Deliverable No. 2.1 Demonstrator of a fully coupled SCM

A novel tool to investigate parameterized processes that act in a vertical column that extends from the ocean, through the sea ice and the atmosphere, is presented. The first version of this extended single-column model (SCM), the AOSCM – Atmosphere Ocean SCM, version 1, is developed within the EC-Earth development portal to ensure that it easily can follow the further development of the full model.

Experiments with the AOSCM can be designed to mimic the EC-Earth environment at one specific location or it can be used in more idealized settings for e.g. parameter sensitivity studies. The tool is specifically developed with the aim to investigate how the coupling between the different model components affects the ability of the model to represent the air-sea interactions in areas where there is sea-ice.

The AOSCM will be used in WP2 to evaluate model performance on the process level. It will also be used in sensitivity studies of how coupling choices affect the results and in parameterisation development. Some further development of the technical capabilities of the tool is also planned.