Turbulence and Convection in Ocean and Atmospheric Models:The Unified Eddy-Diffusivity/Mass-Flux (EDMF) Approach

The parameterization of turbulent and convective mixing in ocean and atmospheric models has been a major challenge in ocean, atmospheric, and climate research for several decades. In particular, different parameterizations are used, and patched together often artificially, for different types of turbulence and convection. For example, the Eddy-Diffusivity (ED) approach has been relatively successful in representing the properties of neutral and stable boundary layers in both ocean and atmospheric models, while the Mass-Flux (MF) approach has often been used in atmospheric models for the parameterization of shallow and deep moist convection. In this presentation, an approach based on an optimal combination of the ED and MF parameterizations (EDMF) is discussed in detail as a solution for the full unification of the parameterizations of turbulent and convective mixing in both ocean and atmospheric models. In particular, we will present results from a new multi-plume stochastic EDMF parameterization applied to both ocean and atmospheric boundary layers.