Leibniz MMS Days 2019 - Abstract

Sommerfeld, Bastian

Coarse-graining as a technique to reveal sub-grid scale fluxes and test the diffusive assumption.

The limits of model resolution in atmospheric and oceanographic modeling necessitate the use of subgrid parametrizations to account for unresolved processes. The go-to approach is using diffusive parametrizations such as the Dynamical Smagorinsky. In this work use a Coarse-Graining technique to reveal subgrid scale dynamics to test whether or not they do behave according to the diffusive assumption. We find a highly organized and structured turbulent shear production, which leads us to question the underlying assumptions and limits of diffusive parametrizations.