WAM-IPE

WAM is a physics-based whole atmosphere model, an extension of the global spectral model dynamical core GFS to approximately 3x10^-7 Pa. IPE is a physics-based ionosphere and plasmasphere up to approximately 10,000km. WAM is coupled one-way to IPE.

WAM was developed based on the spectral version of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Global Forecast System (GFS) used for medium-range numerical weather prediction. The WAM system is used to quantify the impact of lower atmosphere weather on the upper atmosphere and ionosphere, as well as the response to solar and geomagnetic activity. The thermospheric parameters calculated by WAM are fed into IPE for calculating the responses in the ionosphere. The ESMF 3D re-gridding capability is used for exchanging the information. IPE is a time-dependent and global three-dimensional model that provides densities, temperatures, and velocity of ions and electron from 90 km to several Earth radii. The International Geomagnetic Reference Field (IGRF) coordinate system is used to accurately represent Earth’s magnetic field. The fieldline calculations are based on the Field Line Interhemispheric Plasma (FLIP) model. The ExB transport is applied zonally and meridionally across Earth’s magnetic field. The magnetic field line or flux-tube coordinate system is designed for seamless perpendicular plasma transport pole-to-pole. In the operational setting, both models use the Weimer empirical ion convection model and TIROS auroral empirical model, both driven by the solar wind data, to specify the external energy input from the magnetosphere

In the CCMC Runs-on-Request setting, WAM-IPE is free-running without data assimilation. There is nothing constraining the lower atmosphere as in the operational WAM-IPE Forecast System (WFS).

WAM: full-Earth specification of state variables from surface to top-of-model

IPE: stock ionosphere input deck driven by IMF (By/Bz), solar wind wind density and speed, Kp index, F10.7

2D derived or full-field 3D NetCDF files from each model component. Neutral temperature, neutral wind (u, v, w), O, O2, N2, mass density, column-integrated O/N2, O+, H+, electron density, ExB drift velocities (ui, vi, wi), ion and electron temperature, NmF2, hmF2

Version 1.2.4 was deployed on September 06, 2024 at the CCMC for the ROR simulation service.

Version 1.2.5 was deployed on December 06, 2024 at the CCMC for the ROR simulation service.