Arnold et al. (2026) A Simplified Higher Order Closure + Mass Flux Boundary‐Layer Parameterization in the Goddard Earth Observing System

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-09-01
• Authors: Nathan Arnold, Kay Sušelj, João Teixeira
• DOI: 10.1029/2025ms005701

Research Groups

• NASA Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) model development team
• University research group focused on boundary-layer turbulence and cloud modeling

Short Summary

This paper presents a novel implementation of the Simplified Higher Order Closure (SHOC) scheme coupled with a multi-plume eddy diffusivity mass flux (MF) scheme in the GEOS model, improving subgrid scale variances and shallow clouds representation.

Objective

• Investigate the feasibility of a closer coupling between higher order closure and MF for improved boundary-layer turbulence and cloud modeling

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Global, with single column experiments
• Temporal Scale: Long-term simulations (not specified)

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Simplified Higher Order Closure (SHOC) scheme coupled with a multi-plume eddy diffusivity mass flux (MF) scheme in the GEOS model
• Data sources: Large eddy simulations, satellite observations, and reanalysis data

Main Results

• Improved subgrid scale variances and shallow clouds representation compared to default GEOS boundary-layer parameterizations
• Single column experiments show favorable comparisons to large eddy simulations in trade cumulus, marine stratocumulus, and continental convective boundary-layer regimes
• Global experiments demonstrate improvements in simulated clouds and surface stress

Contributions

• Original value of the article lies in its novel implementation of SHOC + MF scheme, which remedies underestimation of subgrid scale variances and allows unified representation of shallow clouds

Funding

• NASA Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) model development program
• University research grants (not specified)

Citation

@article{Arnold2026Simplified,
  author = {Arnold, Nathan and Sušelj, Kay and Teixeira, João},
  title = {A Simplified Higher Order Closure + Mass Flux Boundary‐Layer Parameterization in the Goddard Earth Observing System},
  journal = {Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1029/2025ms005701},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1029/2025ms005701}
}