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Akronym
TRR181 - T4
Projekt Titel
Surface wave-driven energy fluxes at the air-sea interface
Förderkennzeichen
TRR 181/3
Funding code
945.04-994
Startdatum
January 1, 2021
Enddatum
June 30, 2024
Gepris ID
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Institut
Projektleitung
Mitarbeitende
Loft, Malte
At present, climate models feature energetic inconsistencies, with an error equivalent in magnitude to the energy imbalance of the Earth’s climate system due to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. This leads to biases in the models and limits their ability to predict climate-relevant processes and mechanisms which ultimately affects climate projections. To resolve these shortcomings, we urgently need to address model inconsistencies of numerical and mathematical nature by deepening the physical understanding of energy transfers between the three main dynamical regimes in the atmosphere and the ocean, i.e. small-scale turbulence, gravity waves and geostrophically balanced motion. This CRC assembles expertise in observational and theoretical physical oceanography and meteorology, numerical modelling, and mathematics toi. develop the necessary understanding of the energy transfers between the different dynamical regimes of the atmosphere and the ocean,i. develop, test and implement new and energetically consistent parameterizations in ocean, atmosphere and coupled models,ii. develop numerical and mathematical methods featuring consistent energetics.By resolving the dilemma of missing understanding and inconsistent atmosphere and ocean models with large biases by the past and future work of this CRC, it is our vision to subsequently establish an energetically consistent framework of the coupled climate system and to develop physically, mathematically and numerically consistent models for both the atmosphere and the ocean.Successful steps towards our goal of energetically consistent and improved atmosphere and ocean models have been made in the first phase of the CRC. We propose to transition now towards the second phase under the motto “from model consistency to improved accuracy of climate models'' by equipping the models with new parameterizations and numerics developed during the first phase. Novel physical and mathematical concepts and a deeper understanding taking new important processes into account will lead in the second phase to new and more accurate parameterizations and numerics that mark a further huge step towards energetically consistent models from the regional to the global scale.
In this project, we propose three work packages to experimentally as well as numerically examine the unknown details of the energy transfer mechanisms in the vicinity of the ocean surface, and to prepare the supplementary modelling of this energy transfer in general circulation models. Experimental and numerical efforts will exploit the techniques developed during the first phase of this CRC to identify the physics controlling air-sea energy fluxes and to quantify the mechanical energy budget within the coupled atmospheric and oceanic boundary layers.
In this project, we propose three work packages to experimentally as well as numerically examine the unknown details of the energy transfer mechanisms in the vicinity of the ocean surface, and to prepare the supplementary modelling of this energy transfer in general circulation models. Experimental and numerical efforts will exploit the techniques developed during the first phase of this CRC to identify the physics controlling air-sea energy fluxes and to quantify the mechanical energy budget within the coupled atmospheric and oceanic boundary layers.