We demonstrate that CLM-PFLOTRAN predictions are consistent with CLM4.5 for Arctic, temperate, and tropical sites. A tight relative tolerance may be needed to avoid false convergence when scaling, clipping, or log transformation is used to avoid negative concentration in implicit time stepping and Newton-Raphson methods. The log transformation method is accurate and robust while relaxing relative tolerance or using the clipping or scaling method can result in efficient solutions.

This paper is a description of how very different higher and lower trophic level models (Ecopath with Ecosim) and ERSEM, respectively, can be coupled together using a metadata coupling system together with a number of examples of short- and long-range projections for end to end modelling.

This paper introduces (i) WRF-Chem/DART – a state-of-the-art chemical transport/data assimilation system, and (ii) compact phase space retrievals (CPSRs). WRF-Chem/DART is NCAR's regional chemical weather forecasting prototype. Such systems require assimilation of chemical composition observations, such as trace gas retrievals. Retrievals are expensive to assimilate. CPSRs reduce those assimilation costs (~ 35 % for MOPITT CO) without loss in forecast skill by removing redundant information.

Earth's lithosphere bends beneath surface loads, such as ice, sediments, and mountain belts. The pattern of this bending, or flexural isostatic response, is a function of both the loads and the spatially variable strength of the lithosphere. gFlex is an easy-to-use program to calculate flexural isostastic response, and may be used to better understand how ice sheets, glaciers, large lakes, sedimentary basins, volcanoes, and other surface loads interact with the solid Earth.

We often obtain knowledge about the subsurface in the form of structural geological models, as a basis for subsurface usage or resource extraction. Here, we provide a modelling code to construct such models on the basis of significant deformational events in geological history, encapsulated in kinematic equations. Our methods simplify complex dynamic processes, but enable us to evaluate how events interact, and finally how certain we are about predictions of structures in the subsurface.

Climate simulation crashes are caused by inadeqaute knowledge of parameters in models describing physical phenomena. We have performed reanalysis of the data on simulation crashes and have shown that they can be attributed to three parameters of the ocean model. This is a significant improvement over the original study, where crashes were attributed to eight parameters. Our results will help researchers to develop improved models.

Snow albedo varies with snow grain size, snow cover thickness, etc. It also depends on the spatial characteristics of land cover and on the canopy density and structure. The Noah-MP model shows a bias error of albedo in winter due to no proper reflection of the vegetation effect. We developed new parameters, called leaf index and stem index, which reflect the vegetation effect on winter albedo. The Noah-MP's performance in albedo has prominently improved with about 69 % decrease in the RMSE.

We present a numerically accurate, computationally efficient, (km-scale) high-resolution model for gravitationally consistent relative sea level that, unlike contemporary state-of-the-art models, operates efficiently on an unstructured mesh. The model is useful for earth system modeling and space geodesy. A straightforward and computationally less burdensome coupling to a dynamical ice-sheet model, for example, allows a refined and realistic simulation of fast-flowing outlet glaciers.

Fair comparison between satellite- and modeled urban NO₂ column densities is important in emission inventory evaluation and regulation policy making. This study focuses on the impact of satellite footprint resolution geometry. Since OMI NO₂ pixels are too coarse to resolve fine-scale urban plumes, it may cause 20–30 % bias over major cities. We introduce approaches to adjust spatial and vertical structure (downscaling & averaging kernel), and demonstrate improved agreement between sat. and model.

This study compares two methods of coupling a sea ice model to an atmospheric model in a series of idealized one-dimensional experiments. The JULES method calculates surface variables in the atmosphere; the CICE method calculates surface variables in the sea ice. It is found that simulations of all variables are more accurate in the JULES method, likely because of the shorter time step of the atmosphere.

The Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium and Ghent University have performed two simulations with different horizontal resolutions of the past observed climate of Europe for the period 1979–2010. Of special interest is the new way of handling convective precipitation in the model that was used. Results show that the model is capable of representing the European climate and comparison with other models reveals that precipitation patterns are well represented.

With an advanced numerical global chemistry climate model (CCM) we performed several detailed combined hind-cast and projection simulations of the period 1950 to 2100 to assess the past, present, and potential future dynamical and chemical state of the Earth atmosphere. The manuscript documents the model and the various applied model set-ups and provides a first evaluation of the simulation results from a global perspective as a quality check of the data.

Large discrepancies exist among emission inventories (e.g., REAS and EDGAR) at the provincial level in China. We use WRF-Chem to evaluate the impact of the difference in existing emission inventories and find that emissions inputs significantly affect our air pollutant simulation results. Our study highlights the importance of constraining emissions at the provincial level for regional air quality modeling over East Asia.

Recent developments in observational and modeling techniques allow us to analyze sea ice with increasingly higher resolution. Instead of a continuous ice cover we observe a complex, constantly changing medium composed of interacting floes. Understanding these aspects of sea ice behavior requires new modeling methods, like the Discrete-Element Sea Ice model (DESIgn) in which sea ice is treated as an assemblage of grains that freeze together or break apart in response to wind and ocean currents.

Insect-induced plant damage affects the land-atmosphere exchanges of carbon, energy, and water. We developed a module to quantify such effects in process-based models suitable for climate studies. The module can simulate damage from broadleaf defoliators, needleleaf defoliators, and bark beetles. When coupled to an existing terrestrial vegetation model, the module produced reasonable results for vegetation dynamics and land-atmosphere exchanges, from daily to centennial timescales.