A Novel Gravity Wave Transport Parametrization for Global Chemistry Climate Models: Description and Validation

The gravity wave drag parametrization of the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM) has been modified to include the wave‐driven atmospheric vertical mixing caused by propagating, non‐breaking, gravity waves. The strength of this atmospheric mixing is represented in the model via the “effective wave diffusivity” coefficient (Kwave). Using Kwave, a new total dynamical diffusivity (KDyn) is defined. KDyn represents the vertical mixing of the atmosphere by both breaking (dissipating) and vertically propagating (non‐dissipating) gravity waves. Here we show that, when the new diffusivity is used, the downward fluxes of Fe and Na between 80 and 100 km largely increase. Larger meteoric ablation injection rates of these metals (within a factor 2 of measurements) can now be used in WACCM, which produce Na and Fe layers in good agreement with lidar observations. Mesospheric CO2 is also significantly impacted, with the largest CO2 concentration increase occurring between 80 and 90 km, where model‐observations agreement improves. However, in regions where the model overestimates CO2 concentration, the new parametrization exacerbates the model bias. The mesospheric cooling simulated by the new parametrization, while needed, is currently too strong almost everywhere. The summer mesopause in both hemispheres becomes too cold by about 30 K compared to observations, but it shifts upward, partially correcting the WACCM low summer mesopause. Our results highlight the far‐reaching implications and the necessity of representing vertically propagating non‐breaking gravity waves in climate models. This novel method of modeling gravity waves contributes to growing evidence that it is time to move away from dissipative‐only gravity wave parametrizations. Plain Language Summary Atmospheric gravity waves are generated in the lowest layers (∼bottom 10 km) of the atmosphere by processes such as weather systems and air masses interacting with the topography, and can propagate upward to ∼120 km. In this work, the representation of atmospheric gravity waves in a state‐of‐the‐art chemistry climate model, the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM), has been updated. In the new model version, the mixing of the atmosphere caused by gravity waves that propagate upwards above 80 km and do not break is part of the total mixing of the atmosphere, which hitherto was considered to be caused by the turbulence created by gravity wave breaking. We show here that when this addition