Dear Colleagues,
The second phase of the NAME Model Assessment Project (NAMAP2) is being designed to provide a coordinated focus for modeling activities in the post-field phase of NAME, the North American Monsoon Experiment. The purpose of NAMAP2 is to examine the ability of current atmospheric models to simulate the observed features of the 2004 summer season climate across southwestern North America. The extensive set of observations acquired during the 2004 monsoon season by NAME field investigators will provide a validation data set of unprecedented quality. Community participation is invited!
The first phase of NAMAP was conducted prior to the NAME 2004 field campaign. Results from the first phase have been incorporated into several presentations, a NOAA Atlas and a forthcoming article in the AMS Bulletin. This phase of NAMAP yielded a set of recommended targets for model simulation improvement, and we will revisit these in NAMAP2. In addition, we will address some features of monsoon evolution (such as the role of transients) that were not considered in the first phase.
Specific protocols for the NAMAP2 simulations are now being developed collaboratively among those who've already expressed interest in participating. These protocols will be linked to the NAMAP2 web page. We will link an online registration form to this webpage to add your model to the roster of NAMAP2 participants. The registration form will provide a means for describing the dynamics, model physics and parameterizations used in each model.
NAMAP2 datasets will be archived at NCEP. The Climate Prediction Center and I are funded to carry out some centralized analysis of the NAMAP2 simulations, and we certainly hope that this analysis will yield publications on which all NAMAP2 participants will be authors (like NAMAP). Of course, individual modeling groups can and should incorporate NAMAP2 output into your own analyses and model development efforts as well.
An approximate timeline for carrying out the simulations is listed below. The principal anchor for the timeline is the development of a NAME SST data set for summer 2004, now under development at NCEP. This new SST product is motivated by previous monsoon simulation efforts (including NAMAP) which show that simulations are quite sensitive to the treatment of SST in the Gulf of California.
Spring 2005: Solicit participation and develop NAMAP2 simulation protocols
Early Summer 2005: Distribute the prescribed global SST fields
Late Summer-Early Autumn 2005: Carry out NAMAP2 simulations
October 2005: Report on NAMAP2 progress at the NOAA Climate Diagnostics Workshop
Autumn-Winter 2005/6: Carry out NAMAP2 analysis
Your participation in the NAMAP2 effort is welcomed and encouraged! I'm happy to address any questions or comments you have, and to add your name to the NAMAP2 email distribution list for future correspondence.
Best regards,
Dave Gutzler