| NSF Org: |
OCE Division Of Ocean Sciences |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | May 19, 2010 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | May 19, 2010 |
| Award Number: | 0961345 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Eric C. Itsweire
OCE Division Of Ocean Sciences GEO Directorate for Geosciences |
| Start Date: | June 1, 2010 |
| End Date: | May 31, 2016 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $512,226.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $512,226.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
5717 CORBETT HALL ORONO ME US 04469-5717 (207)581-1484 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
5717 CORBETT HALL ORONO ME US 04469-5717 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): |
BIOLOGICAL OCEANOGRAPHY, MULTI-SCALE MODELING |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.050 |
ABSTRACT
Intellectual merit
This is a multi-institutional research project to study the regional atmosphere-ocean interactions, and the global ramifications, that result from a more accurate treatment of the eastern boundary coastal upwelling regions of California, Peru-Chile and Benguela, their ecosystems and biogeochemistry in a fully coupled global multi-scale climate model. The novel computational development provides the ability to selectively increase the resolution of the ocean component in desired regions while keeping the two-way coupling to the atmosphere. This project will address the question of physical and biological mechanisms affecting the CO2 air-sea exchange and export in these regions and the climate variability in the present, and under future scenarios, for the selected regions from physical, ecosystem and biogeochemical perspectives. As a study of the role of continental shelves in the climate system, and by addressing known biases/deficiencies in current climate models, it will contribute to our understanding of the climate system and improve projections of climate change. By directly including a biogeochemical model, this study can begin to address climate change impacts on the ecosystems of three of the most productive oceanic regions, and the ecosystems interaction with climate
Broader Impacts
The proposed research has significant impacts to many communities on several levels. By studying regions that are commercially significant, this project will contribute to the knowledge that is needed for future ocean resource management. The inclusion of an ocean model (ROMS) that has been extensively used for ecosystem studies, brings the climate, biogeochemical and ecosystem communities closer together and will permit the study of the role of climate change on ecosystems including higher trophic levels all the way to human activity. The project also contributes significant technical developments to the climate modeling community. The results will lead to the availability of a regional ocean model fully embedded within a global climate model and linked to all its components, including a multi-resolution atmosphere, land surface and sea ice models. By working within the NCAR Community Climate System Model framework all the technical developments will become part of the model that is accessible to the scientific community and can benefit emerging interdisciplinary programs. This project includes the training of three post-doctoral scientists one at University of Maine and two at U.C. Santa Cruz. All the academic institutions involved have a significant track record in teaching of both undergraduate and graduate students and outreach activities. Outreach and teaching activities are also an important part of the mission at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) where regular summer colloquia (organized by the advanced studies program) educate graduate students on various aspects of the climate system and its modeling, and well-visited websites are maintained for both the scientific community and the public.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
The main goals of this work were to study the regional atmosphere-ocean interactions, and the global ramifications, that result from a more accurate treatment of the eastern boundary coastal upwelling regions, their ecosystems and biogeochemistry in a fully coupled global multi-scale climate model. For this purpose, we developed a novel computational technique that provides the ability to selectively increase the resolution of the ocean component in desired regions while keeping the two-way coupling to the atmosphere. With this technical capability, we were able to address question relating to physical and biological mechanisms of boundary currents affecting the CO2 air-sea exchange and export in these regions and the climate variability in the present, and under future scenarios, for the selected regions from physical, ecosystem and biogeochemical perspectives. This work presented significant technical challenges that we were able to resolve on the way to developing a generic, relocatable multi-scale climate model.
Most of the effort was concentrated on implementations in the California Current System and the Benguela Current System. However, for testing purposes we also developed an implementation in the northwest Atlantic—a western boundary current. Furthermore, we were able to explore the role of model resolution in determining the potential role of Eastern Boundary currents (EBUS) as sources/sinks of CO2. All the initial simulations focused on climate variability simulations, permitting us to explore the mechanisms linking boundary currents to the global climate system.
The work completed in this proposal has provided a framework for continued research into the role of boundary currents in the climate system. Though the technical challenges were significant, a system was developed that permits flexibility in focusing resolution in the ocean for understanding specific processes and current systems. Beyond the scope of this report, we continue to analyse both climate variability and climate change simulations in the regions described here, as well as one example of a western boundary current. The highlights of our work include the understanding that the EBUS have both local and remote impacts on climate (physics and biogeochemistry), and that each region has unique characteristics that typically need special attention.
Last Modified: 10/14/2016
Modified by: Fei Chai
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