Pan-Eurasian EXperiment (PEEX) Modelling Platform research and development for online coupled integrated meteorology-chemistry-aerosols feedbacks and interactions in weather, climate and atmospheric composition multi-scale modelling (Enviro-PEEX on ECMWF, 2018–2020)

Introduction

As the societal impacts of hazardous/ unfavorable weather and other environmental pressures grow, the need for integrated predictions which can represent the numerous feedbacks and linkages between sub-systems of our environment is greater than ever. This has led to development of a new generation of high resolution coupled prediction tools to represent the two-way interactions between different components of the environment. For example a new generation of online integrated Atmospheric Chemical Transport (ACT) and Meteorology (Numerical Weather Prediction, NWP and Climate) models represent the interactions between different atmospheric processes including chemistry (both gases and aerosols), clouds, radiation, boundary layer, emissions, meteorology and climate. In parallel, coupled environmental prediction at km-scale which includes feedbacks between the atmosphere, land surface, coastal areas and oceans aim to better represent the interactions in the water cycle, to provide tools for improved natural hazard response or water management, for example. Global Earth system models simulate the atmosphere, cryosphere, biosphere, and oceans, allowing investigation of interactions and feedbacks within and between these different spheres, including how these affect climate and biogeochemistry on timescales of hours to millennia.

PEEX-Modelling-Platform (PEEX-MP) Research, Development and Application

The PEEX-MP (https://www.atm.helsinki.fi/peex/index.php/modelling-platform) presents a strategy for best use of current generation modeling tools to improve process understanding and improve predictability on different timescales within the PEEX domain, and also presents potential future developments. A number of application areas of new integrated modelling developments are expected to be considered, including: (i) improved numerical weather prediction and chemical weather forecasting with short-term feedbacks of aerosols and chemistry on meteorological variables; (ii) two-way interactions between atmospheric pollution/ composition and climate variability/ change; (iii) better prediction of atmosphere and/or ocean state through closer coupling between the component models to represent the two-way feedbacks and exchange of the atmospheric and ocean boundary layer properties; (iv) more complete/ detailed simulation of the hydrological cycle, through linking atmospheric, land surface, ecosystems, hydrological and ocean circulation models.

The PEEX-MP focuses on new generation of integrated models and is based on the seamless Earth System Modelling approach to evolve from separate model components to seamless meteorology-composition-environment models to address challenges in weather, climate and atmospheric composition fields whose interests, applications and challenges are now overlapping. Several models, being a part of the PEEX-MP, are to be further developed and tested in this HPC project.

The overall objectives will be to analyse the importance of the meteorology-chemistry-aerosols interactions and feedbacks and to provide a way for development of efficient techniques for on-line coupling of numerical weather prediction and atmospheric chemical transport via process-oriented parameterizations and feedback algorithms, which will improve the numerical weather prediction, climate and atmospheric composition forecasting.

If you are interested in to join the PEEX-MP-Working Group, please contact Alexander Mahura,Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research, INAR/Physics, University of Helsinki

Expected project results

The main application areas of the on-line integrated modelling are expected to be considered:

  • (i) improved numerical weather prediction with short-term feedbacks of aerosols and chemistry on formation and development of meteorological variables;
  • (ii) improved atmospheric composition forecasting with on-line integrated meteorological forecast and two-way feedbacks between aerosols/chemistry and meteorology;
  • (iii) coupling of aerosols and chemistry in Earth System modelling, aiming towards more realistic description of aerosols and relevant microphysical processes, and their effect on radiative fluxes and clouds;
  • (iv) improved understanding and ability in prediction of chemical and physical processes related to the formation and growth of atmospheric particles.

The emphasis is primarily on the evaluation and testing of the online integrated Enviro-HIRLAM/ HARMONIE/ EC-Earth modelling systems and sensitivity analyses the feedback mechanisms for weather, climate and atmospheric composition modelling.

The simulations are expected for:

  • (i) short-term case studies with physical and chemical weather forecasting (downscaling from hemispheric-regional-subregional to urban/ city scales) in order to evaluate sensitivity of aerosol feedback effects on meteorology, atmospheric composition and climate;
  • (ii) episodes simulations for weather, climate and air quality applications to evaluate possible effects;
  • (iii) testing of parameterisations, meteorological and chemical initial and boundary conditions, and chemical data assimilation.

The computational resources will be used mainly to experiment with newly developed components of the modelling systems and evaluate their performance and sensitivity to feedbacks. In-depth validation and intensive testing of all of these developments will be carried out at UHEL, mentioned Universities and research institutions as well as ECMWF environments.

Project coordinator & contact information

More details (extended introduction, models for research and development, scientific developments, overview of projects that benefits, partners of the project, workplan with main application areas and expected simulations, new developments towards PEEX-Modelling-Platform, etc.) are available in the “Enviro-PEEX on ECMWF HPC” proposal at:

Project partners 

  • UHEL – University of Helsinki, Finland;
  • UCPH – University of Copenhagen, Denmark;
  • FMI – Finnish Meteorological Institute, Finland;
  • OSENU – Odessa State Environmental University, Ukraine;
  • ITU – Istanbul Technical University, Turkey;
  • UoLA – University of  L’Aquila, Italy;
  • RSHU – Russian State Hydrometeorological University, Russia;
  • UHMI – Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Institute, Ukraine;
  • ICMMG  – Institute Computational Mathematics and Mathematical Geophysics, Russia;
  • KazNRTU – Kazakh National Research Technical University, Kazakhstan;
  • NIERSC – Nansen International Environmental and Remote Sensing Centre, Russia;
  • TShNUK – Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ukraine;
  • MSU – Moscow State University, Russia