LakeMIP II PROJECTS______________________________________________

Sunset_Mbalukira
Lake Mbalukira, Eastern DRC. Photo credit: Wim Thiery

UC10p

This next phase - LakeMIP II - will focus upon these subprojects:

  1. Model ensemble (Klaus Joehnk)
  2. Harp Lake model (Victor Stepanenko)
  3. Single column lake-atmosphere modelling (Stéphane Goyette
  4. Fully coupled 3D lake-atmopshere RCM intercomparison (Wim Thiery)

1. Model ensemble 

- Use a large number of lake models to simulate a large number of lakes in different climate regions

- Determine differences in lake characteristics: surface temperature, stratification (thermocline depth), seasonal characteristics

- Apply all models on all lakes with a single set, per model, of parameters to test model generality

- Use a subset of well monitored lakes with all models individually calibrated to test specific model characteristics

- 16 lake models, 17 lakes (will be reduced to a set of 10)

2. Harp Lake model 

- Test the effect of stratification on the transport across the thermocline uding different lake models

- Simulate gas exchange with the atmodphere in and out

- Test the effect of ice cover on gas exchange

- Focus on carbon dioxyde and methane

3. Single-column atmosphere-lake coupled model

- A Single Column Model (SCM) for the atmosphe will be used for an assessment of many lake models over a large variety of lake environments. This may be considered a necessary step before implementing a lake model within a particular RCM / NWP. In order to do so, a particular lake model, as iwas the case for SIMSTRAT, needs to be converted into a subroutine and the added into the SCM library.

- One can use this approach to assess many lake model performances over Lake Geneva (thermal profiles and other variables are available), to evaluate the impacts of non-linearities (and feedbacks) in the vertical dimension (a model option allows a "one-way" driven lake model as is the case when this model is driven by observations where no feedback is allowed).

4. Fully coupled 3D lake-atmopshere RCM intercomparison

- Apply RCM(s) with operational lake model to a region with large lakes (Laurentian or African Great Lakes, Baikal,...)

- Unify initial and lateral boundary conditions and horizontal resolution, and compare the output.

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