Impact of Data-Driven Eddy Parameterization on Climate State in an Idealized Coupled CESM Model

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that a data-driven eddy parameterization in an idealized coupled climate model significantly influences ocean heat transport, circulation, and atmospheric patterns, highlighting its impact on the mean climate state.

Contribution

It introduces and assesses a data-driven eddy parameterization in an idealized coupled climate model, revealing its effects on large-scale circulation and climate features.

Findings

Eddy parameterization energizes mesoscale eddies and enhances poleward heat transport.

Hemispheric asymmetry in eddy activity and climate response is observed.

Ocean and atmosphere adjust through temperature patterns and jet shifts.

Abstract

Mesoscale eddies remain poorly represented in most climate models, motivating the use of parameterizations to account for their dynamical effects on the coupled system. In this study, we implement a data-driven eddy parameterization based on Zanna and Bolton (2020; ZB20) in an idealized, fully coupled CESM configuration and assess its influence on the mean climate state. When applied within an eddy-permitting ocean model (MOM6) embedded in the coupled configuration, the ZB20 eddy momentum parameterization, which features upgradient (backscatter) momentum flux, energizes mesoscale eddies and strengthens poleward ocean heat transport. The response is particularly strong in the Southern Hemisphere, where the open circumpolar channel sustains vigorous eddy activity and is sensitive to the parameterization, further leading to a marked hemispheric asymmetry. The oceanic meridional overturning circulation also intensifies around 60{\deg}S. The resulting ocean adjustments produce a coherent dipolar temperature pattern, with cooling in mid-latitudes and warming at high latitudes, driven primarily by anomalous meridional heat transport rather than local surface fluxes, shown using a regional heat-budget analysis. The atmosphere, in turn, exhibits a compensating reduction in meridional heat transport and an equatorward shift of the mid-latitude jet, associated with the mid-latitude surface cooling and changes in the meridional temperature gradient. Together, these results highlight how a data-driven eddy momentum parameterization can affect large-scale circulation and the mean climate state, providing a reference for understanding its impacts in more comprehensive climate models.