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U.S. CLIVAR 2008 summit Process Study & Model Improvement Panel

(PSMIP) report

U.S. CLIVAR 2008 summit Process Study & Model Improvement Panel

(PSMIP) report

Mission: to reduce the simulation uncertainties in general circulation models used for climate

variability prediction and climate change projection through an improved understanding

and representation of the physical process governing climate and its variations.

Mission: to reduce the simulation uncertainties in general circulation models used for climate

variability prediction and climate change projection through an improved understanding

and representation of the physical process governing climate and its variations.

Activities: • Climate Process Teams• Process Studies• Working Groups

Activities: • Climate Process Teams• Process Studies• Working Groups

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How did we meet summit goals?

1. Best Practices• Best practices for process studies: examined process study

progress in context of best practices• Best practices for parameterization development:

Discussed draft document prepared by Leo Donner, to be extended into essay with Frank Bryan, and prepared for publication (venue tbd).

• Best practices for data stewardship: joint discussion with POS and Margarita Gregg (NODC). To be continued, with goal of developing a protocol document for ensuring process study data is properly archived for the long-term. PSMIP lead: Kathy Donohue.

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2. Research Gaps: suggest sub-thermocline mixing, sea-ice processes, ice-shelf/land-ice processes, role of aerosols in hydrologic cycle, role of soil-moisture processes, as processes involved in decadal predictability/drought which need more investment.Intend to engage NASA more over next year, especially with regard to future process studies related to satellite missions.

3. Reports: Dec var/pred (Legg), drought (Zuidema).

4. How to inform and interact with programs that interface with policy and decision makers:Aim to make sure they are properly informed, e.g. of uncertainties in models. Write a general audience article? CLIVAR office has to take lead in interactions with BLM, Forest Service etc, we will provide information requested….

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5. Working groups: Current working groups very successful. Suggest CLIVAR office investigate use of skype to allow free telecons (esp including overseas participants).

New working groups: Support decadal predictability WG proposal, especially if process-based metrics can be developed.

Other new working group/workshop ideas: • Boundary-layer cloud processes (lead Zuidema),• working group to prepare for Surface Water and Ocean Topography

(SWOT) mission.

Proposals to be developed over next year.

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Other PSMIP activitiesReviewed ongoing process studies

Action item: Panel liasons to communicate feedback to process study Pis.

Discussed possible future process studies: IASCLIP, Salinity, PUMP2, Indian Ocean MJO, SWOT.

Action item: Panel liasons to communicate feedback to process study Pis and program managers.

Reviewed ongoing CPTs, discussed future CPTs.

Action item: Review and recommendations document to be prepared by end of summer and distributed to program managers (Legg and Flatau).

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Panel membership and rotations(assuming 3-year, 3-summit standard terms)

Frank Bryan (NCAR) 2010

Leo Donner (GFDL) 2009

Kathy Donohue (URI) 2010

Raf Ferrari (MIT) 2008

Piotr Flatau (SIO) 2009

Terry Joyce (WHOI) 2008

Sonya Legg (Princeton) 2009 co-chair

Ed Schneider (COLA) 2010

Wanqiu Wang (NCEP) 2010

Xubin Zeng (U. Ariz) 2009

Paquita Zuidema (RSMAS) 2010 co-chair

Need 2 new members, including at least 1 sea-going oceanographer. An ice scientist would also fill a gap in our expertise.