Metrics for the Evaluation of the Southern Ocean in Coupled Climate Models and Earth System Models
Abstract: The Southern Ocean is central to the global climate and the global carbon cycle, and to the climate's response to increasing levels of atmospheric greenhouse gases, as it ventilates a large fraction of the global ocean volume. Global coupled climate models and earth system models, how...
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ftcdlib:oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt1d02g5fz 2024-01-14T10:10:48+01:00 Metrics for the Evaluation of the Southern Ocean in Coupled Climate Models and Earth System Models Russell, Joellen L Kamenkovich, Igor Bitz, Cecilia Ferrari, Raffaele Gille, Sarah T Goodman, Paul J Hallberg, Robert Johnson, Kenneth Khazmutdinova, Karina Marinov, Irina Mazloff, Matthew Riser, Stephen Sarmiento, Jorge L Speer, Kevin Talley, Lynne D Wanninkhof, Rik 3120 - 3143 2018-05-01 application/pdf https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1d02g5fz unknown eScholarship, University of California qt1d02g5fz https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1d02g5fz public Journal of Geophysical Research - Oceans, vol 123, iss 5 Earth Sciences Oceanography Atmospheric Sciences Geophysics Climate Action Life Below Water Southern Ocean heat uptake carbon uptake observationally based metrics Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience article 2018 ftcdlib 2023-12-18T19:08:13Z Abstract: The Southern Ocean is central to the global climate and the global carbon cycle, and to the climate's response to increasing levels of atmospheric greenhouse gases, as it ventilates a large fraction of the global ocean volume. Global coupled climate models and earth system models, however, vary widely in their simulations of the Southern Ocean and its role in, and response to, the ongoing anthropogenic trend. Due to the region's complex water‐mass structure and dynamics, Southern Ocean carbon and heat uptake depend on a combination of winds, eddies, mixing, buoyancy fluxes, and topography. Observationally based metrics are critical for discerning processes and mechanisms, and for validating and comparing climate and earth system models. New observations and understanding have allowed for progress in the creation of observationally based data/model metrics for the Southern Ocean. Metrics presented here provide a means to assess multiple simulations relative to the best available observations and observational products. Climate models that perform better according to these metrics also better simulate the uptake of heat and carbon by the Southern Ocean. This report is not strictly an intercomparison, but rather a distillation of key metrics that can reliably quantify the “accuracy” of a simulation against observed, or at least observable, quantities. One overall goal is to recommend standardization of observationally based benchmarks that the modeling community should aspire to meet in order to reduce uncertainties in climate projections, and especially uncertainties related to oceanic heat and carbon uptake. Article in Journal/Newspaper Southern Ocean University of California: eScholarship Southern Ocean |
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Open Polar |
collection |
University of California: eScholarship |
op_collection_id |
ftcdlib |
language |
unknown |
topic |
Earth Sciences Oceanography Atmospheric Sciences Geophysics Climate Action Life Below Water Southern Ocean heat uptake carbon uptake observationally based metrics Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience |
spellingShingle |
Earth Sciences Oceanography Atmospheric Sciences Geophysics Climate Action Life Below Water Southern Ocean heat uptake carbon uptake observationally based metrics Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience Russell, Joellen L Kamenkovich, Igor Bitz, Cecilia Ferrari, Raffaele Gille, Sarah T Goodman, Paul J Hallberg, Robert Johnson, Kenneth Khazmutdinova, Karina Marinov, Irina Mazloff, Matthew Riser, Stephen Sarmiento, Jorge L Speer, Kevin Talley, Lynne D Wanninkhof, Rik Metrics for the Evaluation of the Southern Ocean in Coupled Climate Models and Earth System Models |
topic_facet |
Earth Sciences Oceanography Atmospheric Sciences Geophysics Climate Action Life Below Water Southern Ocean heat uptake carbon uptake observationally based metrics Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience |
description |
Abstract: The Southern Ocean is central to the global climate and the global carbon cycle, and to the climate's response to increasing levels of atmospheric greenhouse gases, as it ventilates a large fraction of the global ocean volume. Global coupled climate models and earth system models, however, vary widely in their simulations of the Southern Ocean and its role in, and response to, the ongoing anthropogenic trend. Due to the region's complex water‐mass structure and dynamics, Southern Ocean carbon and heat uptake depend on a combination of winds, eddies, mixing, buoyancy fluxes, and topography. Observationally based metrics are critical for discerning processes and mechanisms, and for validating and comparing climate and earth system models. New observations and understanding have allowed for progress in the creation of observationally based data/model metrics for the Southern Ocean. Metrics presented here provide a means to assess multiple simulations relative to the best available observations and observational products. Climate models that perform better according to these metrics also better simulate the uptake of heat and carbon by the Southern Ocean. This report is not strictly an intercomparison, but rather a distillation of key metrics that can reliably quantify the “accuracy” of a simulation against observed, or at least observable, quantities. One overall goal is to recommend standardization of observationally based benchmarks that the modeling community should aspire to meet in order to reduce uncertainties in climate projections, and especially uncertainties related to oceanic heat and carbon uptake. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Russell, Joellen L Kamenkovich, Igor Bitz, Cecilia Ferrari, Raffaele Gille, Sarah T Goodman, Paul J Hallberg, Robert Johnson, Kenneth Khazmutdinova, Karina Marinov, Irina Mazloff, Matthew Riser, Stephen Sarmiento, Jorge L Speer, Kevin Talley, Lynne D Wanninkhof, Rik |
author_facet |
Russell, Joellen L Kamenkovich, Igor Bitz, Cecilia Ferrari, Raffaele Gille, Sarah T Goodman, Paul J Hallberg, Robert Johnson, Kenneth Khazmutdinova, Karina Marinov, Irina Mazloff, Matthew Riser, Stephen Sarmiento, Jorge L Speer, Kevin Talley, Lynne D Wanninkhof, Rik |
author_sort |
Russell, Joellen L |
title |
Metrics for the Evaluation of the Southern Ocean in Coupled Climate Models and Earth System Models |
title_short |
Metrics for the Evaluation of the Southern Ocean in Coupled Climate Models and Earth System Models |
title_full |
Metrics for the Evaluation of the Southern Ocean in Coupled Climate Models and Earth System Models |
title_fullStr |
Metrics for the Evaluation of the Southern Ocean in Coupled Climate Models and Earth System Models |
title_full_unstemmed |
Metrics for the Evaluation of the Southern Ocean in Coupled Climate Models and Earth System Models |
title_sort |
metrics for the evaluation of the southern ocean in coupled climate models and earth system models |
publisher |
eScholarship, University of California |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1d02g5fz |
op_coverage |
3120 - 3143 |
geographic |
Southern Ocean |
geographic_facet |
Southern Ocean |
genre |
Southern Ocean |
genre_facet |
Southern Ocean |
op_source |
Journal of Geophysical Research - Oceans, vol 123, iss 5 |
op_relation |
qt1d02g5fz https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1d02g5fz |
op_rights |
public |
_version_ |
1788065610208378880 |