Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences

Innovative Research Program Projects, 2001

proposals submitted: 31
amount allocated: $284, 000

CLIMATE MODELING WITH SIMPLIFIED DYNAMICS AND DETAILED PHYSICS. John Bergman and Prashant Sardeshmukh are testing the viability of an intermediate complexity model that will be easier to interpret, have a better statistical footing, and be useful in detecting/predicting long term climate change.

DEVELOPING AN INTERFACE BETWEEN SIMPLE AND COMPLEX CLIMATE SYSTEM MODELS FOR INVESTIGATING GEOPHYSIOLOGY. Tom Chase, Vijay Gupta and Keith Nordstrom (CSES) are coupling a simple biospheric/hydrologic model with GCMs as a means for identifying negative feedbacks that are not yet included in current parameterizations.

THE USE OF MULTI-MODEL SUPER-ENSEMBLE TECHNIQUES IN HYDROLOGY. Martyn Clark (NSIDC) with Lauren Hay and George Leavesley (USGS) are adapting proven meteorological ensemble techniques to a hydrology model to assess improvement of runoff, understand variations, apply regression improvement, and combine with atmospheric ensemble model output. Their results are available in PDF.

Gil Compo, Jeff Whitaker and Prashant Sardeshmukh (CDC)
FEASIBILITY OF REANALYSIS BEFORE THE RADIOSONDE ERA. Testing the validity of surface and lower tropospheric circulation reanalyses simulated from previous surface synoptic data as a means of extending climate studies back to the early 1900's.

INAUGURAL SURVEY OF RUSSIAN AND CHINESE EMISSIONS OF OZONE-DEPLETING SUBSTANCES FROM IN-SITU MEASUREMENTS ABOARD THE TRANS-SIBERIAN RAILWAY. Dale Hurst and Jim Elkins (CMDL) are participating in a rare opportunity to measure CFCs in a remote part of Siberia and test progress toward meeting Montreal Protocol standards.

THE CLIMATE TIME LINE INFORMATION TOOL. Dan Kowal and Mark McCaffrey (NGDC) are developing a web tool to provide user-friendly access to interdisciplinary data that includes a map locator, temporal and spatial displays, statistical assessment tools, and tutorial. View the results at http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/paleo/ctl.

THE UPTAKE OF NITROGEN OXIDES BY PLANTS - PROBING THE BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL MECHANISMS. Russ Monson (EPOB) and James Roberts (NOAA/AL) are linking biological and atmospheric processes by studying peroxyacetyl nitrate radical equilibria and uptake by vegetation.

A STUDY OF ANOMALOUS PROPAGATION SIGNATURES IN WSR-88D DATA DURING DOWNSLOPE WINDSTORMS. Louisa Nance (ETL) and Eric Thaler (NWS) are testing the hypothesis that unexplained Nexrad Doppler echoes reveal terrain-induced gravity waves and may help in predicting destructive downslope winds.

QUANTIFYING SEISMIC HAZARD IN THE SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAINS THROUGH GPS MEASUREMENTS OF CRUSTAL DEFORMATION. Anne Sheehan and Fred Blume (Geology) are investigating the seismic stability of the Front Range, take benchmark measurements, and begin recording crustal strain for the first time. For more information, see Quantifying Seismic Hazard in the Southern Rocky Mountains through GPS Measurements of Crustal Deformation.

ROLE OF METEORITIC TRANSITION METALS IN DETERMINING THE CHEMICAL AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF ATMOSPHERIC AEROSOLS. Veronica Vaida (Chemistry) with Shelley Copley (MCDB), Dan Cziczo, Dan Murphy and Adrien Tuck (NOAA/AL) are investigating aerosol coagulation and meteoric metal catalysis of organic materials that could have an impact on origin of life theories.

AN INTERDISCIPLINARY INVESTIGATION OF UNCERTAINTIES IN THE VARIABILITY OF THE CLIMATE AND TERRESTRIAL ECOLOGY. Wanli Wu and Amanda Lynch (PAOS) are conducting ensemble model simulations to evaluate variability of regional climate and terrestrial ecology uncertainties arising from boundary forcing plus testing if future surface energy partitioning could be expected to change.