Articles | Volume 19, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-19-327-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Development of CAS-ESM_MMF: improving East Asian summer precipitation simulation with a Multiscale Modeling Framework
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- Final revised paper (published on 09 Jan 2026)
- Preprint (discussion started on 17 Sep 2025)
Interactive discussion
Status: closed
Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor
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RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2025-4311', Anonymous Referee #1, 21 Oct 2025
- AC1: 'Reply on RC1', Wei Liao, 30 Nov 2025
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RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2025-4311', Anonymous Referee #2, 22 Oct 2025
- AC1: 'Reply on RC1', Wei Liao, 30 Nov 2025
Peer review completion
AR – Author's response | RR – Referee report | ED – Editor decision | EF – Editorial file upload
AR by Wei Liao on behalf of the Authors (30 Nov 2025)
Author's response
Author's tracked changes
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ED: Referee Nomination & Report Request started (04 Dec 2025) by Cenlin He
RR by Anonymous Referee #1 (09 Dec 2025)
RR by Anonymous Referee #2 (10 Dec 2025)
ED: Publish subject to technical corrections (15 Dec 2025) by Cenlin He
AR by Wei Liao on behalf of the Authors (19 Dec 2025)
Author's response
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This paper, “Development of CAS-ESM_MMF: Improving East Asian Summer Precipitation Simulation with a Multiscale Modeling Framework,” presents the development and evaluation of a Multiscale Modeling Framework (MMF) version of the CAS-ESM model. By embedding a cloud-resolving model into the atmospheric component of CAS-ESM, the study demonstrates substantial improvements in simulating East Asian summer precipitation—particularly in alleviating wet and dry biases and in better capturing the seasonal evolution and northward migration of the East Asian rainband. The authors further enhance the framework by incorporating a convective momentum transport (CMT) parameterization, which leads to more realistic large-scale circulation and rainfall migration characteristics.
Under the current background of reduced maintenance and uncertain continuity of the E3SM-MMF codebase, this work represents a timely and valuable step toward advancing operational MMF-based climate simulations. The paper is well-structured and methodologically sound. I think the paper will be a valuable contribution to the MMF modeling community.
Specific Comments
Clarification of CMT Implementation (Section 3.5):
Please clarify whether, in the CAS-ESM_MMF_MF experiment, the convective momentum transport on the GCM side (Richter & Rasch 2008) remains active or is fully replaced by the ESMT parameterization. This distinction is essential to interpret whether the CMT effects arise solely from the embedded CRM or from combined GCM- and MMF-level treatments.
Remove the extra space before the comma in “momentum feedback , namely.”
The sentence “Overall, the MMF improves the simulation of convective precipitation on a global scale, though some systematic errors remain.” seems overstated, since the CORR and RMSE values in Figure 2e appear less favorable than those in Figure 2c. Please rephrase to acknowledge the slight degradation in global statistics despite regional improvements.
Since “eastern China” is newly introduced as a defined analysis region, please mark this region’s location on the maps in Figure 6 for clarity.
The statement that “After introducing the CMT parameterization … convective intensity … is notably reduced” is supported by Figure 10; however, the new simulation appears drier than observations in several regions. Please discuss this residual dry bias and, if feasible, whether modest tuning could better balance the overall magnitude of precipitation.
Revise the title and references to “the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River Basin” for consistency with Figure 1 and the regional definitions used throughout.
The northward propagation of the rainband is not as visually clear as in panels (a–c). Consider adding a dashed line or similar visual guide to indicate its seasonal progression.
The northward propagation of the rainband in the CAS-ESM_MMF_MF run is less clear than in the observational panels and the original MMF run. Please consider adding a visual guide (e.g., a dashed ridgeline of maximum zonal-mean precipitation or a shaded latitude band for the top decile).
In addition, CAS-ESM_MMF_MF shows local monthly peaks from May to September that are not evident in Figure 7d. Could the authors discuss whether these intra-month oscillations might be related to the inclusion of CMT/ESMT?