. Seasonal precipitation increased by about 3% over land and 11% over oceans. The surface hydroclimate over land is strongly influenced by the interaction between land and the atmosphere, and results in cooler surface temperatures except ...

Effects of Parameterized Orographic Drag on Weather Forecasting and Simulated Climatology over East Asia during Boreal Summer

The Impact of subgrid orographic drag on weather forecasting and simulated climatology over East Asia in boreal summer is examined using two parameterization schemes in a global forecast model. The schemes consider gravity wave drag (GWD) with and without lower-level wave breaking drag (LLWD) and flow-blocking drag (FBD). Simulation results from sensitivity experiments verify that the scheme with LLWD and FBD improves the intensity of a summertime continental high over the northern part of the Korean Peninsula, which is exaggerated with GWD only. This is because the enhanced lower tropospheric drag due to the effects of lower-level wave breaking and flow blocking slows down the wind flowing out of the high pressure system in the lower troposphere. It is found that the decreased lower-level divergence induces a compensating weakening of mid- to upper-level convergence aloft. Extended experiments for medium-range forecasts for July 2013 and seasonal simulations for June to August of 2013-2015 are also conducted. Statistical skill scores for medium-range forecasting are improved not only in low-level winds but also in surface pressure when both LLWD and FBD are considered. A simulated climatology of summertime monsoon circulation in East Asia is also realistically reproduced.

Stochastic Representation of Dynamic Model Tendency : Formulation and Preliminary Results

Stochastic representation of forecast uncertainties has been taken into account to improve dynamical seasonal prediction. In this study, perturbing the dynamic tendency by a random number is introduced to account for inherent uncertainties associated with computational representations of the underlying partial differential equations that govern the atmospheric motion. Compared to the traditional approach to perturb the physical tendency, the sensitivity of fluctuations in forecast variables to the magnitude of random forcing is found to be greater in the case of perturbing the dynamical tendency. Realizing that the major advantage of stochastic tendency in traditional approaches lies in the increase in ensemble spread, our approach manifests a greater potential in the field of dynamical ensemble prediction. An evaluation of a simulated climate for a boreal summer demonstrates a significant enhancement in forecast skill in terms of the large-scale features and precipitation, when both the dynamical and physical tendencies are simultaneously perturbed. This finding implies that model uncertainties could be addressed in terms of not only the physical parameterization but also the dynamical portion that used to be regarded as deterministically solved.

A Double Fourier Series (DFS) Dynamical Core in a Global Atmospheric Model with Full Physics

AbstractThis study describes an application of the double Fourier series (DFS) spectral method developed by Cheong as an alternative dynamical option in a model system that was ported into the Global/Regional Integrated Model System (GRIMs). A message passing interface (MPI) for a massive parallel-processor cluster computer devised for the DFS dynamical core is also presented. The new dynamical core with full physics was evaluated against a conventional spherical harmonics (SPH) dynamical core in terms of short-range forecast capability for a heavy rainfall event and seasonal simulation framework. Comparison of the two dynamical cores demonstrates that the new DFS dynamical core exhibits performance comparable to the SPH in terms of simulated climatology accuracy and the forecast of a heavy rainfall event. Most importantly, the DFS algorithm guarantees improved computational efficiency in the cluster computer as the model resolution increases, which is consistent with theoretical values computed from a dr...

Effects of Non-orographic Gravity Wave Drag on Seasonal and Medium-range Predictions in a Global Forecast Model

This study implements the parameterizations of convective and frontal gravity wave drag (GWD) with wide phase speed spectra into a global forecast model with a model top near 0.3 hPa. The new convective GWD scheme replaces the existing one that considers only a stationary convective GW, and the frontal GWD scheme is newly introduced. When the new GWD schemes are used, the Rayleigh friction, applied above 2 hPa to mimic the effects of missing GWD, is removed. The convective (frontal) GWs are generated mainly in the Intertropical Convergence Zone and winter extratropical storm track regions (extratropics where strong baroclinicity exists). The convective and frontal GWD derived from the new schemes are significant near the model top, with maxima of ~2-4 and ~26-58 m s−1 day−1, respectively. The differences in convective GWD between the stationary and non-stationary schemes appear mainly in the tropics and summer hemisphere, where stationary GWs cannot propagate upward. The new schemes improve the seasonal representation of stratospheric wind, through changes in both the GWD and the resolved wave forcing, which is modulated by the changed large-scale wind due to the GWD. The downward influence, in response to the changed GWD, is also positive in the tropospheric fields, such as subtropical jet and planetary-scale disturbances. For the medium-range forecasts, improved skill scores on wind speed are achieved globally with the new schemes. The improvements mostly appear only in the stratosphere during the early forecast period (~3 days) but expand to the troposphere as forecast time increases.