Validation of the Canadian land surface scheme (class) for a subarctic open woodland

Abstract

This study reports on testing of the peatland version of the Canadian Land Surface Scheme (CLASS) for simulating the energy balance of subarctic open woodland terrain. Model results are compared against several years of measured data from a site near Churchill, Manitoba. In contrast to most forest environments, the floor of the open forest plays a large role in total ecosystem energy exchange. This behaviour presents a significant challenge for land surface models like CLASS and their simplified treatment of vegetation canopies.

Simulations of summer energy balance for seven years encompassing a wide range of meteorological conditions produced consistent results. Root mean square errors for sensible and latent heat fluxes fell between 11 and 28 W m^?2. CLASS consistently underestimated slightly the daily latent heat flux and overestimated the sensible heat flux, average mean bias errors being ‐7.6 and 9.1 W m^?2, respectively. The soil heat flux was less well represented. In general, CLASS was able to capture the diurnal and seasonal behaviour of the measured fluxes under a range of conditions with reasonable accuracy.

In a full year simulation, CLASS reproduced the annual variations in energy balance with some discrepancies associated with snow accumulation and ablation periods. The model performance was sensitive to both snow density and specification of the surface cover. Recommendations for improving the model for subarctic woodlands and terrain types with similar features are discussed.     

Parametrization of peatland hydraulic properties for the Canadian land surface scheme

Abstract

A hydraulic parametrization is developed for peatland environments in the Canadian Land Surface Scheme (CLASS). Three ‐wetland soil classes account for the typical variation in the hydraulic characteristics of the uppermost 0.5 m of organic soils. Review of the literature reveals that saturated hydraulic conductivity varies from a median of 1.0 × 10^?7m/s in deeply humified sapric peat to 2.8 × 10^?4 m/s in relatively undecomposed fibric peat. Average pore volume fraction ranges from 0.83 to 0.93. Parameters have been designed for the soil moisture characteristic curves for fibric, hemic and sapric peat using the Campbell (1974) equation employed in CLASS, and the van Genuchten (1980) formulation. There is little difference in modelled soil moisture between the two formulations within the range of conditions normally found in peatlands. Validation of modelled water table depth and peat temperature is performed for a fen in northern Québec and a bog in north‐central Minnesota. The new parametrization results in a more realistic simulation of these variables in peatlands than the previous version of CLASS, in which unrealistic mineral soil “equivalents “ were used for wetland soil climate modelling.     

陆面过程中冠层四流辐射传输模式的模拟性能检验

利用实际观测资料检验新发展的植被冠层四流辐射传输模式的模拟性能.将浙江大学田间观测数据用于模式试验,其结果表明:在可见光波段,因叶片散射率值较小,四流模式和二流模式模拟结果差别不大,模拟的冠层反照率都接近观测值.这表明在可见光波段,二流模式已经能够较好模拟芯层反照率,四流模式能够提高的精度范围有限;在近红外波段,因叶片散射率值较大,两个模式模拟结果差别较明显,四流模式模拟的冠层反照率相对二流模式的模拟结果更接近观测值.利用第2次雪模式比较计划SNOWMIP资料和改进的10层陆面模式BATS进行耦合试验,将四流模式以及二流模式均耦合到该陆面模式中,其目的是为考察四流模式对陆面模式模拟地表反射太刚短波辐射通量的影响.耦合后得到的结果与SNOWMIP中加拿大BERMS草地站和森林站的观测资料进行了对比.对比结果表明,采用网流模式、二流模式、BATS原辐射传输模式后,耦合四流模式的陆面模式模拟地表反射太阳短波辐射通量最接近观测值.说明采用四流模式能够改善陆面模式对地表反射太阳短波辐射通啦的模拟.     

Surface energy balance complexity in GCM land surface models. Part II: coupled simulations

 Global coupled simulations with the Bureau of Meteorology Research Centre climate model and the CHAmeleon Surface Model (CHASM) are used to examine how four general extensions to the representation of the basic land surface energy balance affect simulated land-atmosphere interface variables: evaporation, precipitation, skin temperature and air temperature. The impacts of including separate surface energy balance calculations for: vegetated and non-vegetated portions of the land surface; an explicit parametrisation of canopy resistance; explicit bare ground evaporation; and explicit canopy interception are isolated and quantified. The hypothesis that these aspects of surface energy balance parametrisation do not contain substantial information at the monthly time scale (and are therefore not important to consider in a land surface model) is shown to be false. Considerable sensitivity to each of the four general surface energy balance extensions is identified in average pointwise monthly changes for important land-atmosphere interface variables. Average pointwise changes in monthly precipitation and land evaporation are equal to about 40 and 31–37% of the global-average precipitation and land evaporation respectively. Average pointwise changes for land surface skin temperature and lowest model layer air temperature are about 2 and 0.9 K respectively. The average pointwise change and average pointwise biases are statistically significant at 95% in all cases. Substantial changes to zonally average variables are also identified. We demonstrate how the globally averaged surface resistance parameter can vary from 150 to 25 s/m depending on which aspects of the surface energy balance are treated implicitly. We also show that if interception is treated implicitly, the effective surface resistance must vary geographically in order to capture the behaviour of a model which treats this process explicitly. The implication of these results for the design of land surface models is discussed. Received: 8 July 1999 / Accepted: 1 September 2000     

Downscaling the hydrological cycle in the Mackenzie basin with the Canadian regional climate model

Abstract

The Canadian Regional Climate Model (CRCM) has been nested within the Canadian Centre for Climate Modelling and Analysis ‘ second generation General Circulation Model (GCM), for a single month simulation over the Mackenzie River Basin and environs. The purpose of the study is to assess the ability of the higher resolution CRCM to downscale the hydrological cycle of the nesting GCM. A second 1‐month experiment, in which the CRCM was nested within analyzed fields of a global data assimilation system, was also performed to examine the sensitivity of the basin moisture budget to atmospheric lateral boundary forcing.

We have found that the CRCM can produce realistic lee cyclogenesis, preferentially in the Liard sub‐basin, along with associated circulation and precipitation patterns, as well as an improved rainshadow in the lee of the Rocky Mountains compared to the GCM. While these features do quantitatively affect the monthly average climate statistics, the basin scale moisture budgets of the models were remarkably similar, though some of this agreement is due to compensating errors in the GCM. Both models produced excessive precipitation compared to a recent climatology for the region, the cause of which is traced to lateral boundary forcing. A second experiment, identical to the first except that the CRCM was forced with analyzed fields at the lateral boundaries, produced a qualitatively different basin moisture budget, including a much more realistic precipitation field. Errors in the moisture budget of the first experiment appear to be associated with the poor representation of the Aleutian Low in the GCM, and do not appear to be strongly connected to (local) surface processes within the models. This suggests that an effective strategy for modelling the hydrological cycle of the Mackenzie Basin on the fast climate timescale ‐ a major requirement of the Mackenzie GEWEX Study ‐ will involve nesting the CRCM within analyzed (or re‐analyzed) atmospheric fields.     

Applying the energy- and water balance model for incorporation of the cryospheric component into a climate model. Part II. Modeled mass balance on the green land ice sheet surface

The Greenland ice sheet is a very important potential source of fresh water inflow to the World Ocean under warming climate conditions. Apparently, it was the same during the Last Interglacial 130-115 thousand years ago. In order to quantify input of the Greenland ice sheet to the rise of the global mean sea level in the past or in the future, we include a surface mass balance model block into the Earth System Model. The computational algorithm is based on the calculation of energy balance on the ice sheet surface. The key tuning parameter of the model is the daily amplitude of air surface temperature. It defines the area and the rate of snow or ice melting. The range of possible values of this parameter is determined during a series of numerical experiments. High sensitivity of meltwater runoff volume to surface air temperature amplitude is revealed.     

Simulated changes in the atmospheric water balance over South Asia in the eight IPCC AR4 coupled climate models

This paper evaluates the performance of eight state-of-art IPCC-AR4 coupled atmosphere-ocean general circulation models in their representation of regional characteristics of atmospheric water balance over South Asia. The results presented here are the regional climate change scenarios of atmospheric water balance components, precipitation, moisture convergence and evaporation (P, C and E) up to the end of the twenty-second century based on IPCC AR4 modelling experiments conducted for (A1B) future greenhouse gas emission scenario. The AOGCMs, despite their relatively coarse resolution, have shown a reasonable skill in depicting the hydrological cycle over the South Asian region. However, considerable biases do exist with reference to the observed atmospheric water balance and also inter-model differences. The monsoon rainfall and atmospheric water balance changes under A1B scenario are discussed in detail. Spatial patterns of rainfall change projections indicate maximum increase over northwest India in most of the models, but changes in the atmospheric water balance are generally widespread over South Asia. While the scenarios presented in this study are indicative of the expected range of rainfall and water balance changes, it must be noted that the quantitative estimates still have large uncertainties associated with them.     

Impact of rain snow threshold temperature on snow depth simulation in land surface and regional atmospheric models

This study investigates the impact of rain snow threshold (RST) temperatures on snow depth simulation using the Community Land Model (CLM) and the Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF-coupled with the CLM and hereafter referred to as WRF CLM), and the difference in impacts. Simulations were performed from 17 December 1994 to 30 May 1995 in the French Alps. Results showed that both the CLM and the WRF CLM were able to represent a fair simulation of snow depth with actual terrain height and 2.5℃ RST temperature. When six RST methods were applied to the simulation using WRF CLM, the simulated snow depth was the closest to observations using 2.5℃ RST temperature, followed by that with Pipes’, USACE, Kienzle’s, Dai’s, and 0℃ RST temperature methods. In the case of using CLM, simulated snow depth was the closest to the observation with Dai’s method, followed by with USACE, Pipes’, 2.5℃ RST temperature, Kienzle’s, and 0℃ RST temperature method. The snow depth simulation using the WRF CLM was comparatively sensitive to changes in RST temperatures, because the RST temperature was not only the factor to partition snow and rainfall. In addition, the simulated snow related to RST temperature could induce a significant feedback by influencing the meteorological variables forcing the land surface model in WRF CLM. In comparison, the above variables did not change with changes in RST in CLM. Impacts of RST temperatures on snow depth simulation could also be influenced by the patterns of temperature and precipitation, spatial resolution, and input terrain heights.     

陆面模拟中植被辐射传输参数化方案研究

在冠层二流辐射传输模式基础上新发展了一个描述太阳短波辐射在植被中传输的冠层四流辐射传输模式.冠层四流辐射传输模式是在大气辐射传输理论的基础上得到一组描述短波辐射在植被中传输过程的冠层辐射传输基本方程,引进大气中求解辐射传输方程的四流近似解法,并求得冠层四流辐射传输方程的解析解.方程中各项参量能够反映叶子或冠层特殊的几何和光学特征.冠层向上、向下辐射通量取决于冠层散射相函数、叶子在入射光方向投影面积、单个叶子反射率和透射率、叶面积指数以及直射光入射太阳高度角等.四流模式计算叶子水平倾角时对太阳短波辐射的反照率,与二流模式结果比较可以验证模式的理论推导和建模都是正确的:计算结果的比较,表明四流模式在水平叶角分布时计算的冠层反照率与二流模式结果一致,同时直射光从任何太阳高度角入射的冠层反照率结果也一致,从而证明发展的冠层四流辐射传输模式是成功的.模拟试验中将两种模型同时耦合到同一个陆面过程模式中进行比较试验,结果表明,冠层四流辐射传输模式能够得到更精确的植被反照率,从而使得陆面模式计算的地表吸收的净太阳辐射通量更接近于观测值.     

Improving the vegetation dynamic simulation in a land surface model by using a statistical-dynamic canopy interception scheme

Canopy interception of incident precipitation, as a critical component of a forest＇s water budget, can affect the amount of water available to the soil, and ultimately vegetation distribution and function. In this paper, a statistical-dynamic approach based on leaf area index and statistical canopy interception is used to parameterize the canopy interception process. The statistical-dynamic canopy interception scheme is implemented into the Community Land Model with dynamic global vegetation model （CLM-DGVM） to improve its dynamic vegetation simulation. The simulation for continental China by the land surface model with the new canopy interception scheme shows that the new one reasonably represents the precipitation intercepted by the canopy. Moreover, the new scheme enhances the water availability in the root zone for vegetation growth, especially in the densely vegetated and semi-arid areas, and improves the model＇s performance of potential vegetation simulation.     

Examination of the empirical flux-profile models in the atmospheric surface boundary layer

Values of Richardson number (Ri) and the wind profile Deacon number () in the atmospheric surface layer are evaluated from various experimental data sources. The relationship between Ri and shows some scatter, but gives agreement with the relations derived by the several empirical models available for both unstable and inversion conditions.     

Short-term temporal variability of atmospheric surface pressure and wind speed in the Canadian Arctic

In this study, the spatial differences and interannual fluctuations in temporal variability of surface pressure and wind speed on different timescales at 12 locations in the Canadian Arctic are documented. Temporal variability is defined as the mean-squared value of time tendencies smoothed by running means over different intervals. It is shown that variability on timescales of up to 1 month is itself highly variable, both in space and time. Due to the significant impacts from the immediate geographical environment, for surface wind speed, these variations show no spatial pattern on a continental scale, and only a few persistent trends over periods of more than 10 years. Also, spatial and temporal anomalies do not significantly depend on timescale. Contrary to this, spatial and temporal variations in the variability of surface pressure and its changes with time show well-defined regional similarities, as well as a strong spatial and temporal dependence on timescale. As a result, variability of surface pressure on timescales between 1 and 3 days increases from the northeast region of the domain towards the southwest. On longer timescales, this spatial gradient is reversed. The consistent spatial pattern across the study domain suggests that variability of surface pressure is primarily governed by large-scale atmospheric processes, and is to a large extent independent of the exact geographical setting.     

A model of turbulence spectra in the atmospheric surface layer

The spectral equations of turbulent kinetic energy and temperature variance have been solved by using Onsager's energy cascade model and by extending Onsager's model to closure of terms that embody the interaction of turbulent and mean flow.The spectral model yields the following results: In a stably stratified shear flow, the peak wave numbers of the spectra of energy and temperature variance shift toward larger wave numbers as stability increases. In an unstably stratified flow, the peak wave numbers of energy spectra move toward smaller wave numbers as instability increases, whereas the opposite trend is observed for the peak wave numbers of temperature variance spectra. Hence, the peak wave numbers of temperature spectra show a discontinuity at the transition from stable to unstable stratification. At near neutral stratification, both spectra reveal a bimodal structure.The universal functions of the Monin-Obukhov similarity theory are predicted to behave as _m ~ _H ~ (- Z/L)^-1/3 in an extremely unstable stratification and as _m ~ _H ~ z/L in an extremely stable stratification. For a stably stratified flow, a constant turbulent Prandtl number is expected.     

Coupling analysis of surface runoff variation with atmospheric teleconnection indices in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River

Theoretical and Applied Climatology - Changes in surface runoff and its coupling relationship with atmospheric circulation have been an ongoing focus of climate change research. In this study, the...     

The greening of the McGill Paleoclimate Model. Part I: Improved land surface scheme with vegetation dynamics

The formulation of a new land surface scheme (LSS) with vegetation dynamics for coupling to the McGill Paleoclimate Model (MPM) is presented. This LSS has the following notable improvements over the old version: (1) parameterization of deciduous and evergreen trees by using the models climatology and the output of the dynamic global vegetation model, VECODE (Brovkin et al. in Ecological Modelling 101:251–261 (1997), Global Biogeochemical Cycles 16(4):1139, (2002)); (2) parameterization of tree leaf budburst and leaf drop by using the models climatology; (3) parameterization of the seasonal cycle of the grass leaf area index; (4) parameterization of the seasonal cycle of tree leaf area index by using the time-dependent growth of the leaves; (5) calculation of land surface albedo by using vegetation-related parameters, snow depth and the models climatology. The results show considerable improvement of the models simulation of the present-day climate as compared with that simulated in the original physically-based MPM. In particular, the strong seasonality of terrestrial vegetation and the associated land surface albedo variations are in good agreement with several satellite observations of these quantities. The application of this new version of the MPM (the green MPM) to Holocene millennial-scale climate changes is described in a companion paper, Part II.

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The vertical structure of concentration fluctuation statistics in plumes dispersing in the atmospheric surface layer

This paper describes a study of the vertical structure of concentration fluctuations in a neutrally buoyant plume from an elevated point source in slightly convective to moderately stable meteorological conditions at ranges of between 12.5 and 100 m for a range of source heights between 1 and 5 m. Observations were made of concentration fluctuations in a dispersing plume using a vertical array of sixteen very fast-response photoionization detectors placed at heights between 0.5 and 16 m. Vertical profiles of a number of concentration statistics were extracted, namely, mean concentration, fluctuation intensity, intermittency factor, peak-to-mean concentration ratio, mean dissipation rate of concentration variance, and various concentration time and length scales of dominant motions in the plume (e.g., integral macro-scale, in-plume mid-scale and Taylor micro-scale). The profiles revealed a similarity to corresponding crosswind profiles for a fully elevated plume, but showed greater and greater departure from the latter shapes once the plume had grown in the vertical so that its lower dege began to interact progressively more strongly with the ground. The evolution of the concentration probability density function at a fixed range, but with decreasing height from the ground, is similar to that obtained at a fixed height but with increasing distance from the source. Concentration power spectra obtained at different heights all had an extensive inertial-convective subrange spanning at least two decades in frequency, but spectra measured near the ground had a greater proportion of the total concentration variance in the lower frequencies (energetic subrange), with a correspondingly smaller proportion in the higher frequencies (inertial-convective subrange). It is believed that these effects result from the increased mean shear near the surface, and blocking by the surface. The effect of enhanced shear-induced molecular diffusion on concentration fluctuations is examined.     

The oil spill behaviour model of the Canadian atmospheric environment service Part I: Theory and model evaluation

Abstract

This paper describes a model to simulate the behaviour of oil spills in marine environments. The model includes parametrizations of various physical processes representing the movement and weathering of an oil slick. The movement of the slick is affected by wind‐driven, tidal and residual water currents. Turbulent dispersion is an important mechanism influencing the horizontal spreading of the slick for time periods greater than about a day.

The model is used to simulate successfully the movement of spill‐following buoys deployed in the Bay of Fundy, where some of the strongest tidal currents in the world occur. The ability of the model to simulate the horizontal spreading of an oil slick was evaluated with observed data from the Argo Merchant oil spill for a 10‐day period. It was found that the observed shape and extent of the spill could be fairly well described by the parametrization of turbulent dispersion effects.     

欧亚大陆夏季地表温度的气候特征及与大气环流的联系

采用1960—2010年NCEP/NCAR逐月再分析资料,利用经验正交函数(EOF)展开方法等,分析了欧亚大陆夏季地表温度变化特征及其与大气环流的关系。结果表明:欧亚大陆夏季地表温度的均方差在高纬度地区大于在低纬度地区。欧亚大陆夏季地表温度最主要的特征是全区一致变化,除了青藏高原东侧为降温趋势外,其他地区为变暖趋势,其中40~65°N增温明显;其次,高纬度地区表现出"-+-"变化特征。西风环流指数的变化与地表温度的增温密切相关,而EU指数与中高纬度地区地表温度异常的分布类型密切相关。根据欧亚大陆夏季地表温度的气候特征和时空变化特征,确定了5个关键区。各关键区指数都有增温趋势,但是变化特征不同。不同关键区指数的异常所对应的环流形势异常均不相同,与不同关键区地表温度密切联系的环流因子也不相同。