The Cold-Air Outbreaks in the Marine Boundary Layer Experiment model-observation intercomparison project (COMBLE-MIP) – Part 1: Model specification, observational constraints, and preliminary findings

Juliano, Timothy W.; Tornow, Florian; Fridlind, Ann M.; Ackerman, Andrew S.; Elsaesser, Gregory S.; Geerts, Bart; Lackner, Christian P.; Painemal, David; Silber, Israel; Ovchinnikov, Mikhail; Svensson, Gunilla; Tjernström, Michael; Wu, Peng; Baró Pérez, Alejandro; Bogenschutz, Peter; Chechin, Dmitry; Chandrakar, Kamal Kant; Chylik, Jan; Debolskiy, Andrey; Fadeev, Rostislav; Gupta, Anu; Ickes, Luisa; Karalis, Michail; Köhler, Martin; Kosović, Branko; Kuma, Peter; Li, Weiwei; Mortikov, Evgeny; Morrison, Hugh; Neggers, Roel A. J.; Possner, Anna; Raatikainen, Tomi; Raillard, Lea; Romakkaniemi, Sami; Schnierstein, Niklas; Shima, Shin-ichiro; Silin, Nikita; Tolstykh, Mikhail; Vignon, Étienne; Xue, Lulin; Zhang, Meng; Zheng, Xue

doi:10.5194/acp-26-13267-2026

Articles | Volume 26, issue 18

https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-13267-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-13267-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 26, issue 18

Research article

|

22 Sep 2026

Research article |

| 22 Sep 2026

The Cold-Air Outbreaks in the Marine Boundary Layer Experiment model-observation intercomparison project (COMBLE-MIP) – Part 1: Model specification, observational constraints, and preliminary findings

Timothy W. Juliano, Florian Tornow, Ann M. Fridlind, Andrew S. Ackerman, Gregory S. Elsaesser, Bart Geerts, Christian P. Lackner, David Painemal, Israel Silber, Mikhail Ovchinnikov, Gunilla Svensson, Michael Tjernström, Peng Wu, Alejandro Baró Pérez, Peter Bogenschutz, Dmitry Chechin, Kamal Kant Chandrakar, Jan Chylik, Andrey Debolskiy, Rostislav Fadeev, Anu Gupta, Luisa Ickes, Michail Karalis, Martin Köhler, Branko Kosović, Peter Kuma, Weiwei Li, Evgeny Mortikov, Hugh Morrison, Roel A. J. Neggers, Anna Possner, Tomi Raatikainen, Lea Raillard, Sami Romakkaniemi, Niklas Schnierstein, Shin-ichiro Shima, Nikita Silin, Mikhail Tolstykh, Étienne Vignon, Lulin Xue, Meng Zhang, and Xue Zheng

Data sets

Earthdata Search NASA/GSFC/ESPD https://search.earthdata.nasa.gov/search

Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) User Facility data ARM https://armgov.svcs.arm.gov/data/

Model code and software

DHARMA LES code and input files for COMBLE-MIP Part I A. Ackerman et al. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21244123

COMBLE case in Dales4.3-sb3 N. Schnierstein et al. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18774154

Model and output for manuscript "Responses of boundary layer cloud structure and particle budget to aerosol sources during Arctic marine cold-air outbreaks" P. Wu https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18331989

Energy Exascale Earth System Model v3.0.0 E3SM Project https://doi.org/10.11578/E3SM/dc.20240301.3

CCPP SCM code, script, and data for a manuscript submitted to GMD W. Li and L. Xue https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18673716

ARM-Development/comble-mip: Archived Version for COMBLE-MIP Part I paper F. Tornow et al. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21246964

ICON LES contribution to the COMBLE-MIP project ICON LES Team https://github.com/peterkuma/comble-mip-icon-les

GISS Earth System Model: ModelE NASA GISS https://www.giss.nasa.gov/tools/modelE/

DALES - Dutch Atmospheric Large Eddy Simulation H. G. Ouwersloot et al. https://github.com/dalesteam/dales

Cloud Model 1 CM1 Team https://github.com/NCAR/CM1

UCLALES-SALSA UCLALES-SALSA Team https://github.com/UCLALES-SALSA/UCLALES-SALSA/tree/comble_dev

Scalable Computing for Advanced Library and Environment Team-SCALE of RIKEN Center for Computational Sciences https://scale.riken.jp/download/#source-code

Short summary

Models struggle to capture cloud and precipitation processes and their radiative effects in marine cold-air outbreaks. We use a quasi-Lagrangian framework to compare large-eddy simulation (LES) and single-column model (SCM) output with field and satellite observations. With fixed droplet and ice numbers, LES and SCM agree in liquid-only tests. In mixed-phase conditions, LES plausibly capture cloud thinning and breakup, while SCMs largely remain overcast and thereby miss cloud radiative effects.