Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-2022-127
https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-2022-127
Submitted as: model description paper
 | 
07 Jun 2022
Submitted as: model description paper |  | 07 Jun 2022
Status: this preprint is currently under review for the journal GMD.

The CryoGrid community model (version 1.0) – a multi-physics toolbox for climate-driven simulations in the terrestrial cryosphere

Sebastian Westermann, Thomas Ingeman-Nielsen, Johanna Scheer, Kristoffer Aalstad, Juditha Aga, Nitin Chaudhary, Bernd Etzelmüller, Simon Filhol, Andreas Kääb, Cas Renette, Louise Steffensen Schmidt, Thomas Vikhamar Schuler, Robin B. Zweigel, Léo Martin, Sarah Morard, Matan Ben-Asher, Michael Angelopoulos, Julia Boike, Brian Groenke, Frederieke Miesner, Jan Nitzbon, Paul Overduin, Simone M. Stuenzi, and Moritz Langer

Abstract. The CryoGrid community model is a flexible toolbox for simulating the ground thermal regime and the ice/water balance for permafrost and glaciers, extending a well-established suite of permafrost models (CryoGrid 1, 2 and 3). The CryoGrid community model can accommodate a wide variety of application scenarios, which is achieved by fully modular structures through object-oriented programming. Different model components, characterized by their process representations and parametrizations, are realized as classes (i.e. objects) in CryoGrid. Standardized communication protocols between these classes ensure that they can be stacked vertically. For example, the CryoGrid community model features several classes with different complexity for the seasonal snow cover which can be flexibly combined with a range of classes representing subsurface materials, each with their own set of process representations (e.g. soil with and without water balance, glacier ice).

We present the CryoGrid architecture as well as the model physics and defining equations for the different model classes, focusing on one-dimensional model configurations which can also interact with external heat and water reservoirs. We illustrate the wide variety of simulation capabilities for a site on Svalbard, with point-scale permafrost simulations using e.g. different soil freezing characteristics, drainage regimes and snow representations, as well as simulations for glacier mass balance and a shallow water body. The CryoGrid community model is not intended as a static model framework, but aims to provide developers with a flexible platform for efficient model development. In this study, we document both basic and advanced model functionalities to provide a baseline for the future development of novel cryosphere models.

Sebastian Westermann et al.

Status: final response (author comments only)

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • RC1: 'Comment on gmd-2022-127', Anonymous Referee #1, 20 Jul 2022
  • RC2: 'Comment on gmd-2022-127', Anonymous Referee #2, 08 Feb 2023
  • EC1: 'Comment on gmd-2022-127', Christopher Horvat, 08 Feb 2023

Sebastian Westermann et al.

Sebastian Westermann et al.

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Short summary
The CryoGrid community model is a new tool for simulating ground temperatures and the water and ice balance in cold regions. It is a modular design which makes it possible to test different schemes to simulate for example permafrost ground in an efficient way. The model contains tools to simulate frozen and unfrozen ground, snow, glaciers and other massive ice bodies, as well as water bodies.