Data - Assessing Memory in Convection Schemes Using Idealized Tests

This repository contains the data, scripts, WRF codes and files required to reproduce the results of the manuscript "Assessing Memory in Convection Schemes Using Idealized Tests" submitted to the Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems (JAMES).

Brief description of project

This project aims to examine the memory responses of various convection schemes to two idealized tests in single-column model (SCM) setup by comparing their responses to previously published cloud-resolving model (CRM) results (Colin & Sherwood, 2021; Colin et al., 2019). Convective memory is defined as the dependence of convection on its own previous activity whereby subgrid-scale (microstate) structures promote but are also promoted by convection. In the first test (FixMacro), we hold the macrostate environment of convection fixed and observe the evolution of convection. In the second test (HomoMicro), we reset subgrid prognostic variables to neutral values at one time and observe the subsequent evolution as they recover. 

Two memory-capable schemes in two widely used atmospheric models were tested:

• UW-org scheme (WRF)
• Cold pool scheme (LMDZ)

Five widely used convection schemes were also tested in WRF:

• Kain-Fritsch
• New-Tiedtke
• New-simplified Arakawa-Schubert
• Betts-Miller-Janjic
• Zhang-McFarlane

The default WRF code base (version 4.0.2) can be downloaded from here: https://github.com/coecms/WRF/tree/V4.0.2/WRFV3

Repository structure

• /WRF4.0.2 directory: contains the WRF fortran code and run time files required to conduct the simulations described in the manuscript
  • /WRF4.0.2/WRFV3: contains the modified fortran code for the various experimental configurations 
  • /WRF4.0.2/runtime: contains the run time files required to run the SCM and MCM experiments (namelists and input_sounding)
• /data directory: contains the model output data, in csv format
  • /data/mean_state: contains data for the RH, mass flux, T and q anomaly profiles for the CRM and SCMs in the control runs
  • /data/timeseries: contains precipitation and org timeseries in the control runs 
  • /data/FixMacro: contains the responses of the SCMs and WRF CRM for the FixMacro experiment
  • /data/HomoMicro: contains the responses of the SCMs and WRF CRM for the HomoMicro experiment
• /scripts directory: contains the scripts required to plot all figures in the manuscript
  • plot_rce_mean_state_profiles.py: script to plot Figures 2 (RCE mean state profiles for CRM and SCM)
  • plot_fixmacro_timeseries: script to plot Figure 3 (time series of the FixMacro responses)
  • plot_org_PP_fixmacro_response_numerical.py: script to plot Figure 4 (numerical solutions of simplified ODE for the predator-prey model and UW-org scheme)
  • plot_homomicro_timeseries.py: script to plot Figure 5 (time series of the HomoMicro responses)
  • plot_scatterplot_org_tmem.py: script to plot Figure 6 (scatterplots of HomoMicro response time t_mem vs. org and dorg/dt)
  • /scripts/applications directory: contains the utilities script that include helper functions for the plotting scripts