Open AccessLarge eddy simulation using the general circulation model ICON
Author(s) -
Dipankar Anurag,
Stevens Bjorn,
Heinze Rieke,
Moseley Christopher,
Zängl Günther,
Giorgetta Marco,
Brdar Slavko
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of advances in modeling earth systems
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.03
H-Index - 58
ISSN - 1942-2466
DOI - 10.1002/2015ms000431
Subject(s) - icon , convective boundary layer , computer science , meteorology , boundary layer , turbulence , flow (mathematics) , planetary boundary layer , numerical weather prediction , aerospace engineering , mechanics , physics , engineering , programming language
ICON (ICOsahedral Nonhydrostatic) is a unified modeling system for global numerical weather prediction (NWP) and climate studies. Validation of its dynamical core against a test suite for numerical weather forecasting has been recently published by Zängl et al. (2014). In the present work, an extension of ICON is presented that enables it to perform as a large eddy simulation (LES) model. The details of the implementation of the LES turbulence scheme in ICON are explained and test cases are performed to validate it against two standard LES models. Despite the limitations that ICON inherits from being a unified modeling system, it performs well in capturing the mean flow characteristics and the turbulent statistics of two simulated flow configurations—one being a dry convective boundary layer and the other a cumulus‐topped planetary boundary layer.