GWING
Gravity Wave Interactions in the Global Atmosphere
(Schmidt, Zängl, Manzini)
The central goal of this project is the development and application of the upper-atmosphere extension of the atmospheric general circulation model ICON (UA-ICON), with local refinement option, to optimize the representation of GW. With UA-ICON the GWING project is integrating new knowledge generated by MS-GWaves as a whole. It will investigate the impact of GWs on weather and climate, and the corresponding relevance of GW features neglected in classical parameterizations.
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PACOG
Processes And Climatology Of Gravity waves (PACOG) (Lübken, Chau, Rapp, Dörnbrack)
The final aim of MS-GWaves is to improve the parametrization of gravity waves used in global models. This project concentrates on atmospheric observations and their comparison with models. It applies a combination of sophisticated and comprehensive instrumentation (lidars, radars, airborne observations, etc.). Observations performed in PACOG shall be used in all projects of MS-GWaves, for comparisons of local and regional measurements with global observations from satellites, and as key benchmark for the validation of the global-model developments.
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SI
Spontaneous Imbalance
(Harlander, Achatz, Zülicke, Horenko)
Focus of this project is the emission of GWs by the process of spontaneous imbalance (SI), i.e. the spontaneous breakdown of balance in a supposed quasi-geostrophic flow, along baroclinic zones as jets and fronts. By combination of theory and numerical modelling with complementary laboratory experiments we enhance our corresponding knowledge which will lead to an advanced parameterization of the process. Finally, the parameterized GWs will be coupled to the ray-tracing GW model MS-GWaM in UA-ICON.
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SV
Spatio-Temporal Gravity Wave Source Variability
(Preusse, Ern, Achatz, Bölöni)
The goal of this project is to understand the role of gravity wave sources in shaping the global distribution of GWs. Satellite data and ray tracing are used for optimizing the parameters in state-of-the-art source parameterizations that are then coupled to the GW model (MS-GWaM) in UA-ICON in order to replace conventional GW parameterizations there. It will address the comparative relevance of the various GW sources for GW dynamics in the whole atmosphere, and the contribution of the flow dependence of GW sources to GW momentum-flux intermittency.
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GW-TP / GW-ICE
Gravity-waves impact on ice clouds in the tropopause region (Spichtinger, Dörnbrack, Klein, Achatz)
In the second phase of MS-GWaves, the project GW-ICE replaces the project GW-TP. It investigates the impact of gravity waves on the formation and evolution of ice clouds in the tropopause region. For this purpose MS-GWaM will be extended by ice cloud physics, which was developed in the first phase of MS-GWaves. Beside the impact of vertical motions as driven by gravity waves on microphysical properties of ice clouds, the radiative properties of these clouds and thus their impact on climate will also be addressed.
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3DMSD
Three-Dimensional Multiscale Dynamics of Gravity Waves
(Achatz, Klein, Bölöni)
In this project the multi-scale asymptotic dynamics of gravity-wave propagation is addressed, based on a nonlinear WKB theory and their methodological developments for the practical implementation of WKB equations. Aim is a general theory and numerical method for the prediction of GW propagation, wave-mean-flow interaction, and dissipation, which will feed directly, via a prognostic model for subgrid-scale GWs (MS-GWaM) into UA_ICON.
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