28.01.2019: FB1-Seminar

11:00 Uhr, Hörsaal, Düsternbrooker Weg 20

Prof. Dr. Katja Matthes, Marine Meteorology and Prof. Dr. Arne Biastoch, Ocean Dynamics, Ocean Circulation and Climate Dynamics, GEOMAR, Kiel

The Flexible Ocean Climate Infrastructure (FOCI)

A new coupled climate model, the Flexible Ocean Climate Infrastructure (FOCI), a successor of the Kiel Climate Model (KCM), is introduced. We present its first version which consists of a global high-top atmosphere (ECHAM6.3) and the ocean model (NEMO3.6) as well as sea ice (LIM) and land surface models (JSBACH). The unique features of FOCI are a number of optional modules which can be added depending on the scientific question of interest. In the atmospheric part, stratospheric chemistry can be added (ECHAM6-HAMMOZ) to study for example the effects of the ozone hole on the climate system. The ocean part allows to activate ocean nest refinements (NEMO-AGRIF); first versions resolve the North or the South Atlantic with a 1/10° resolution, thereby representing the Gulf Stream or the Agulhas Current system in more detail than current global climate models. In the ocean, a biogeochemistry model (TRACY-MOPS) is available. The development of FOCI resulted from a combination of the long-standing expertise in ocean and climate modeling in a number of different research units and divisions at GEOMAR. FOCI will for example allow to complement and interpret long-term observations in the Atlantic by enhancing the process understanding of the role of mesoscale oceanic eddies on large-scale oceanic and atmospheric circulation pattern such as the AMOC or the NAO. This will also help to improve past, present, and possible future AMOC changes and their influences on climate, ocean chemistry and biology on timescales of several decades up to a few centuries.

In this talk we present both the scientific vision for the development of FOCI as well as some technical details. This includes a first validation of the different model components using several configurations of FOCI. We will show that the model in its basic configuration runs stable under pre-industrial control as well as under historical forcing, and produces a climate mean state and variability which compares well with observations, reanalysis products and other climate models. The nested configurations reduce some long-standing biases in climate models and are an important step forward to include the atmospheric response in multi-decadal eddy-rich configurations.

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