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At least 1,387 records · Page 77
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Simulations of the Collision between a Debris Stream and an Outer Dusty Torus: A Possible Channel for Forming a Fast-rise and Long-delay Radio Outburst in Tidal Disruption Events

A geometrically thick dusty torus structure is believed to exist in the nuclear regions of galaxies (especially in active galactic nuclei). The debris stream from a tidal disruption event (TDE) will possibly collide with the dusty torus and produce a transient flare. We perform three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations to model the dynamical evolution of the interaction between unbound debris and a dusty torus. During the continuous interaction, shocked material will be spilled out from the interaction region and form an outflow. We calculate the temporal evolution of synchrotron emission by assuming that the shock accelerates a fraction of electrons in the outflow into a nonthermal distribution. We find that radio emission from the debris–torus collision generates a steep-rise and slow-decline radio light curve due to the sharp edge and dense gas of the dusty torus, where the radio outburst is delayed relative to the main optical/X-ray outburst by several years or even several tens of years. We apply our model to a TDE that happened in a narrow-line Seyfert I galaxy (PS16dtm), where both the radio spectrum and the light curve can be roughly reproduced. Future high-sensitivity, wide-field-of-view radio surveys have the opportunity to detect more such radio flares.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Handling and Properties of Methanol as a Marine Fuel

Given the increasing concern around greenhouse gas emissions and the decline in the availability of fossil fuels, there is increasing global demand to develop alternate fuels for maritime transportation that are sustainable and which have lower greenhouse gas emissions. Methanol is one such alternative fuel that has garnered considerable attention given its potential to be produced by more sustainable processes and its more favorable greenhouse gas emission profile in comparison with current fossil fuels. Understanding the physical and chemical properties of methanol under a range of conditions is essential for its development as a marine fuel. In this study, we seek to define physical and chemical properties of different methanol samples to simulate real-world storage conditions as these data are lacking in the literature. Several methanol samples were evaluated: nearly pure methanol; International Organization for Standardization (ISO) marine methanol (MM) grades A, B, and C; and methanol plus higher alcohols. We first evaluated all methanol samples for impurities, acetic acid content, density, and distillation range. We then characterized the effects of water absorption and found that methanol can easily absorb unacceptable water content from humid air within hours, necessitating storage conditions that prevent this process. In eight-week aging experiments at 20 °C and 40 °C in ambient air, we did not observe significant oxidation for any of the methanol samples; however, we did observe increases in acid number. We assessed the impact of contamination of methanol with water, marine gas oil (MGO), and an MGO–biodiesel mixture on density, viscosity, distillation range, and lubricity. Finally, we show that MGO contamination of methanol results in a slight increase in sooting tendency. In aggregate, our results provide an in-depth analysis of physical and chemical properties of methanol as well as the impacts of storage conditions and impurities on the properties of fuel methanol.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Off-harmonic optical probing of high intensity laser plasma expansion dynamics in solid density hydrogen jets

Due to the non-linear nature of relativistic laser induced plasma processes, the development of laser-plasma accelerators requires precise numerical modeling. Especially high intensity laser-solid interactions are sensitive to the temporal laser rising edge and the predictive capability of simulations suffers from incomplete information on the plasma state at the onset of the relativistic interaction. Experimental diagnostics utilizing ultra-fast optical backlighters can help to ease this challenge by providing temporally resolved inside into the plasma density evolution. We present the successful implementation of an off-harmonic optical probe laser setup to investigate the interaction of a high-intensity laser at 5.4 x 10 21 W/cm 2 peak intensity with a solid-density cylindrical cryogenic hydrogen jet target of 5μm diameter as a target test bed. The temporal synchronization of pump and probe laser, spectral filtering and spectrally resolved data of the parasitic plasma self-emission are discussed. The probing technique mitigates detector saturation by self-emission and allowed to record a temporal scan of shadowgraphy data revealing details of the target ionization and expansion dynamics that were so far not accessible for the given laser intensity. Plasma expansion speeds of up to (2.3 ± 0.4)x 10 7 m/s followed by full target transparency at 1.4ps after the high intensity laser peak are observed. A three dimensional particle-in-cell simulation initiated with the diagnosed target pre-expansion at -0.2ps and post processed by ray tracing simulations supports the experimental observations and demonstrates the capability of time resolved optical diagnostics to provide quantitative input and feedback to the numerical treatment within the time frame of the relativistic laser-plasma interaction.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Kilonovae Across the Nuclear Physics Landscape: The Impact of Nuclear Physics Uncertainties on r-process-powered Emission

Merging neutron stars produce “kilonovae”—electromagnetic transients powered by the decay of unstable nuclei synthesized via rapid neutron capture (the r-process) in material that is gravitationally unbound during inspiral and coalescence. Kilonova emission, if accurately interpreted, can be used to characterize the masses and compositions of merger-driven outflows, helping to resolve a long-standing debate about the origins of r-process material in the Universe. We explore how the uncertain properties of nuclei involved in the r-process complicate the inference of outflow properties from kilonova observations. Using r-process simulations, we show how nuclear physics uncertainties impact predictions of radioactive heating and element synthesis. For a set of models that span a large range in both predicted heating and final abundances, we carry out detailed numerical calculations of decay product thermalization and radiation transport in a kilonova ejecta with a fixed mass and density profile. The light curves associated with our models exhibit great diversity in their luminosities, with peak brightness varying by more than an order of magnitude. We also find variability in the shape of the kilonova light curves and their color, which in some cases runs counter to the expectation that increasing levels of lanthanide and/or actinide enrichment will be correlated with longer, dimmer, redder emission.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Plasma assisted NH 3 /H 2 /air ignition in nanosecond discharges with non-equilibrium energy transfer

Ammonia (NH 3 ), with its high energy density and easiness to store and transport as a hydrogen carrier, has become a promising alternative green fuel. However, its adoption in power generation is hindered by challenges such as low burning velocity, slow low-temperature oxidation, high NO x emissions, and ignition difficulty. Here, this work computationally investigates the effects of non-equilibrium energy transfer by nanosecond discharges on NH 3 ignition and flame propagation in an NH 3 /H 2 /air flow at 700 K and 1 atm. The simulation results demonstrate that NH 3 /air mixtures require a large ignition energy due to their large critical ignition radius. It is shown that adding 30 % hydrogen significantly reduces the critical ignition radius and minimum ignition energy. Two-dimensional modeling further shows a non-monotonic dependence of ignition kernel volume on the applied voltage and reduced electric field. The optimum ignition enhancement occurs at 200 Td where the generation of electronically excited species and radicals including N 2 (B), O( 1 D) and OH becomes most efficient. Higher voltages divert electron energy toward ionization, which makes it less effective for NH 3 ignition. The study also identifies an optimal electrode gap size for a given pulse energy. Smaller gap sizes increase deposited energy density, raising temperature and radical concentrations. However, excessive reduction of the gap distance reduces flame propagation speed due to the flame stretch effect in rich mixtures with the effective Lewis number greater than unity. A nonlinear relationship between pulse repetition frequency and ignition kernel volume is observed in a nanosecond pulsed high frequency discharge (NPHFD). An optimal frequency range of 200 kHz to 2 MHz is found when two pulses are used. In addition, an optimal number of pulses exists for each pulse repetition frequency, with higher frequencies requiring more pulses to maximize the overlap region. These findings provide critical insights on developing controlled plasma discharge techniques for efficient NH 3 ignition in reactive flows within internal combustion engines and gas turbines.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2020

Ionization-Induced Subcycle Metallization of Nanoparticles in Few-Cycle Pulses

Strong-field laser-matter interactions in nanoscale targets offer unique avenues for the generation and detailed characterization of matter under extreme conditions. Field-driven, sub-cycle ionization-induced metallization of nanoscale solids in intense laser fields has been predicted (Peltz et al. Time-Resolved X-ray Imaging of Anisotropic Nano-plasma Expansion. Phys. Rev. Lett. 2014, 113, 133401), but its observation was hampered by a lack of a smoking gun. Here, we report the ultrafast metallization of isolated dielectric and semiconducting nanoparticles under intense few-cycle laser pulses. The highest-energy electron emission is found to be a decisive proof that shows a characteristic cutoff modification to a metallic limit for intensities high enough to ignite carrier avalanching in the volume of the particles. Furthermore, semiclassical Mean-field Mie Monte-Carlo transport simulations reveal the underlying dynamics and explain the observed evolution by near-field driven electron backscattering from the metallizing target.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

Characteristics of Future Warmer Base States in CESM2

Abstract Simulations of 21st century climate with Community Earth System Model version 2 (CESM2) using the standard atmosphere (CAM6), denoted CESM2(CAM6), and the latest generation of the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM6), denoted CESM2(WACCM6), are presented, and a survey of general results is described. The equilibrium climate sensitivity (ECS) of CESM2(CAM6) is 5.3°C, and CESM2(WACCM6) is 4.8°C, while the transient climate response (TCR) is 2.1°C in CESM2(CAM6) and 2.0°C in CESM2(WACCM6). Thus, these two CESM2 model versions have higher values of ECS than the previous generation of model, the CESM (CAM5) (hereafter CESM1), that had an ECS of 4.1°C, though the CESM2 versions have lower values of TCR compared to the CESM1 with a somewhat higher value of 2.3°C. All model versions produce credible simulations of the time evolution of historical global surface temperature. The higher ECS values for the CESM2 versions are reflected in higher values of global surface temperature increase by 2,100 in CESM2(CAM6) and CESM2(WACCM6) compared to CESM1 between comparable emission scenarios for the high forcing scenario. Future warming among CESM2 model versions and scenarios diverges around 2050. The larger values of TCR and ECS in CESM2(CAM6) compared to CESM1 are manifested by greater warming in the tropics. Associated with a higher climate sensitivity, for CESM2(CAM6) the first instance of an ice‐free Arctic in September occurs for all scenarios and ensemble members in the 2030–2050 time frame, but about a decade later in CESM2(WACCM6), occurring around 2040–2060.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Grain Boundary Effects on Radiation Damage and Tritium Diffusion in Li–Al–O Ceramics from Molecular Dynamics and Experiments

Understanding irradiation damage and tritium transport in LiAlO2 ceramics is essential for their deployment in tritium-producing burnable absorber rods (TPBARs). Grain boundaries (GBs) play an important role in governing radiation response and tritium transport in LiAlO2 and its secondary phase LiAl5O8. Using molecular dynamics simulations, we investigated defect evolution and tritium diffusion during displacement cascades in single-crystal and bicrystal LiAlO2 and LiAl5O8 at 600 K. The results reveal that GBs suppress the damage in the LiAlO2 bicrystals as compared to single crystals, via interstitial emission. The effect is more pronounced for Li defects, than for Al and O. In LiAl5O8 the damage reduction due to introduction of GB is less pronounced overall. Tritium diffusion coefficients at GBs are higher by factors of 2–10 relative to diffusion inside grain bulk. The effect is particularly pronounced in LiAlO2, where S5, S17, and S25 GBs promote rapid tritium transport, whereas LiAl5O8 exhibits slower diffusion due to reduced free volume at its GBs. These findings evince a trade-off that while GBs mitigate radiation damage by absorbing interstitials, they simultaneously provide fast pathways for tritium migration which is not desirable for TPBAR application. The mechanistic insights gained here establish a foundation for microstructural design strategies to balance radiation tolerance and tritium retention in ceramic breeder materials.

Roy, Ankit↗
DOE OSTI2025

Unraveling emission line galaxy conformity at z ∼ 1 with DESI early data

Emission line galaxies (ELGs) are now the preeminent tracers of large-scale structure at z > 0.8 due to their high density and strong emission lines, which enable accurate redshift measurements. However, relatively little is known about ELG evolution and the ELG–halo connection, exposing us to potential modelling systematics in cosmology inference using these sources. In this paper, we use a variety of observations and simulated galaxy models to propose a physical picture of ELGs and improve ELG–halo connection modelling in a halo occupation distribution framework. We investigate Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI)-selected ELGs in COSMOS data, and infer that ELGs are rapidly star-forming galaxies with a large fraction exhibiting disturbed morphology, implying that many of them are likely to be merger-driven starbursts. We further postulate that the tidal interactions from mergers lead to correlated star formation in central–satellite ELG pairs, a phenomenon dubbed ‘conformity’. We argue for the need to include conformity in the ELG–halo connection using galaxy models such as IllustrisTNG, and by combining observations such as the DESI ELG autocorrelation, ELG cross-correlation with luminous red galaxies, and ELG–cluster cross-correlation. We also explore the origin of conformity using the UniverseMachine model and elucidate the difference between conformity and the well-known galaxy assembly bias effect.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Cosmic Frontier Project at SMU

The SMU group led by Professor Robert Kehoe continued to work to constrain dark energy measurements of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI). These constraints are obtained by measuring the expected peak in characteristic distance scale between galaxies, the ‘BAO peak’, as a function of redshift for four different types of galaxy. DESI will cover the redshift range to z<3.5 with approximately 40 million galaxy spectra. SMU’s primary emphasis during the funding period was on the early DESI data, including the development of software that would allow the measurement of the impact of incomplete targeting of galaxies in the survey. We provided software to calculate the weights that are critical to permit us to correctly compare data to the theoretical calculations of dark matter halos. SMU also began development of software that can be integrated into the analysis pipeline that uses alternate targeting to generate these weights. Baryonic physics has a critical impact on galaxy development and placement within dark matter halos. SMU also increased its efforts in the area of modeling this galaxy-halo connection in two areas. The primary emphasis was to work on a sub-halo abundance matching scheme using dark matter simulation with very fine mass resolution (‘Uchuu’). Our effort here is to produce models for use by DESI that more correctly account for the subhalo structure of dark matter distribution, and its manifestation in satellite galaxies. Our initial effort had been for emission line galaxies. In the funding period, we were able to produce first halo-occupation distribution models. This work is slated to contribute to DESI Key Project papers. We also furthered our ongoing effort to study galaxy placement in halos using semi-analytic methods. Kehoe’s group also continued to maintain its strong role in DESI Operations, with SMU postdoc serving as a Lead Observing Scientist.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

POPSnet-SGP: A Pilot Aerosol Microphysics Network for Targeting Climate Model Uncertainty Interim Field Campaign Report

Aerosols mediate the radiative fluxes in clear and cloudy skies and dominate the uncertainty in the radiative forcing of climate. Relatively dense networks of aerosol optical depth measurements have been used to effectively constrain simulated aerosol optical properties, but model diversity of aerosol microphysical properties is much larger (Mann et al. 2014, Myhre et al. 2009). A better understanding of aerosol microphysics is essential as they are the fundamental pieces of information required to convert aerosol emissions information to radiative and cloud-nucleating properties that drive radiative effects and forcing of climate. Model representation of aerosol microphysical properties has lagged in part due to their inherently greater spatial variability, but also due to a lack of available observations. This project – the Printed Optical Particle Spectrometer Network (POPSnet)-Southern Great Plains (SGP) Pilot – launched the first spatially dense network of aerosol size distribution measurements over an area the size of a global model grid cell and demonstrated its use in providing valuable information regarding the spatial variability of aerosol microphysical properties and its drivers for improving model constraints.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Simulation & Analysis of the Hydronic Shell Retrofit System as a Solution for Deep Energy Retrofits and Electrification of Large Multifamily Housing Communities in Cold Climate

Among 32 million multi-family buildings in the United States, approximately 42% have poor or no insulation. Envelope retrofits of these buildings will provide thermal resiliency and enable a pathway to electrification of space heating systems as a result of improved thermal performance. Hydronic Shell (HS) is a technology which combines an insulated retrofit panel with a heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) thus enabling both envelope retrofit and space heating electrification. In this study, we used whole building energy simulation to evaluate energy impact of multi-family building retrofit with hydronic shell system. The simulation was performed for four locations of New York, Syracuse, Chicago and Boston. The results from the simulation showed more than 66% cooling energy reduction and more than 88% heating energy reduction from Hydronic Shell retrofit compared to Baseline building in all four locations. This reduction in energy consumption resulted in up to 219 MT reduction in annual CO2 emission. The cost reduction per floor area achieved from HVAC energy consumption reduction using Hydronic Shell retrofit was 0.66 to 0.99 $\$$/ft 2 . The results also showed higher percentage of heating energy reduction comes from the envelope only retrofit and higher percentage of cooling energy reduction comes from the retrofit HVAC system for the four locations under study.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2023

Implementing and Improving CBMZ-MAM3 Chemistry and Aerosol Modules in the Regional Climate Model WRF-CAM5: An Evaluation over the Western US and Eastern North Pacific

The representation of aerosols in climate-chemistry models is important for air quality and climate change research, but it can require significant computational resources. The objective of this study was to improve the representation of aerosols in climate–chemistry models, specifically in the carbon bond mechanism, version Z (CBMZ), and modal aerosol modules with three lognormal modes (MAM3) in the WRF-CAM5 model. The study aimed to enhance the model’s chemistry capabilities by incorporating biomass burning emissions, establishing a conversion mechanism between volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and secondary organic carbons (SOCs), and evaluating its performance against observational benchmarks. The results of the study demonstrated the effectiveness of the enhanced chemistry capabilities in the WRF-CAM5 model. Six simulations were conducted over the western U.S. and northeastern Pacific region, comparing the model’s performance with observational benchmarks such as reanalysis, ground-based, and satellite data. The findings revealed a significant reduction in root-mean-square errors (RMSE) for surface concentrations of black carbon (BC) and organic carbon (OC). Specifically, the model exhibited a 31% reduction in RMSE for BC concentrations and a 58% reduction in RMSE for OC concentrations. These outcomes underscored the importance of accurate aerosol representation in climate-chemistry models and emphasized the potential for improving simulation accuracy and reducing errors through the incorporation of enhanced chemistry modules in such models.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Initial Testing of Alkaline Earth Metal Ion Absorption on Crystalline Silicotitanate - 20440

The Tank Closure Cesium Removal process at the Savannah River Site (SRS) has processed aqueous tank waste using the inorganic ion exchange media IONSIV{sup TM} R9120-Ba (which is also known as Crystalline Silicotitanate (CST)). Salt-cake in Tank 10H at SRS was dissolved and processed through filters and ion exchange columns. The primary purpose of the process is to remove Cs-137 from the aqueous waste so that it can be disposed as low level waste. It is known that this inorganic media also absorbs strontium from solution, and that strontium competes with cesium ions for absorption sites. The strontium ion is actually more strongly absorbed than the cesium ion from typical tank waste. However, strontium is typically present in low concentrations so does not normally cause a significant impact. Strontium is present as both non-radioactive isotopes and the radioactive Sr-90 isotope; with the non-radioactive isotopes being much more abundant. Although the total strontium solubility is usually much lower than cesium, some tank waste compositions can have a high enough soluble strontium concentration to decrease the cesium absorption. Relatedly, some testing at SRS suggested that another alkaline earth metal, calcium, may also absorb onto CST and may decrease cesium absorption. Barium is also an important species in treatment of tank waste, but is also usually present at low concentrations. However, after the Cs-137 is absorbed onto CST, it emits a beta particle and converts to Ba-137m, which then decays to non-radioactive Ba-137 by emission of a gamma ray. If the Ba-137m were to desorb quickly, it could impact the dose rate in down-stream equipment. In order to understand the impact of these alkaline earth metals on CST, SRNL performed testing using simulants of SRS tank waste that contain soluble barium, strontium, and calcium. Testing examined both removal of the alkaline earth metals and their impact on removal of cesium. Testing involved first developing realistic waste simulant formulations and dissolving the alkaline earth metals to high enough concentrations to potentially impact the Cs absorption. Once the formulations were developed and prepared, computer modeling was used to calculate the expected Cs absorption behavior to determine if the alkaline earth metals impact the performance. Measurements of the alkaline earth metals absorption by the media is also important for disposition of spent media because of the added radionuclide inventory from the Sr-90. These initial tests are examining the general impact and will be used to determine if further testing or measurements are needed. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2026

DESI DR2 Reference Mocks: Clustering results from UCHUU ELGs and QSOs

High-redshift galaxy clustering provides a powerful probe of the growth of structure, testing models of dark matter, dark energy, and galaxy formation during the epoch when the Universe was rapidly evolving. Emission line galaxies (ELGs) and quasars (QSOs) are used as tracers of dark matter by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) to probe this redshift regime. We present results from ELG and QSO mock catalogs created from the Uchuu N-body simulation and tuned to DESI Data Release 2 (DR2) clustering. Employing a modified subhalo abundance matching (SHAM) technique, we populate Uchuu halos and subhalos with QSOs between 0.8 < z < 2.1. For ELGs, we modify this method to select satellite galaxies with low velocities relative to their associated central halos, and populate a separate set of Uchuu halos and subhalos with ELGs between 0.8 < z < 1.6. In this paper, we reproduce the redshift evolution of number density and clustering statistics across the fitted range of scales. We also measure the large-scale clustering bias of both the data and mock samples. These results improve simulated lightcone construction from cosmological models and enhance our understanding of the galaxy-halo connection.

Vaisakh, R. [Southern Methodist U.] (ORCID:0009000↗
DOE OSTI2023

DESI mock challenge: Halo and galaxy catalogues with the bias assignment method

We present a novel approach to the construction of mock galaxy catalogues for large-scale structure analysis based on the distribution of dark matter halos obtained with effective bias models at the field level. We aim to produce mock galaxy catalogues capable of generating accurate covariance matrices for a number of cosmological probes that are expected to be measured in current and forthcoming galaxy redshift surveys (e.g. two- and three-point statistics). The construction of the catalogues shown in this paper is part of a mock-comparison project within the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) collaboration. We use the bias assignment method ( BAM ) to model the statistics of halo distribution through a learning algorithm using a few detailed N-body simulations, and approximated gravity solvers based on Lagrangian perturbation theory. We introduce cosmic-web-dependent corrections to modelling redshift-space distortions at the N-body level – both in the halo and galaxy distributions –, as well as a multi-scale approach for accurate assignment of halo properties. Using specific models of halo occupation distributions to populate halos, we generate galaxy mocks with the expected number density and central-satellite fraction of emission-line galaxies, which are a key target of the DESI experiment. BAM generates mock catalogues with per cent accuracy in a number of summary statistics, such as the abundance, the two- and three-point statistics of halo distributions, both in real and redshift space. In particular, the mock galaxy catalogues display ~3%-10% accuracy in the multipoles of the power spectrum up to scales of k ~ 0.4 h -1 Mpc. We show that covariance matrices of two- and three-point statistics obtained with BAM display a similar structure to the reference simulation. BAM offers an efficient way to produce mock halo catalogues with accurate two- and three-point statistics and is able to generate a variety of multi-tracer catalogues with precise covariance matrices of several cosmological probes. We discuss future developments of the algorithm towards mock production in DESI and other galaxy-redshift surveys.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

An overview of the E3SM version 2 large ensemble and comparison to other E3SM and CESM large ensembles

Abstract. This work assesses a recently produced 21-member climate model large ensemble (LE) based on the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM) version 2 (E3SM2). The ensemble spans the historical era (1850 to 2014) and 21st century (2015 to 2100), using the SSP370 pathway, allowing for an evaluation of the model's forced response. A companion 500-year preindustrial control simulation is used to initialize the ensemble and estimate drift. Characteristics of the LE are documented and compared against other recently produced ensembles using the E3SM version 1 (E3SM1) and Community Earth System Model (CESM) versions 1 and 2. Simulation drift is found to be smaller, and model agreement with observations is higher in versions 2 of E3SM and CESM versus their version 1 counterparts. Shortcomings in E3SM2 include a lack of warming from the mid to late 20th century, likely due to excessive cooling influence of anthropogenic sulfate aerosols, an issue also evident in E3SM1. Associated impacts on the water cycle and energy budgets are also identified. Considerable model dependence in the response to both aerosols and greenhouse gases is documented and E3SM2's sensitivity to variable prescribed biomass burning emissions is demonstrated. Various E3SM2 and CESM2 model benchmarks are found to be on par with the highest-performing recent generation of climate models, establishing the E3SM2 LE as an important resource for estimating climate variability and responses, though with various caveats as discussed herein. As an illustration of the usefulness of LEs in estimating the potential influence of internal variability, the observed CERES-era trend in net top-of-atmosphere flux is compared to simulated trends and found to be much larger than the forced response in all LEs, with only a few members exhibiting trends as large as observed, thus motivating further study.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Fire, dust, air and water: Improving aerosol biogeochemistry interactions in ACME. Final report

Aerosol-biogeochemistry interactions will have important consequences for human health, ecosystem services, and climate feedbacks over the next several decades. In this proposal we seek to link how human activities on land, including direct industrial emissions and landscape fires, impact the atmosphere and the biogeochemistry of the ocean and land. Our overall goal was to complement existing work at DOE labs to improve the capability and performance of the E3SM model in short-term, high-resolution projections of climate. Projections of ocean uptake of anthropogenic carbon are highly dependent on the details of the ocean physical and biogeochemistry parameterizations. Potentially equally important are the estimates of increases in iron and soluble nitrogen deposition in aerosols to the open ocean, but there are substantial uncertainties in these feedbacks. The E3SM land model simulates natural and anthropogenic fires, but improvement is needed to more accurately simulate fire responses to climate variability as well as fire contributions to terrestrial climate feedbacks. This proposal addressed four of the six priorities within the ACME/E3SM call by improving the representation of fire, industrial combustion sources, and desert dust and adding iron and soluble iron to the atmospheric chemistry (1). Our work focused on improving ocean biogeochemistry and the response of the oceans to anthropogenic atmospheric iron and nitrogen (3). We also improved the representation of land disturbance on fires and fire mediated carbon cycle feedbacks in the land model (4). Finally we had planned to couple the land, atmosphere and ocean biogeochemical systems (6) and explore how this coupling changes the feedbacks in the climate system. Our work under this proposal was separated into the following 5 tasks: i) improve representation of fire dynamics in both boreal and tropical ecosystems, ii) improve estimates of industrial emissions of iron and phosphorus, iii) improve representation of atmospheric iron, phosphorus and nitrogen transport, chemistry and deposition, iv) improve representation of iron, phosphorus and nitrogen deposition impacts on ocean biogeochemistry, and v) couple emissions into atmosphere, to deposition onto land and ocean biogeochemistry. For all 5 tasks, we conducted offline experiments of the historical period to enable comparison with available aerosol and land surface observations. We had planned to conduct fully coupled simulations, however, these will be conducted as part of the coupling in version 3 and 4 of the E3SM model, and thus have not been completed.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗