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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 199 records · Page 11

Application of deep learning to single-shot gas-phase laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Single-shot fs laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has the potential to capture ns-scale electrode desorption phenomena in pulsed power fusion drivers. However, the successful implementation of the diagnostic for this purpose is challenging, as it requires interpreting single-shot measurements collected from low-density gas mixtures. In this work, we demonstrate the efficacy of a Bayesian-optimized convolutional neural network (CNN) to interpret these measurements. We generated 256 distinct measurement conditions at relevant gas pressures ranging from 80–530 mTorr by mixing 100–250 sccm H 2 and 50–200 sccm CH 4 in increments of 10 sccm. Despite the considerable overlap between signals separated by 20 sccm, the CNN is able to predict the H 2 flow rate with a root-mean-square error (RMSE) of 15.9 sccm and the CH 4 flow rate with an RMSE of 12.0 sccm. The average relative prediction error is <9% for each gas and largely remains below or near 10%.

Brown, Nathan Parnell [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-N↗

Are North Atlantic Tropical Cyclones Modulated by the Madden–Julian Oscillation in HighResMIP AGCMs?

This study assesses the representation of the observed relationship between Atlantic tropical cyclones (TCs) and the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) across nine models participating in CMIP6 High Resolution Model Intercomparison Project (HighResMIP). Most models struggle to faithfully reproduce the observed impacts of the MJO on Atlantic TCs, with the primary issue being the underestimated TC activity over the Atlantic main development region (MDR). The negative biases in genesis frequency within the MDR can be further attributed to weaker-than-observed African easterly wave (AEW) activity south of ∼12°N. Errors in the diabatic heating profile within the Atlantic intertropical convergence zone lead to insufficient potential vorticity production in the lower troposphere and constrain the amplification of AEWs. In addition to the biased TC climatology, the eastward-propagating power of the MJO is consistently underestimated across all models. Nevertheless, in models with a higher eastward–westward power ratio, the simulated MJO demonstrates a stronger capacity to modulate subseasonal TC activity. Models with relatively realistic eastward propagation of the MJO also exhibit greater variance in tropical intraseasonal convection. Stronger contrasts in convective heating over the North Atlantic between phases 2–3 and phases 6–7 drive larger fluctuations in MDR shear and AEW activity over the Gulf of Mexico and West Africa, resulting in a more pronounced TC response to the MJO. Overall, our findings suggest that improved MDR TC climatology and MJO propagation are essential for models to accurately capture the observed modulations of Atlantic TCs by the MJO.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Realization of fermionic Laughlin state on a quantum processor

Strongly correlated topological phases of matter are central to modern condensed matter physics and quantum information technology but often challenging to probe and control in material systems. The experimental difficulty of accessing these phases has motivated the use of engineered quantum platforms for simulation and manipulation of exotic topological states. Among these, the Laughlin state stands as a cornerstone for topological matter, embodying fractionalization, anyonic excitations, and incompressibility. Although its bosonic analogs have been realized on programmable quantum simulators, a genuine fermionic Laughlin state has yet to be demonstrated on a quantum processor. Here, we realize the ν = 1/3 fermionic Laughlin state on IonQ’s trapped-ion quantum computer using an efficient and scalable Hamiltonian variational ansatz with 369 two-qubit gates on a 16-qubit circuit. Employing symmetry-verification error mitigation, we extract key observables that characterize the Laughlin state, including correlation hole, bulk-edge correspondence, and topological entanglement entropy, with strong agreement to exact diagonalization benchmarks. This work demonstrates an end-to-end workflow to simulate material-intrinsic topological orders and provides a starting point to explore its dynamics and excitations on digital quantum processors.

Shen, Lingnan [Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA (U↗

Physical-mass calculation of ρ ( 770 ) and K * ( 892 ) resonance parameters via π π and K π scattering amplitudes from lattice QCD

We present our study of the ρ ( 770 ) and K * ( 892 ) resonances from lattice quantum chromodynamics (QCD) employing domain-wall fermions at physical quark masses. We determine the finite-volume energy spectrum in various momentum frames and obtain phase-shift parametrizations via the Lüscher formalism and as a final step the complex resonance poles of the π π and K π elastic scattering amplitudes via an analytical continuation of the models. By sampling a large number of representative sets of underlying energy-level fits, we also assign a systematic uncertainty to our final results. This is a significant extension to data-driven analysis methods that have been used in lattice QCD to date, due to the two-step nature of the formalism. Our final pole positions, M + i Γ / 2 , with all statistical and systematic errors exposed, are M K * = 893 ( 2 ) ( 8 ) ( 54 ) ( 2 ) MeV and Γ K * = 51 ( 2 ) ( 11 ) ( 3 ) ( 0 ) MeV for the K * ( 892 ) resonance and M ρ = 796 ( 5 ) ( 15 ) ( 48 ) ( 2 ) MeV and Γ ρ = 192 ( 10 ) ( 28 ) ( 12 ) ( 0 ) MeV for the ρ ( 770 ) resonance. The four differently grouped sources of uncertainties are, in the order of occurrence: statistical, data-driven systematic, an estimation of systematic effects beyond our computation (dominated by the fact that we employ a single lattice spacing), and the error from the scale-setting uncertainty on our ensemble. Published by the American Physical Society 2025

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Computing the QRPA level density with the finite amplitude method

Here, we describe a new algorithm to calculate the vibrational nuclear level density of an atomic nucleus. Fictitious perturbation operators that probe the response of the system are generated by drawing their matrix elements from some probability distribution function. We use the Finite Amplitude Method to explicitly compute the response for each such sample. With the help of the Kernel Polynomial Method, we build an estimator of the vibrational level density and provide the upper bound of the relative error in the limit of infinitely many random samples. The new algorithm can give accurate estimates of the vibrational level density. Since it is based on drawing multiple samples of perturbation operators, its computational implementation is naturally parallel and scales like the number of available processing units.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Optimization of spray breakup model parameters for predicting fuel spray and film characteristics in gasoline direct injection engines

This study investigated the behavior of gasoline direct injection (GDI) sprays using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The authors developed an approach to identify optimal spray breakup model parameters by evaluating an error function across numerous simulations, with the goal of minimizing discrepancies from experimental data. Using the optimal setup, the simulated spray matched well with projected liquid volume distributions, liquid penetration, and spray width measured in a constant-pressure continuous-flow chamber. To further validate the approach, the same setup was tested across various fuels, injectors, and operating conditions. Subsequently, the optimal setup, along with a recently developed spray-wall interaction model, were applied to a direct-injection spark-ignited engine under late-injection conditions to predict and evaluate fuel film formation and evolution at varying engine coolant temperatures. Here, with the centrally mounted injector directing the spray toward the piston, simulations indicated that the spray tends to impinge on the piston surface. The proposed simulation framework also accurately captured the aggregate film area on the piston surface, aligning with previously published experimental results. Moreover, simulations showed that increasing the coolant temperature from cold start conditions (333 K) to warm conditions (363 K) reduced the fuel mass deposited on the piston by roughly 50%. Furthermore, for the spray-guided engine configuration studied in this work, the CFD model predicted minimal film deposition on the spark plug electrodes regardless of the coolant temperatures due to a relatively weak in-cylinder flow during the compression phase.

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD)↗

Measuring the thermal conductivity of hydrogels with a bidirectional 3w method

Hydrogels are soft, water-absorbing polymer materials with diverse applications in biomedicine and agriculture. Recently, hydrogels have been proposed to encapsulate water-soluble phase change materials which store energy in their latent heat of solidification. In these applications, the thermal conductivity of these materials affects their performance. Few methods exist for measuring the thermal conductivity of small quantities of hydrogels. Here, we describe an implementation of the bidirectional 3w technique to measure the thermal conductivity of hydrogels with particular attention to their moisture content. Our implementation of the technique can probe sample volumes as little as ~20 mL and yields the thermal conductivity without requiring fitting of additional thermal parameters. We numerically simulate 3w sensor designs with frequency-domain 3-D models to quantify and reduce errors introduced by the choice of substrate and insulation layer thickness. Frequencies in the ~1−20 Hz range yield less error for the materials considered here. We verify our setup with measurements on water and report values for polyacrylamide and poly(2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid) (PAMPS) hydrogels. Our swollen hydrogels exhibited thermal conductivities nearly equivalent to water, 0.6 W m-1 K-1, and we estimate thermal conductivities of 0.43 and 0.42 W m-1 K-1 for neat polyacrylamide and PAMPS, respectively. Finally, we estimate an error of ±7%, consistent with other 3ω methods, with the largest error coming from the sensor calibration. We find our implementation of the bidirectional 3w method gives reasonable results and can be employed for prototyping soft materials relevant for thermal storage.

3-omega, thermal conductivity, hydrogel, moisture ↗

Scattering phase shift in quantum mechanics on quantum computers

Here, we investigate the feasibility of extracting infinite volume scattering phase shift on quantum computers in a simple one-dimensional quantum mechanical model, using the formalism established in the work by Guo and Gasparian [Phys. Rev. D 108, 074504 (2023)] that relates the integrated correlation functions for a trapped system to the infinite volume scattering phase shifts through a weighted integral. The system is first discretized in a finite box with periodic boundary conditions, and the formalism in real time is verified by employing a contact interaction potential with exact solutions. Quantum circuits are then designed and constructed to implement the formalism on current quantum computing architectures. To overcome the fast oscillatory behavior of the integrated correlation functions in real-time simulation, different methods of postdata analysis are proposed and discussed. Test results on IBM hardware show that good agreement can be achieved with two qubits, but complete failure ensues with three qubits due to two-qubit gate operation errors and thermal relaxation errors.

Guo, Peng [Dakota State Univ., Madison, SD (United↗

Thermal performance and energy consumption validation of an occupied local government office building outfitted with ceiling tile phase change materials

Buildings present an opportunity for energy conservation and the modulation of peak energy demand through controlled Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) energy use. The administrative and office building stock in the United States holds potential to achieve energy and demand savings through retrofits such as insulation, weatherization, and thermal energy storage. Specifically, there is a need to validate passive phase change material (PCM) applications in full scale in aging administrative buildings in the US to evaluate the energy benefits. Aim of this study was to conduct a whole building level thermal and energy validation of an operational building and explore an alternative method for evaluating energy efficiency. To accomplish this, the study employed PCMs in the drop ceiling and carry out an energy audit and on-site measurement of HVAC systems' energy demand and consumption. A full-scale EnergyPlus energy model, modeled by the authors, served as a baseline for evaluation. The results show that calibrated model's envelope temperature measures fall within the accepted errors. HVAC energy simulation results also fall within the accepted errors for monthly and hourly pre- and post- PCM retrofit electricity and natural gas data. The novelty of this study is that it employees energy scales per Heating Degree Hour and Cooling Degree Hour, in contrast to the commonly used Heating Degree Days and Cooling Degree Days as reported in the literature to analyze energy savings. These findings underscore the pivotal role of a calibrated model in assessing the efficacy of a singular energy measure, like a PCM-retrofitted ceiling, in an occupied office building.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Destabilizing high-capacity high entropy hydrides via earth abundant substitutions: From predictions to experimental validation

The vast chemical space of high entropy alloys (HEAs) makes trial-and-error experimental approaches for materials discovery intractable and often necessitates data-driven and/or first principles computational insights to successfully target materials with desired properties. In the context of materials discovery for hydrogen storage applications, a theoretical prediction-experimental validation approach can vastly accelerate the search for substitution strategies to destabilize high-capacity hydrides based on benchmark HEAs, e.g. TiVNbCr alloys. Here, in this study, machine learning predictions, corroborated by density functional theory calculations, predict substantial hydride destabilization with increasing substitution of earth-abundant Fe content in the (TiVNb) 75 Cr 25-x Fe x system. The as-prepared alloys crystallize in a single-phase bcc lattice for limited Fe content x < 7, while larger Fe content favors the formation of a secondary C14 Laves phase intermetallic. Short range order for alloys with x < 7 can be well described by a random distribution of atoms within the bcc lattice without lattice distortion. Hydrogen absorption experiments performed on selected alloys validate the predicted thermodynamic destabilization of the corresponding fcc hydrides and demonstrate promising lifecycle performance through reversible absorption/desorption. This demonstrates the potential of computationally expedited hydride discovery and points to further opportunities for optimizing bcc alloy ↔ fcc hydrides for practical hydrogen storage applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Realization and Calibration of Continuously Parameterized Two-Qubit Gates on a Trapped-Ion Quantum Processor

Continuously parameterized two-qubit gates are a key feature of state-of-the-art trapped-ion quantum processors, as they have favorable error scalings and show distinct improvements in circuit performance over more restricted maximally entangling gatesets. In this work, we provide a comprehensive and pedagogical discussion on how to practically implement these continuously parameterized Mølmer–Sørensen gates on the Quantum Scientific Computing Open User Testbed, a low-level trapped-ion processor. To generate the arbitrary entangling angles, θ, we simply scale the amplitude of light used to generate the entanglement. However, doing so requires careful consideration of amplifier saturation as well as the variable light shifts that result. As such, we describe a method to calibrate and cancel the dominant fourth-order effects, followed by a dynamic virtual phase advance during the gate to cancel any residual light shifts, and find a linear scaling between θ and the residual light shift. Once we have considered and calibrated these effects, we demonstrate performance improvement with decreasing θ. Finally, we describe nuances of hardware control to transform the XX-type interaction of the arbitrary-angle Mølmer–Sørensen gate into a phase-agnostic and crosstalk-mitigating ZZ interaction.

Yale, Christopher Gordon [Sandia National Laborato↗

Denudation, solute export, landscape evolution modeling, and geographic information system data for the East River watershed, Colorado, USA (2020-2024)

This data package contains geographic information system (GIS) layers and tabular datasets associated with the study of lithologic controls on denudation, solute export, carbon-scaling relationships, and transient landscape evolution in the East River watershed near Crested Butte, Colorado, USA. The package includes GIS layers used to produce the Figure 2 map, including drainage, hillshade, lithology, sample locations, and basin polygons, together with comma-separated value (CSV) tables and matching CSV data dictionaries. One group of tables reports sample-level and catchment-level information for river-sediment samples analyzed for in situ-produced cosmogenic beryllium-10 (10Be), including sample names, outlet elevations, geographic coordinates, upstream drainage area, rock-type classes, production-rate scaling scheme, analyzed nuclide, catchment-averaged denudation rates, and associated lower and upper analytical uncertainties. Sample and catchment attributes provide the basis for comparing denudation rates across intrusive, shale, sedimentary, and mixed-lithology settings. A second group of tables reports supporting information for landscape-evolution modeling and the mapped geologic framework of the study area. Included files list parameter values and definitions for the two-phase landscape-evolution simulations, summarize full-domain model erosion fluxes and topographic metrics for different simulation configurations, provide a fixed-area carbon-model scaling table, and summarize mapped geologic units within the East River study domain, including geologic code, formation name, lithologic description, mapped area, and lithologic class grouping. Model outputs and geologic summaries support interpretation of transient landscape behavior and its relation to the mapped distribution of shale, intrusive, sedimentary, and surficial units. A third group of tables reports hydrologic and hydrochemical information used to quantify dissolved export from the watershed. Included files provide site-level values for drainage area, mean annual solute export, standard error of annual export, area-normalized solute yield, and equivalent weathering rate for five East River monitoring sites, along with metadata describing the number, sampling cadence, and date range of discharge records and partial and full total dissolved solids observations used in the solute-yield analyses. The package also contains a supplementary daily ion-load time series with daily mean discharge, discharge observation counts, dissolved concentrations, and daily loads for calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, chloride, sulfate, nitrate, fluoride, dissolved silica, charge-balance bicarbonate, and total dissolved solids. The package contains GIS files, comma-separated value files (.csv), CSV data dictionaries, a file-level metadata table, a package-tree text file, and a readme text file.

10Be↗

Worldwide benchmarking of cost-effective radiometers for direct and diffuse irradiance

Solar energy projects can benefit from direct normal irradiance (DNI) and diffuse horizontal irradiance (DHI) measurements during all project phases. Several commercial measurement systems for DNI and DHI are available. Sun trackers with pyranometers and pyrheliometers can provide highly accurate measurements but are often impractical in solar energy applications. For less expensive and more robust sensors, it is often unclear which accuracy can be expected under a project site's specific atmospheric conditions. We address this challenge through our dedicated experimental comparison of relevant sensor systems (rotating shadowband irradiometer [short RSI], Delta-T SPN1, EKO MS-90, PyranoCam, Sunto CaptPro, Kipp & Zonen CSD3) at up to six sites worldwide. The RSI systems (rRMSD 3 to 8.6%, DNI; 4.8 to 7.6%, DHI) and PyranoCam (rRMSD 2.6 to 5.2%, DNI; 4.4 to 5.8%, DHI) exhibit similar error metrics and are the most accurate systems in the test. Delta-T SPN1 and EKO MS-90 (rRMSD 6.8 to 15%, DNI; 10.6 to 20.1%, DHI) but especially Kipp & Zonen CSD3 and Sunto CaptPro show significant deviations (rRMSD 17.7 to 20%, DNI; 33 to 58%, DHI). We evaluate the influence of relevant atmospheric parameters on the sensors' accuracies by a rather unique measurement setup. MS-90's DNI errors depend on DNI itself, with overestimations for low reference DNI. The deviations of SPN1's DHI and DNI measurements increase sharply in situations with high circumsolar irradiance. Also CaptPro and CSD3's increased measurement errors are related to circumsolar irradiance. For RSI and PyranoCam, only moderate influences on the measurements are identified, indicating a general applicability of these instruments.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Static Subspace Approximation for Random Phase Approximation Correlation Energies: Applications to Materials for Catalysis and Electrochemistry

Modeling complex materials using high-fidelity, ab initio methods at low cost is a fundamental goal for quantum chemical software packages. The GW approximation and random phase approximation (RPA) provide a unified description of both electronic structure and total energies using the same physics in a many-body perturbative approach that can be more accurate than generalized-gradient density functional theory (DFT) methods. However, GW/RPA implementations have historically been limited to either specific materials classes or application toward small chemical systems. Here, the static subspace approximation allows for reduced cost full-frequency GW/RPA calculations and has previously been benchmarked thoroughly for GW calculations. Here, we describe our approach to including partial occupations of electronic orbitals in full-frequency GW and RPA calculations for the study of electrocatalysts. We benchmarked RPA total energy calculations using the subspace approximation across a diverse test suite of materials for a variety of computational parameters. The benchmarking quantifies the impact of different extrapolation procedures for representing the static polarizability at infinite screened cutoff, and shows that using screened cutoffs above 20-25 Ryd result in diminishing accuracy returns for predicting RPA total energies. Additionally, for moderately sized electrocatalytic models, 2-3 times fewer computational resources are used to compute RPA total energies by representing the static polarizability with 20-30% of the static subspace basis, with an error of approximately 0.01 eV or better in RPA adsorption energy calculations. Finally, we show that for these electrochemical models RPA can shift DFT adsorption energy shifts by up to 0.5 eV and that GW can frequently shift DFT eigenvalues of surface and adsorbate states by approximately 0.5-1 eV.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Modeling Analysis of Ball-Milling Process for Battery-Electrode Synthesis

The mechanical alloying process is a promising method for synthesizing electrode materials for batteries owing to its benefits such as the ability to produce nanostructured, high-performing electrode alloys, no adverse effects on the solid electrolyte for solid-state batteries, stable production of thick electrodes, simple processing steps, and low processing costs. It is gaining intensive attention in the battery industry as one of the best methods to replace the conventional wet-slurry-solvent method, and its application is rapidly increasing these days. However, the operation is currently conducted purely based on trial-and-error methods without fully utilizing the features of its functions. Here, this may be attributed to a lack of understanding of the effect of operating parameters on the alloying process and final products. Surprisingly, there is a scarcity of the literature conducting fundamental research to comprehend the underlying physics of the entire mechanical alloying process, resulting in a significant knowledge gap. To address this knowledge gap, extensive research was conducted. The existing literature on mechanical alloying was reviewed to comprehend the current state of understanding and to discuss the direction for future research. Mathematical expressions were developed to create physics-based models capable of capturing the entire mechanical alloying process, including milling kinetics and defect-enhanced phase evolution. These methods were then applied to investigate the impact of operating parameters such as milling frequency, initial mole ratio of the alloyed materials, density of grinding balls, and energy required for the powders to become amorphous (i.e., the amorphization energy threshold). This research aimed not only to comprehend the direct effects of these operating parameters but also to unveil the physics underlying the ball-milling process. The results of our study can serve as crucial information for the battery industry in designing or operating the ball-milling process.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Unifying thermochemistry concepts in computational heterogeneous catalysis

Thermophysical properties of adsorbates and gas-phase species define the free energy landscape of heterogeneously catalyzed processes and are pivotal for an atomistic understanding of the catalyst performance. These thermophysical properties, such as the free energy or the enthalpy, are typically derived from density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Enthalpies are species-interdependent properties that are only meaningful when referenced to other species. The widespread use of DFT has led to a proliferation of new energetic data in the literature and databases. However, there is a lack of consistency in how DFT data is referenced and how the associated enthalpies or free energies are stored and reported, leading to challenges in reproducing or utilizing the results of prior work. Additionally, DFT suffers from exchange–correlation errors that often require corrections to align the data with other global thermochemical networks, which are not always clearly documented or explained. In this review, we introduce a set of consistent terminology and definitions, review existing approaches, and unify the techniques using the framework of linear algebra. This set of terminology and tools facilitates the correction and alignment of energies between different data formats and sources, promoting the sharing and reuse of ab initio data. Standardization of thermochemistry concepts in computational heterogeneous catalysis reduces computational cost and enhances fundamental understanding of catalytic processes, which will accelerate the computational design of optimally performing catalysts.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Comparison of DeePMD, MTP, GAP, ACE and MACE Machine‐Learned Potentials for Radiation‐Damage Simulations: A User Perspective

Accurate and efficient interatomic potentials are essential for molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of radiation damage, gas diffusion, and phase stability in complex ceramics such as LiAlO 2 , especially under extreme conditions relevant to tritium production. Here, we evaluate the performance of six machine-learned interatomic potentials (MLIPs), moment tensor potential (MTP), Gaussian approximation potential, deep potential (DeePMD), atomic cluster expansion (ACE), message-passing ACE (multilayer atomic cluster expansion (MACE) pretrained) and MACE (trained from-scratch), all trained on the same density functional theory dataset with inclusion of tritium. The MLIPs are benchmarked against traditional Buckingham and ReaxFF potentials in terms of energy accuracy, density predictions, thermal equilibration behavior, threshold displacement energy (E d ), tritium diffusivity, and computational cost. Among the models, MTP shows the best overall balance between efficiency and accuracy, with low force and energy errors and realistic E d values for Li and Al. The ACE and MACE (pretrained and trained from scratch) models exhibit high E d (>200 eV) and unphysical pair interactions. DeePMD underestimates Ed due to overly repulsive behavior even at equilibrium distances. All models over-estimate tritium diffusion but the pretrained MACE model behaves well during tritium-diffusion simulations up to 500 K, maintaining diffusivities in the physically consistent 10 −11 m 2 /s range. Finally, we quantify the computational cost of each potential in large-scale atomic/molecular massively parallel simulator, finding that only MTP is more efficient than traditional empirical potentials, while others are significantly more expensive. These findings explain the trade-offs between accuracy and computational cost in MLIP development and provide essential guidance for use in high-throughput radiation damage and gas diffusion simulations in nuclear ceramics.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Observational Data for Next-Generation Climate Model Evaluation: Requirements, Considerations, and Best Practices

Climate model simulations are an important source of information about our planet’s climate system and also enable informed decision-making under different future scenarios. As a new archive of results from the next generation of climate models is anticipated to become available with the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 7 (CMIP7), the need to develop efficient and robust methods to evaluate models is paramount. Observations are an integral part of model evaluation, providing a means to quantify and understand the degree to which climate models can faithfully reproduce Earth system processes. Such analysis is critical for constraining climate projections, identifying areas of focus for model development, and assisting analysts in deciphering the utility of models for specific applications. Observations of Earth system come from a diversity of sources, span different space–time domains, and are produced by different communities, and each dataset features different data structures and formats, metadata standards, and its own unique uncertainties. Uncertainties in an observational dataset may stem from gaps in temporal and spatial coverage, instrumentation errors, or assumptions in retrieval and processing methods. How then does one ensure that observational data are ready for use and utilized in the most appropriate way for robust, rapid, and routine climate model evaluation? The CMIP7 Model Benchmarking Task Team with input from the broader climate modeling, model evaluation, and observational data communities present a vision and considerations for best practices toward the optimal and appropriate use of observational data to support next-generation climate model evaluation.

Climate models↗