Regional Climate Model Version 3 (RegCM3) is a three-dimensional, hydrostatic, compressible, primitive equation, σ-coordinate regional climate model. It is maintained here at MIT, in the Eltahir Research Group, as well as at the International Center for Theoretical Physics (ICTP).
Schematic of RegCM3.
RegCM3 is coupled to two land surface schemes:
1. Biosphere-Atmosphere Transfer Scheme Version 1e (BATS1e).
Dickinson, R., A. Henderson-Sellers and P. Kennedy. 1993. Biosphere-Atmosphere Transfer Scheme (BATS) version 1e as coupled to the NCAR Community Climate Model. NCAR Technical Note NCAR/TN-387+STR, 72pp.
2. Integrated Biosphere Simulator (IBIS), coupled here in the Eltahir Group.
Winter, J.M., J.S. Pal and E.A.B. Eltahir. 2009. Coupling of Integrated Biosphere Simulator to Regional Climate Model Version 3. Journal of Climate, 22:2743-2757.
Recent improvements made to the model in the Eltahir Research Group include the addition and improvement of subcloud layer evaporation schemes (Kuo, SUBEX) [Marcella and Eltahir, 2008]. Ongoing work includes:
- improving the dust module by including subgrid variability in dust emission parameters.
- improving the representation of cumulus cloud cover.
- inclusion of a new method for calculating convective rainfall efficiency, based on the observed subgrid variability of cloud droplets.
- delaying the timing of the diurnal rainfall peak via consideration of the convective updraft velocity.