Online-coupled meteorology and chemistry models: history, current status, and outlook

摘要

The climate-chemistry-aerosol-cloud-radiation feedbacks are importantprocesses occurring in the atmosphere. Accurately simulating those feedbacksrequires fully-coupled meteorology, climate, and chemistry models andpresents significant challenges in terms of both scientific understandingand computational demand. This paper reviews the history and current statusof the development and application of online-coupled meteorology andchemistry models, with a focus on five representative modelsdeveloped in the US including GATOR-GCMOM, WRF/Chem, CAM3, MIRAGE, andCaltech unified GCM. These models represent the current status and/or thestate-of-the science treatments of online-coupled models worldwide. Theirmajor model features, typical applications, and physical/chemical treatmentsare compared with a focus on model treatments of aerosol and cloudmicrophysics and aerosol-cloud interactions. Aerosol feedbacks to planetaryboundary layer meteorology and aerosol indirect effects are illustrated withcase studies for some of these models. Future research needs for modeldevelopment, improvement, application, as well as major challenges foronline-coupled models are discussed.