v2 Campaign
E3SM v2 will be used in a “v2 simulation campaign” , and similarly to v1 campaign it will consist of major simulations addressing the science questions of science drivers in the water cycle, biogeochemistry, and the cryosphere systems.
E3SM has a unique capability for variable resolution modeling using unstructured grids in all its Earth system component models. During Phase I, a regional refined model (RRM) with a high-resolution region over the U.S. has been used for evaluating physics parameterizations for high resolution modeling. This RRM strategy has proven useful for understanding atmosphere model behavior at high resolution, bypassing the need to run more computationally expensive global high-resolution simulations for parameterization testing and calibration. RRM is an important E3SM strategy for large ensemble high resolution simulations and development towards global convection permitting simulations in v3/v4 using a nonhydrostatic model in Phase III. As a result, the goal in Phase II is to begin to move the “proof of concept” RRM to more routine use. This will allow the project to gain expertise in the use of scale-aware parameterizations and address science questions that benefit from higher resolution modeling.
Water Cycle
V2 SCIENTIFIC QUESTION:
What are the relative impacts of global forcing versus regional effects of human activities on flood and drought in North America?
Biogeochemistry
V2 SCIENTIFIC QUESTION:
What are the implications of different energy futures for the biogeochemical cycle through changes in land use land cover, water availability, and extreme events?
Cryosphere Systems
V2 SCIENTIFIC QUESTION:
How will the atmosphere, ocean and sea-ice systems mediate sources of sea-level rise from the Antarctic ice sheet over the next 30 years?