Climate Modeling

ATMS/ESS 559 / OCEAN 558

 T Th 11:30-12:50 ATG 610 (3 credit)

Instructors: Cecilia Bitz, LuAnne Thompson, and Phil Rasch

Course Description

The objective for this course it to teach the principles of climate and Earth system modeling to graduate students in Earth sciences. Specific topics, listed in the draft schedule below, will be covered each week with a continuing emphasis on numerical issues and the appropriate use of models for problem solving.  The instruction time will be split between classroom lecture and practical computing lab, where students will run and analyze GCMs that are commonly used for climate research. Course work will include weekly exercises and reading, class discussions, and a course project with final presentation. No exams will be given.

The Class Wiki is a place for students and instructors to share information freely. Check it often for resources.

Syllabus

Password protected class readings

Draft Schedule of Topics

Week
Lectures
Lab/Exercises
Reading
1
4/1
4/3
Tu: Introduction and  review of planetary energy balance (B)
Th: Feedback, climate sensitivity and stability (B)
Tu: Add your bio to the
Class Wiki by 4/3
Th: HW1 due 4/8 on the CAM diagnostics package
Required: Hansen et al, 2004 by4/8
Pierrehumbert, 2005 by 4/10 (pdfs on password protected area)
Optional: McGuf&HS 1-2, Hartmann 3, Robinson 1
2
4/8
4/10

Tu: Lab (B)
Th:  atmospheric General circulation (B/R)
Snowball Earth Modeling
HW2 due 4/15
Required:
See Phil's suggested reading on the wiki. Everyone should read the first one he lists. Questions appreciated but not required.
3
4/15
4/17

Tu: Clouds (R)
Th: Aerosols (R)
Aerosol indirect effect estimate. HW3 due 4/29. Recommended: Boville and Bretherton, 2003 read by 4/22
Required: Collins et al, 2005 read by 4/24 (questions required by 9am 4/24)
4
4/22
4/24

Tu: Boundary Layer (B)
Th: Radiation (B)

Required: Bitz & Lipscomb, 1999 and
at least sections 1 & 2 of Bitz et al 2001 by 4/29
5
4/29
5/1
 
Tu: Sea ice (B)
Th: Ocean general circulation (T)
1D sea ice modeling HW4 due 5/6 (hand out 4/29)

Ocean GCM HW5 due 5/13
Required: Griffies et al 2005 read by 5/1
Required: Wunsch and Ferrari 2004 read by 5/8 (questions required 9am 5/8)
Recommended: Wunsch 2007 paper on Ocean Circulation and GCMs
6
5/6
5/8

Tu:  Ice Sheets (B)
Th: Class Discussion (visitor,T)


Final Project
Proposals Paragraphs due 5/13


Read papers for your final projects

7
5/13
5/15

Tu: Ocean mixing (T)
Th: Ocean (T)

Work on Projects
Required: Keenlyside et al 2008 for 5/15 (no questions necessary)
8
5/20
5/22

Tu: Ocean carbon cycle (T)
Th: Soils, vegetation & land carbon cycle (B)

Ocean Biopump modeling hw6.pdf
Required: Siegenthalar and Sarmiento 1993 and Doney et al bookchapter for 5/20 (no questions necessary)
Required: Fung et al 2005 for 5/22 (no questions necessary)
9
5/27
5/29

Stratospheric modeling and chemistry (R)

Work on projects
Required: Kiehl 2007 and Held 2005
(send questions by 9am on 6/3 to CC and LuAnne)
10
6/3
6/5

TBA
Student presentations


11
6/11

Student presentations



Acknowledgements

Computing time for this class is provided by an allocation on the Teragrid at the Texas Advanced Computing Center. TACC and the Teragrid are supported by the National Science Foundation. We are running climate models on Ranger, which we think is the second largest computer in the world at this time.

Useful books

Durran, D., Numerical Methods for Wave Equations in Geophysical Fluid Dynamics, Springer, 1999.

Curry, J. A. and P. J. Webster, Atmospheres and oceans, Academic press, 1999.

Hartmann, D., Global Physical Climatology, Elsevier Academic Press, 1994

Holton, J., Introduction to Dynamic Meteorology, Elsevier Academic Press, 2004.

Kiehl, J.T. and V. Ramanathan, Frontiers in Climate Modeling, 2006. A collection of papers about climate modeling. Most are pretty basic and others are more about the authors research.

Jacobson, D., Fundamentals of atmospheric modeling, Cambridge, 1998.

Kalnay, E., Atmospheric modeling, data assimilation and predictability, Cambridge, 2003.

McGuffie, K., and A. Henderson-Sellers, A climate modeling primer, 2nd ed., John Wiley and Sons, 2005. A very descriptive book about climate modeling for the casual (or non-) scientists

Pierrehumbert, R. in preparation. Climate on Earth and other planets at a rather basic and yet thought provoking level. It not finished yet and so it free online for now!

Randall, D., General Circulation Model development, Academic press, 2000.

Robinson, W., Modeling dynamic climate systems, Springer, 2001. Very basic book about modeling with stella (arrows and boxes) emphasizing systems thinking

Trenberth, K., Climate System Modeling, Cambridge, 1992. An excellent book but costs a fortune. I don't have a copy but Tom Ackerman does!

Washington, W., and C. Parkinson, An introduction to three-dimensional climate modeling, 2nd ed., University Science Books, 2004. A good graduate level text.