Summary
Commit f92d1a3 adds a 7-element namelist array dst_rgn_scale that multiplies the horizontal saltation flux in dst/dstmbl.F per named dust source region. Gridpoints outside all regions use scale 1.0.
Changes
src/control.com — declare dst_rgn_scale(7) in namelist /nlist/
src/main.F — initialize defaults to 1.0
dst/dstmbl.F — region-box logic, applies the multiplier to flx_mss_hrz_slt_ttl alongside lnd_frc_mbl and flx_mss_fdg_fct
Region boundaries (hardcoded lat/lon boxes)
| Idx |
Region |
Lat |
Lon |
| 1 |
Sahara/Sahel |
10–30N |
20W–30E |
| 2 |
Arabia |
15–30N |
30–55E |
| 3 |
Central Asia |
30–50N |
55–90E |
| 4 |
Gobi/Taklamakan |
35–50N |
90–115E |
| 5 |
Australia |
35–15S |
115–145E |
| 6 |
SW N. America |
25–40N |
115W–100W |
| 7 |
Patagonia |
55–35S |
75W–60W |
Motivation
The older global soil-moisture rescale (vwc_scale / vwc_offset) cannot simultaneously match multiple source regions against assimilated AOD — hyperarid Sahara (CORe SOILW ≈ 0.02 → max emission) needs strong suppression while moderate Gobi/Australia are under-emitting. A per-region multiplier decouples them. The legacy global parameters remain wired in for backwards compatibility but are superseded.
Known limitations of the current source
- Region boxes are hardcoded in
dst/dstmbl.F. Adding a region or relocating a box requires a source edit, not a namelist change.
- The SW N. America box as defined contains little baseline emission, so its multiplier has no leverage — the box needs relocation to actual source zones before it can be tuned.
- The region test runs once per gridpoint per call; for very high-resolution grids the box-membership checks could be precomputed into an integer region index field.
- No diagnostic output of which region (if any) each gridpoint falls in — would help verify boundary placement.
Follow-ups (separate issues)
- Tuning campaign to fit
dst_rgn_scale per calendar month against assimilated AOD climatologies — see AOD_TUNE.md.
- Sea salt scaling (
sslt_scale) — added in 3914c2e, separate concern.
Summary
Commit f92d1a3 adds a 7-element namelist array
dst_rgn_scalethat multiplies the horizontal saltation flux indst/dstmbl.Fper named dust source region. Gridpoints outside all regions use scale 1.0.Changes
src/control.com— declaredst_rgn_scale(7)in namelist/nlist/src/main.F— initialize defaults to 1.0dst/dstmbl.F— region-box logic, applies the multiplier toflx_mss_hrz_slt_ttlalongsidelnd_frc_mblandflx_mss_fdg_fctRegion boundaries (hardcoded lat/lon boxes)
Motivation
The older global soil-moisture rescale (
vwc_scale/vwc_offset) cannot simultaneously match multiple source regions against assimilated AOD — hyperarid Sahara (CORe SOILW ≈ 0.02 → max emission) needs strong suppression while moderate Gobi/Australia are under-emitting. A per-region multiplier decouples them. The legacy global parameters remain wired in for backwards compatibility but are superseded.Known limitations of the current source
dst/dstmbl.F. Adding a region or relocating a box requires a source edit, not a namelist change.Follow-ups (separate issues)
dst_rgn_scaleper calendar month against assimilated AOD climatologies — seeAOD_TUNE.md.sslt_scale) — added in 3914c2e, separate concern.