The Connected Isotopic Water Cycle in the Community Earth System Model Version 1
Abstract Because of the pervasive role of water in the Earth system, the relative abundances of stable isotopologues of water are valuable for understanding atmospheric, oceanic, and biospheric processes, and for interpreting paleoclimate proxy reconstructions. Isotopologues are transported by both...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
2019-08-01
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| Series: | Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2019MS001663 |
| _version_ | 1818559084634308608 |
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| author | E. Brady S. Stevenson D. Bailey Z. Liu D. Noone J. Nusbaumer B. L. Otto‐Bliesner C. Tabor R. Tomas T. Wong J. Zhang J. Zhu |
| author_facet | E. Brady S. Stevenson D. Bailey Z. Liu D. Noone J. Nusbaumer B. L. Otto‐Bliesner C. Tabor R. Tomas T. Wong J. Zhang J. Zhu |
| author_sort | E. Brady |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Because of the pervasive role of water in the Earth system, the relative abundances of stable isotopologues of water are valuable for understanding atmospheric, oceanic, and biospheric processes, and for interpreting paleoclimate proxy reconstructions. Isotopologues are transported by both large‐scale and turbulent flows, and the ratio of heavy to light isotopologues changes due to fractionation that can accompany condensation and evaporation processes. Correctly predicting the isotopic distributions requires resolving the relationships between large‐scale ocean and atmospheric circulation and smaller‐scale hydrological processes, which can be accomplished within a coupled climate modeling framework. Here we present the water isotope‐enabled version of the Community Earth System Model version 1 (iCESM1), which simulates global variations in water isotopic ratios in the atmosphere, land, ocean, and sea ice. In a transient Last Millennium simulation covering the 850–2005 period, iCESM1 correctly captures the late‐twentieth‐century structure of δ18O and δD over the global oceans, with more limited accuracy over land. The relationship between salinity and seawater δ18O is also well represented over the observational period, including interbasin variations. We illustrate the utility of coupled, isotope‐enabled simulations using both Last Millennium simulations and freshwater hosing experiments with iCESM1. Closing the isotopic mass balance between all components of the coupled model provides new confidence in the underlying depiction of the water cycle in CESM, while also highlighting areas where the underlying hydrologic balance can be improved. The iCESM1 is poised to be a vital community resource for ongoing model development with both modern and paleoclimate applications. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T00:20:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d5849c6441214a9691105116e30eb89e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1942-2466 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T00:20:45Z |
| publishDate | 2019-08-01 |
| publisher | American Geophysical Union (AGU) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems |
| spelling | doaj.art-d5849c6441214a9691105116e30eb89e2022-12-21T23:25:14ZengAmerican Geophysical Union (AGU)Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems1942-24662019-08-011182547256610.1029/2019MS001663The Connected Isotopic Water Cycle in the Community Earth System Model Version 1E. Brady0S. Stevenson1D. Bailey2Z. Liu3D. Noone4J. Nusbaumer5B. L. Otto‐Bliesner6C. Tabor7R. Tomas8T. Wong9J. Zhang10J. Zhu11Climate and Global Dynamics Laboratory National Center for Atmospheric Research Boulder CO USABren School of Environmental Science & Management University of California Santa Barbara CA USAClimate and Global Dynamics Laboratory National Center for Atmospheric Research Boulder CO USADepartment of Geography The Ohio State University Columbus OH USACollege of Earth, Ocean, & Atmospheric Sciences Oregon State University Corvallis OR USANASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies and Center for Climate Systems Research Columbia University New York NY USAClimate and Global Dynamics Laboratory National Center for Atmospheric Research Boulder CO USADepartment of Geosciences University of Connecticut Storrs CT USAClimate and Global Dynamics Laboratory National Center for Atmospheric Research Boulder CO USADepartment of Computer Science University of Colorado Boulder Boulder CO USACenter for Nonlinear Studies Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos NM USADepartment of Earth and Environmental Sciences University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI USAAbstract Because of the pervasive role of water in the Earth system, the relative abundances of stable isotopologues of water are valuable for understanding atmospheric, oceanic, and biospheric processes, and for interpreting paleoclimate proxy reconstructions. Isotopologues are transported by both large‐scale and turbulent flows, and the ratio of heavy to light isotopologues changes due to fractionation that can accompany condensation and evaporation processes. Correctly predicting the isotopic distributions requires resolving the relationships between large‐scale ocean and atmospheric circulation and smaller‐scale hydrological processes, which can be accomplished within a coupled climate modeling framework. Here we present the water isotope‐enabled version of the Community Earth System Model version 1 (iCESM1), which simulates global variations in water isotopic ratios in the atmosphere, land, ocean, and sea ice. In a transient Last Millennium simulation covering the 850–2005 period, iCESM1 correctly captures the late‐twentieth‐century structure of δ18O and δD over the global oceans, with more limited accuracy over land. The relationship between salinity and seawater δ18O is also well represented over the observational period, including interbasin variations. We illustrate the utility of coupled, isotope‐enabled simulations using both Last Millennium simulations and freshwater hosing experiments with iCESM1. Closing the isotopic mass balance between all components of the coupled model provides new confidence in the underlying depiction of the water cycle in CESM, while also highlighting areas where the underlying hydrologic balance can be improved. The iCESM1 is poised to be a vital community resource for ongoing model development with both modern and paleoclimate applications.https://doi.org/10.1029/2019MS001663climate modelingwater isotopologuesCESM |
| spellingShingle | E. Brady S. Stevenson D. Bailey Z. Liu D. Noone J. Nusbaumer B. L. Otto‐Bliesner C. Tabor R. Tomas T. Wong J. Zhang J. Zhu The Connected Isotopic Water Cycle in the Community Earth System Model Version 1 Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems climate modeling water isotopologues CESM |
| title | The Connected Isotopic Water Cycle in the Community Earth System Model Version 1 |
| title_full | The Connected Isotopic Water Cycle in the Community Earth System Model Version 1 |
| title_fullStr | The Connected Isotopic Water Cycle in the Community Earth System Model Version 1 |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Connected Isotopic Water Cycle in the Community Earth System Model Version 1 |
| title_short | The Connected Isotopic Water Cycle in the Community Earth System Model Version 1 |
| title_sort | connected isotopic water cycle in the community earth system model version 1 |
| topic | climate modeling water isotopologues CESM |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2019MS001663 |
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