Generalized Z-Grid Model for Numerical Weather Prediction

Z-grid finite volume models conserve all-scalar quantities as well as energy and potential enstrophy and yield better dispersion relations for shallow water equations than other finite volume models, such as C-grid and C-D grid models; however, they are more expensive to implement. During each time...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Yuanfu Xie
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2019-04-01
Series:Atmosphere
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4433/10/4/179
Description
Summary:Z-grid finite volume models conserve all-scalar quantities as well as energy and potential enstrophy and yield better dispersion relations for shallow water equations than other finite volume models, such as C-grid and C-D grid models; however, they are more expensive to implement. During each time integration, a Z-grid model must solve Poisson equations to convert its vorticity and divergence to a stream function and velocity potential, respectively. To optimally utilize these conversions, we propose a model in which the stability and possibly accuracy on the sphere are improved by introducing more stencils, such that a generalized Z-grid model can utilize longer time-integration steps and reduce computing time. Further, we analyzed the proposed model’s dispersion relation and compared it to that of the original Z-grid model for a linearly rotating shallow water equation, an important property for numerical models solving primitive equations. The analysis results suggest a means of balancing stability and dispersion. Our numerical results also show that the proposed Z-grid model for a shallow water equation is more stable and efficient than the original Z-grid model, increasing the time steps by more than 1.4 times.
ISSN:2073-4433