University of Alberta
Atmosphere Modelling, EAS 471
Jan.-Apr., 2016
Topics and Tentative Order of their Coverage
The course outline states our coverage as being: "Dynamics and physics of general circulation models. Numerical Weather Prediction models, ocean models, limited area models. Finite difference methods; spectral methods, and numerical stability." (That broad range is intended to accommodate the specialities of the range of instructors who deliver the course, and content varies from year to year and instructor to instructor).
Logical Breakdnown of Topics
- Understanding the equations of motion from first principles
- Averaging the equations of motion to obtain equations for the "resolved" flow, and the resulting closure problem
- Formalities of numerical method for solving the equations typical of flow problems, e.g. origin of numerical errors, numerical stability, etc.
- Simplified (idealized) flow problems: linear and non-linear advection equations; diffusion (heat) equation in one or more dimensions; simultaneous advection and diffusion (in some cases we may be able to compare numerical solutions with analytical solutions)
- Review of Canada's Global Multiscale Environmental (GEM) NWP model from perspective of the above (and perhaps too, WRF)
- Simulating transport in a given (known) flow: examples of Eulerian and Lagrangian methods. (Examples will be relevant to air pollution models)
- Time permitting, we may explore "parameterization schemes" for the representation of one or more "unresolved processes" in numerical weather or climate models (e.g. cumulus parameterization; representation of boundary layer turbulence)
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Last Modified: 3 Jan., 2016