Table 1) with 1/2 ø resolution is utilized. After spin-up to statistical equilibrium, all of the simulations were forced by daily averaged winds from 1981 to 1994, so that interannual variability is also present. The formulation for the NLOM is presented in section 2 with detailed equations for the thermodynamic version. The modifications necessary to create a hydrodynamic version are also presented as well as a more detailed discussion of the design of the three simulations specifically used in this study.These simulations contain different physics, which are used to include or exclude dynamical processes that may be relevant to the simulation of mean currents and variability in the Caribbean. For instance, simulation 2 contains realistic bottom topography. Simulation l is reduced gravity and therefore excludes the barotropic mode and the bottom topography. Since eddies are observed in both simulations, these differences provide a means to investigate (1) the influence bottom topography and baroclinic instability involving the barotropic mode on the simulated eddies in the Caribbean and (2) topographic effects on eddy formation and pathways of mean currents. Simulation 1 is also thermodynamic and therefore contains more accurate stratification that can influence eddy generation and propagation speeds. This simulation also has a more accurate representation of the return flow of the global thermohaline circulation, which affects the mean transports through the Lesser Antilles. The linear simulation excludes flow instability dynamics, providing a linear, deterministic ocean model response to the atmospheric forcing. It is used to demonstrate the impact of nonlinearity on a multiyear anomaly seen in the interannual simulations and to isolate the cause of this anomaly.This investigation can be viewed as an attempt to use the model simulations to extend our understanding of a region with limited observations after comparing the simulations with the observational data currently available. However, additional observations are required to adequately assess the model re- The model also includes interfacial friction that is quadratically proportional to the velocity shear between the adjacent layers. In the simulations used here, this type of interfacial friction is excluded by setting Ca = 0. However, an interfacial friction effect is retained via the diapycnal mixing.Three versions of the model were used in this study. Table 1 provides In the model, deepwater formation is parameterized (1) by using ports along the northern boundary with prescribed outflow in the upper ocean and prescribed inflow in the abyssal layer and (2) by downwelling in the Labrador Sea via the oxygen-based cross-interfacial mixing scheme described earlier. Both simulations 1 and 2 have an imposed outflow of 8 Sv in the top five layers at two ports, one located between Greenland and Scotland, the second in the Davis Strait (Table 1) into the Gulf of Mexico. This phenomenon has been simulated in other versions of the NRL model that possess ac...

Abstract. The Metafor project has developed a common information model (CIM) using the ISO19100 series formalism to describe numerical experiments carried out by the Earth system modelling community, the models they use, and the simulations that result. Here we describe the mechanism by which the CIM was developed, and its key properties. We introduce the conceptual and application versions and the controlled vocabularies developed in the context of supporting the fifth Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5). We describe how the CIM has been used in experiments to describe model coupling properties and describe the near term expected evolution of the CIM.

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The Earth System Curator is a National Science Foundation sponsored project developing a metadata formalism for describing the digital resources used in climate simulations. The primary motivating observation of the project is that a simulation/model's source code plus the configuration parameters required for a model run are a compact representation of the dataset generated when the model is executed. The end goal of the project is a convergence of models and data where both resources are accessed uniformly from a single registry. In this paper we review the current metadata landscape of the climate modeling community, present our work on developing a metadata formalism for describing climate models, and reflect on technical challenges we have faced that require new research in the area of Earth Science Informatics.Keywords Climate data portal . Climate modeling . world. To be successful, these projects must be able to access datasets generated at different modeling centers and moreover, the datasets themselves must exhibit a level of uniformity that enables integration and intercomparison. Such uniformity can be achieved by making datasets available in common data formats and adhering to formal metadata conventions.To that end, one of the goals of the NSF-sponsored Earth System Curator project (DeLuca et al. 2005) is to develop a metadata formalism for describing the digital resources used in climate simulations. The primary motivating observation of the project is that a model's source code plus the configuration parameters required for a model run are a compact representation of the dataset generated when the model is executed. This observation implies that a comprehensive description of a climate model run is a complete and accurate description of the dataset produced by the model. Despite this connection between models and datasets, the climate community is currently treating the two resources as distinct entities. Those providing data infrastructure (e.g., data portals, search interfaces, retrieval mechanisms) typically begin addressing datasets only after they have been generated, ignoring the steps of the modeling process that led up to the generated dataset. Meanwhile, those providing modeling infrastructure are building tools to facilitate the enormously complex processes of development, assembly, and execution of model codes. But, despite the complexity involved in configuring a model run, the typical output dataset used for analysis is annotated with only a limited amount of metadata (e.g., standard field names, units, horizontal and vertical dimensions). This is an enormous disadvantage for those trying to discover or analyze a dataset based on properties of the original model, and this is the key issue that Curator attempts to address.The Curator project seeks to blur the line between models and datasets on the premise that a detailed description of a model run is the basis for generating the dataset. The end goal is a convergence of models and data where both kinds of resources can be ac...

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