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The Energy Exascale Earth System Model Atmosphere Model version 1, the atmospheric component of the Department of Energy's Energy Exascale Earth System Model is described. The model began as a fork of the well‐known Community Atmosphere Model, but it has evolved in new ways, and coding, performance, resolution, physical processes (primarily cloud and aerosols formulations), testing and development procedures now differ significantly. Vertical resolution was increased (from 30 to 72 layers), and the model top extended to 60 km (~0.1 hPa). A simple ozone photochemistry predicts stratospheric ozone, and the model now supports increased and more realistic variability in the upper troposphere and stratosphere. An optional improved treatment of light‐absorbing particle deposition to snowpack and ice is available, and stronger connections with Earth system biogeochemistry can be used for some science problems. Satellite and ground‐based cloud and aerosol simulators were implemented to facilitate evaluation of clouds, aerosols, and aerosol‐cloud interactions. Higher horizontal and vertical resolution, increased complexity, and more predicted and transported variables have increased the model computational cost and changed the simulations considerably. These changes required development of alternate strategies for tuning and evaluation as it was not feasible to “brute force” tune the high‐resolution configurations, so short‐term hindcasts, perturbed parameter ensemble simulations, and regionally refined simulations provided guidance on tuning and parameterization sensitivity to higher resolution. A brief overview of the model and model climate is provided. Model fidelity has generally improved compared to its predecessors and the CMIP5 generation of climate models. Plain Language Summary This study provides an overview of a new computer model of the Earth's atmosphere that is used as one component of the Department of Energy's latest Earth system model. The model can be used to help understand past, present, and future changes in Earth's behavior as the system responds to changes in atmospheric composition (like pollution and greenhouse gases), land, and water use and to explore how the atmosphere interacts with other components of the Earth system (ocean, land, biology, etc.). Physical, chemical, and biogeochemical processes treated within the atmospheric model are described, and pointers to previous and recent work are listed to provide additional information. The model is compared to present‐day observations and evaluated for some important tests that provide information about what could happen to clouds and the environment as changes occur. Strengths and weaknesses of the model are listed, as well as opportunities for future work. Key Points A brief description and evaluation is provided for the atmospheric component of the Department of Energy's Energy Exascale Earth System Model Model fidelity has generally improved compared to predecessors and models participating in past international model evaluations Strengths and weaknesses of the model, as well as opportunities for future work, are described

The impact of El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on the East Asian Monsoon (EAM) has been examined using a general circulation model (GCM). The observed monthly changes in sea surface temperature (SST) in the equatorial Pacific east of 172°E during 1950-99 were inserted as the lower boundary condition of the model. For all oceanic grid points lying outside of the region of SST prescription, the atmosphere was coupled to an oceanic mixed layer model. The typical evolution of the atmosphere-ocean system during ENSO was analyzed using composite charts. These patterns show that the key changes in the EAM sector are related to a prominent sea level pressure anomaly simulated over the South China Sea and subtropical northwestern Pacific. During warm ENSO events, the circulation anomalies associated with this anomalous anticyclone correspond to weaker winter monsoon flows along the East Asian coast, as well as above-normal precipitation over southern China. These signals move systematically eastward during the following spring and summer. Stationary wave modeling indicates that the atmospheric anomaly in the EAM region is essentially a Rossby-wave response to the ENSO-related diabatic heating pattern over the equatorial western Pacific. The wintertime atmospheric circulation anomalies over the western Pacific generate strong SST anomalies in the following spring. Further model diagnoses indicate that the feedback of these SST changes on the atmosphere leads to eastward propagation of the pressure anomaly in the EAM region, and to amplification of rainfall anomalies along the Meiyu-Baiu front. The atmospheric and oceanic changes in the EAM sector described in this chapter are discussed in the broader context of ENSO influences on the entire Asian-Australian monsoon system.

Our recently developed nonlinear spectral gravity wave (GW) parameterization has been implemented into a Martian general circulation model (GCM) that has been extended to ∼130 km height. The simulations reveal a very strong influence of subgrid‐scale GWs with non‐zero phase velocities in the upper mesosphere (100–130 km). The momentum deposition provided by breaking/saturating/dissipating GWs of lower atmospheric origin significantly decelerate the zonal wind, and even produce jet reversals similar to those observed in the terrestrial mesosphere and lower thermosphere. GWs also weaken the meridional wind, transform the two‐cell meridional equinoctial circulation to a one‐cell summer‐to‐winter hemisphere transport, and modify the zonal‐mean temperature by up to ±15 K. Especially large temperature changes occur over the winter pole, where GW‐altered meridional circulation enhances both “middle” and “upper” atmosphere maxima by up to 25 K. A series of sensitivity tests demonstrates that these results are not an artefact of a poorly constrained GW scheme, but must be considered as robust features of the Martian atmospheric dynamics. Key Points Spectral gravity wave parameterization was introduced into a Martian GCM GW turn out to be extremely important in the Martian atmosphere Their dynamical effects are similar to those in the terrestrial mesosphere

A nonlinear spectral gravity wave (GW) drag parameterization systematically accounting for breaking and dissipation in the thermosphere developed by Yiğit et al. (2008) has been implemented into the University College London Coupled Middle Atmosphere‐Thermosphere‐2 (CMAT2) general circulation model (GCM). The dynamical role of GWs propagating upward from the lower atmosphere has been studied in a series of GCM tests for June solstice conditions. The results suggest that GW drag is not only nonnegligible above the turbopause, but that GWs propagate strongly into the upper thermosphere, and, upon their dissipation, deposit momentum comparable to that of ion drag, at least up to 180–200 km. The effects of thermospheric GW drag are particularly noticeable in the winter (southern) hemisphere, where weaker westerlies and stronger high‐latitude easterlies are simulated well, in agreement with the empirical Horizontal Wind Model (HWM93). The dynamic response in the F region is sensitive to the variations of the source spectrum. However, the spectra commonly employed in middle atmosphere GCMs reproduce the circulation both in the lower and upper thermosphere reasonably well.

For the first time, gravity wave‐induced heating and cooling effects were fully and interactively incorporated into a Martian general circulation model (GCM). Simulations with a comprehensive GCM with an implemented spectral nonlinear gravity wave (GW) parameterization revealed significant thermal effects of GWs in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) between 100 and 150 km. Wave‐induced heating and cooling rates are comparable with those due to near‐IR CO2 heating and IR CO2cooling, correspondingly. Accounting for thermal effects of GWs results in a colder simulated MLT, with the most of cooling taking place in middle‐ and high‐latitudes. In the winter hemisphere, the temperature decrease can exceed 45 K. The colder simulated MLT is in a good agreement with the SPICAM stellar occultation measurements and Mars Odyssey aerobraking temperature retrievals. Our experiments suggest that thermal effects of GWs are probably a key physical mechanism in the MLT missing in contemporary Martian GCMs. Key Points Thermal effects of GWs have been parameterized in a Martian GCM GWs produce a significant cooling above 100 km, well in line with observations These effects are comparable with radiative effects of CO2 and must be accounted

This chapter assesses the overall performance of current GCMs in simulating the summer monsoon rainfall, particularly its seasonal evolution and the anomalies during the 1997-98 El Niño period. Eleven GCM data used in the present study are from the CLIVAR/Monsoon GCM intercomparison project.

In the original multiscale modeling framework (MMF), the Community Atmosphere Model (CAM3.5) is used as the host general circulation model (GCM), and the System for Atmospheric Modeling model with a first‐order turbulence closure is used as the cloud resolving model (CRM) for representing cloud physical processes in each grid column of the GCM. This study introduces an upgrade of the MMF in which the first‐order turbulence closure scheme is replaced by an advanced third‐order turbulence closure in its CRM component. The results are compared between the upgraded and original MMFs, CAM3.5, and observations. The global distributions of low‐level cloud amounts in the subtropics in the upgraded MMF show substantial improvement relative to the original MMF when both are compared with observations. The improved simulation of low‐level clouds is attributed not only to the representation of subgrid‐scale condensation in the embedded CRM but also is closely related to the increased surface sensible and latent heat fluxes, the increased lower tropospheric stability (LTS), and stronger longwave radiative cooling. Both MMF simulations show close agreement in the vertical structures of cloud amount and liquid water content of midlatitude storm‐track clouds and subtropical low‐level clouds, compared with observations, with the upgraded MMF being better at simulating the low‐level cumulus regime. Since the upgraded MMF produces more subtropical low‐level clouds and does not produce an excessive amount of optically thick high‐level clouds in either the tropics or midlatitudes as the original MMF does, the global mean albedo decreases. The positive bias in albedo and longwave cloud radiative forcing (CRF) and negative bias in shortwave CRF are reduced in the tropical convective regions. Key Points Implement a third‐order turbulence closure in CRM component of an MMF Improve the low‐cloud representation in climate modeling Understand the physical processes influecing the PBL clouds

The authors argue that interactive feedbacks involving surface moist enthalpy fluxes, both turbulent and radiative, are important to the dynamics of tropical intraseasonal variability. Evidence in favor of this hypothesis includes the observed spatial distribution of intraseasonal variance in precipitation and outgoing longwave radiation, the observed relationship between intraseasonal latent heat flux and precipitation anomalies in regions where intraseasonal variability is strong, and sensitivity experiments performed with a small number of general circulation and idealized models. The authors argue that it would be useful to assess the importance of surface fluxes to intraseasonal variability in a larger number of comprehensive numerical models.

The atmosphere of Mars has been studied for many years now by a long series of missions. The paper focuses on the results obtained by two of these that are led by European researchers overseen by the European Space Agency, i.e., Mars Express which was launched in 2003 and ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter launched in 2016. Both missions are still providing high-quality data about the atmosphere of Mars, such as abundances of its key species – CO 2 , CO, H 2 O, O 3  - playing an important role in the different cycles existing on the planet, as well as other trace gases – O 2 (mixing ratio of 3.1 to 5.8 × 10 −3 above 90 km), the recently discovered HCl (up to 4 ppbv below 30 km), and the elusive CH 4 (stringent detection limit of 20 pptv). Some instruments are also sensitive enough to provide information on isotopologues of the key elements and have delivered for some of these the first and unique vertical profiles available today ( δ 13 C and δ 18 O in CO 2 and CO, D/H, δ 17 O and δ 18 O in water vapour). The paper retraces the history of the exploration of the Martian atmosphere putting the results from both missions in perspective.

The paper introduces a moist, deterministic test case of intermediate complexity for Atmospheric General Circulation Models (AGCMs). We suggest pairing an AGCM dynamical core with simple physical parameterizations to test the evolution of a single, idealized, initially weak vortex into a tropical cyclone. The initial conditions are based on an initial vortex seed that is in gradient‐wind and hydrostatic balance. The suggested “simple‐physics” package consists of parameterizations of bulk aerodynamic surface fluxes for moisture, sensible heat and momentum, boundary layer diffusion, and large‐scale condensation. Such a configuration includes the important driving mechanisms for tropical cyclones, and leads to a rapid intensification of the initial vortex over a forecast period of ten days. The simple‐physics test paradigm is not limited to tropical cyclones, and can be universally applied to other flow fields. The physical parameterizations are described in detail to foster model intercomparisons. The characteristics of the intermediate‐complexity test case are demonstrated with the help of four hydrostatic dynamical cores that are part of the Community Atmosphere Model version 5 (CAM 5) developed at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). In particular, these are the Finite‐Volume, Spectral Element, and spectral transform Eulerian and semi‐Lagrangian dynamical cores that are coupled to the simple‐physics suite. The simulations show that despite the simplicity of the physics forcings the models develop the tropical cyclone at horizontal grid spacings of about 55 km and finer. The simple‐physics simulations reveal essential differences in the storm's structure and strength due to the choice of the dynamical core. Similar differences are also seen in complex full‐physics aqua‐planet experiments with CAM 5 which serve as a motivator for this work. The results suggest that differences in complex full‐physics simulations can be, at least partly, replicated in simplified model setups. The simplified experiments might therefore provide easier access to an improved physical understanding of how the dynamical core and moist physical parameterizations interact. It is concluded that the simple‐physics test case has the potential to close the gap between dry dynamical core assessments and full‐physics aqua‐planet experiments, and can shed light on the role of the dynamical core in the presence of moisture processes. Key Points A moist, deterministic test case of medium complexity for AGCMs is introduced Simple‐physics simulations capture dominant tropical cyclone characteristics Can provide an understanding of dynamical core and moist processes interaction