Using ARM Observations as Model Diagnostics in a Climate Model Testbed

One of the strengths of the Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) observations is the high temporal and vertical resolution of many measurements, providing information about the diurnal cycle and vertical distribution of atmospheric properties. These observations will be used in a diagnostic phase of the DOE Climate Science for a Sustainable Energy Future (CSSEF) project hydrological cycle testbed for global climate models. The CSSEF testbed will calibrate climate model parameterizations using precipitation observations and uncertainty quantification techniques. The diagnostics will then be used to examine whether the calibrated climate model can still accurately simulate other key atmospheric quantities. This is an important step to insure that improvement in one aspect of climate modeling does not come at the cost of greater inaccuracy in other quantities. Here we will present surface and profile thermodynamic quantities useful for diagnostics that exploit the strengths of the high temporal or vertical resolution of ARM observations.