MPAS Global Storm-Resolving Model Simulations for the DYAMOND Intercomparison
d010129
This dataset comprises output from global atmospheric simulations performed with the Model for Prediction Across Scales - Atmosphere (MPAS-A) as part of the DYnamics of the Atmospheric general circulation Modeled On Non-hydrostatic Domains (DYAMOND) intercomparison project (Phases 1 and 2). Simulations were conducted over two 40-day periods: Phase 1 (boreal summer: 1 August to 10 September 2016) and Phase 2 (boreal winter: 20 January to 1 March 2020). Phase 1 features horizontal mesh spacings ranging from 480 km to 3.75 km, alongside a suite of sensitivity experiments designed to isolate the effects of convective parameterization and changes to the microphysics. Phase 2 focuses on higher-resolution configurations, featuring mesh spacings of 30 km, 15 km, 7.5 km, and 3.75 km. Output for both phases consists of two-dimensional diagnostic fields (15-minute frequency) and three-dimensional history files (3-hourly frequency) on MPAS unstructured Voronoi meshes. The dataset supports research into atmospheric phenomena across all scales - from individual convective clouds to global circulation - including tropical waves, tropical cyclone activity, precipitation, and the sensitivity of numerical models to physical parameterization choices under different seasonal regimes. Background and Objectives: DYAMOND (Stevens et al. 2019) is a community intercomparison framework for global storm-resolving models that explicitly represent deep convection without convective parameterization at kilometer-scale grid spacings. This dataset supports analysis of MPAS-A across a broad range of resolutions and physics configurations, enabling study of resolution dependence, parameterization sensitivity, and seasonal variability in a global convection-permitting context. Model and Simulations: MPAS-A was configured with the "convection_permitting" physics suite: Thompson microphysics, MYNN boundary layer and surface layer, Noah land surface model, RRTMG radiation, and a scale-aware version of the Tiedtke cumulus parameterization. Simulations were initialized on 1 August 2016 (Phase 1) and 20 January 2020 (Phase 2) from ECMWF analyses, with observed SSTs updated throughout the respective integrations. Variables use standard MPAS names, which can be referenced here [https://www2.mmm.ucar.edu/projects/mpas/site/documentation/users_guide/appD_fields.html].
dataset
https://gdex.ucar.edu/datasets/d010129/
protocol: https
name: Dataset Description
description: Related Link
function: information
https://gdex.ucar.edu/datasets/d010129/dataaccess/
protocol: https
name: Data Access
description: Related Link
function: download
climatologyMeteorologyAtmosphere
dataset
revision
2021-03-30
MODELS > MODELS
revision
2026-09-02
EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC TEMPERATURE > ATMOSPHERIC STABILITY
EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC WATER VAPOR > WATER VAPOR PROCESSES
EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC WINDS > WIND DYNAMICS
EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > CLOUDS > CLOUD DYNAMICS
EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > PRECIPITATION > PRECIPITATION RATE
EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > WEATHER EVENTS > EXTRATROPICAL CYCLONES
EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > WEATHER EVENTS > SUBTROPICAL CYCLONES
EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > WEATHER EVENTS > TROPICAL CYCLONES
revision
2026-09-02
publication
2026-06-30
notPlanned
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
None
pointOfContact
NSF NCAR Geoscience Data Exchange
name: NSF NCAR Geoscience Data Exchange
description: The Geoscience Data Exchange (GDEX), managed by the Computational and Information Systems Laboratory (CISL) at NSF NCAR, contains a large collection of meteorological, atmospheric composition, and oceanographic observations, and operational and reanalysis model outputs, integrated with NSF NCAR High Performance Compute services to support atmospheric and geosciences research.
function: download
pointOfContact
2026-09-10T19:13:00Z