2016 Ocean Sciences Meeting

February 21-26

Advancing theoretical understanding of physical processes using process studies and observations to improve the representation of such (usually unresolved) physics in models is one of the research priorities of US CLIVAR and the broader international modeling community. These improvements may be achieved by advances in parameterizations or by explicit representation of the processes via, e.g., increased resolution. Pathways for improved model parameterizations are rarely obvious, but the key steps include identification of poorly represented physics; improving our understanding; and improving or inclusion of their representations in the models. The final step involves an evaluation of their impacts on the model simulations, considering, for example, bias reductions and improved forecast skills. The success of this development effort requires close collaborations among observationalists, theoreticians, process modelers, and climate model developers.

This session is intended to facilitate such progress by bringing together needed specialists to discuss recent advances in our understanding of missing or inadequately represented physics in models to improve or include their representations in climate models. In addition to observational, theoretical, and process and climate model studies, submissions addressing interactions and exchanges between different components are particularly encouraged (e.g., air-sea/ice-ocean/land-ocean interactions), as are advances facilitating scale-aware parameterizations of subgrid-scale processes.

• A - Air-sea Interactions and Upper Ocean Processes
• HE - High Latitude Environments
• PO - Physical Oceanography/Ocean Circulation
• TP - Turbulent Processes