Arctic System Modeling Workshop III
International Collaboration in Arctic System Modeling

July 16-17, 2009
Thursday and Friday before the start of MOCA 2009
University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM)

Agenda

Download Agenda (PDF)

Links provide downloads of slides from each talk or breakout session.

Thursday July 16

1. Introduction
8:30-8:45 - Welcome – Laprise
8:45-9:00 - Purpose of the workshop – Sushama

2. Current state of Regional Arctic Models
9:00-9:20 - RACM (part 1) (part 2) – Maslowski/Gutowski
9:20-9:40 - RCAO – Döscher/Jones
9:40-10:00 - CRCM (part 1) (part 2) –Bernard/Sushama/Laprise

10:00-10:30 - Break

10:30-10:50 - Arctic atmosphere-ocean-sea ice modelling at AWI - Dethloff/Rinke/Dorn/Gerdes/Laeuter/Handorf
10:50-11:10 - Polar GEM – Zadra
11:10-11:30 - ECCO2 (part 1) (part 2) – Heimbach/Menemenlis
11:30-11:50 - Science plan for a community ASM – Roberts/Hinzman/Walsh
11:50-12:15 - Organization of Breakout Sessions – Döscher

12:15-13:15 - Lunch

13:15-14:45 - Five Breakout sessions

1. Atmosphere – Walsh/Elliott
2. Sea Ice/Ocean – Proshutinsky/Flato/Gerdes
3. Terrestrial/Permafrost – Verseghy/Hinzman/Cherry
4. Ice sheet/Glacier – Holland
5. Biogeochemistry/Ecosystem – Wolf-Gladrow/Steiner/Elliott

Questions to be answered by each breakout session:

1. Science questions that can be best answered with coupled Arctic regional climate models; science questions missing from existing plans.
2. Existing/planned modelling and model validation efforts to address the above
3. Reasonable boundaries for the 'Arctic System' for respective research areas; What are the opportunities and limitations due to a limited Arctic model domain?
4. How are observations incorporated into model development and how can the link be improved?
5. Would regional modelling efforts benefit from an international, centralized method for sharing model output for intercomparison and for sharing validation data and validation code/methods?
6. What interactions are there between regional modelling and global modelling in your field of research? Would projects benefit from a community-coordinated program for obtaining data from and sharing model output with a global modelling community?
7. What plans are in action for including emerging modules into existing regional arctic models?
8. What human dimension modelling is being done in conjunction with physical modelling?
9. What are possible interface strategies for collaboration between natural-science modelling and research on adaptation and human living conditions?
10. What level of interaction between components is desirable?
11. What is the benefit of interactive coupling on the complete system?
12. Which other components should your component be coupled to?
13. On what time scale is interactive coupling/one-way coupling useful?

14:45–15:15 - Break

15:15-16:30 - Presentations from breakout sessions
16:30-17:30 - Floor discussion - Co-ordinating international efforts in Arctic System Modelling (moderator: Hinzman)

18:00-20:00 - Reception

Friday July 17

8:30-8:40 - Recap of previous day’s discussions and aim for the day - Elliott

3. Model validation and inter comparison projects

8:40-9:00 - AOMIP – Proshutinsky
9:00-9:20 - ARCMIP/CARCMIP – Dethloff/Rinke
9:40-10:00 - SNOWMIP (part 1) (part 2) – Essery/Brown
10:00-10:20 - CORDEX – Gutowski

10:20-10:50 - Break

10:50-11:10 - Ocean/Atmosphere observations (part 1) (part 2) (part 3)– Walsh/Menemenlis/Proshutinsky
11:10-11:30 - Carbon Cycle observations – Slater/Anderson

4. Emerging Modules for ASMs
11:30-11:45 - Ice Sheet Modelling – Holland/Adalgeirsdottir
11:45-12:00 - Dynamic vegetation – Smith
12:00-12:15 - Human dimension needs – Cherry/Larsen
12:15-12:30 - Atmospheric chemistry/Aerosols (part 1) (part 2) – Plummer/Blanchette
12:30-12:45 - Biogeochemistry – Elliott/Deal
12:45-12:50 - Organization of Breakout Sessions – Sushama

12:50-13:45 - Lunch

5. International Coordination
13:45-15:00 - Breakout sessions

1. International development and co-ordination strategy – Key
1. To what extent should and can international ASM development be coordinated?
2. Is it feasible and desirable to co-ordinate international development of emerging ASM modules?
3. Should an international steering committee be established?
2. Model output sharing, validation and intercomparison – Dethloff/Proshutinsky
1. Is it possible to maintain a central data archive for sharing model output and observations for intercomparison?
2. Is there scope for pooling observational datasets to improve the quality of model validations?
3. What organizational framework could be used to maintain intercomparison and validation standards?
3. Human dimensions - Cherry/Larsen
1. Readiness of these modules, scope of current cooperation, and possible needs for future international collaborations
2. Possible feedbacks
3. Should an international working group be established to accelerate implementation of HD components in ASMs?

15:00–15:30 - Break

15:30-16:00 - Presentations from breakout sessions (10 minutes each)

6. Conclusion
16:00-17:00 - Floor discussion - Coordination of different upcoming ASMs (moderator: Laprise)

1. The coordination model of the IARC ASM initiative: discussion, updates, new steps (20 min, based on 5 min presentation from Walsh)
   
2. Possibilities for coordination of international ASMs (20 min, based on outcomes from final question from each of the last breakout sessions)
   
3. Opportunities for funding (20 minutes)
   
4. Meeting Close