Tibetan Plateau Mountain Wave Simulation Using AI‐Driven 3D Adaptive Mesh Refinement

Abstract Accurately simulating orography‐induced mountain waves over steep terrain, such as the Tibetan Plateau (TP), remains a major challenge for numerical weather prediction (NWP) models due to grid distortions inherent in traditional terrain‐following coordinates. To address this issue, we developed an AI‐driven adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) framework within the Fluidity‐Atmosphere model, which employs a 3D unstructured mesh to mitigate geometric distortions. A Long Short‐Term Memory (LSTM) neural network is integrated to enhance the AMR process, replacing traditional adaptation criteria with data‐driven predictions. A series of idealized 2D and 3D experiments demonstrate that both the traditional AMR and LSTM‐driven approaches reproduce mountain wave dynamics with higher efficiency than fixed mesh. Furthermore, the LSTM model suppresses numerical noise near terrain, preventing spurious over‐refinement. In realistic simulations over the TP, the LSTM‐enhanced model successfully captured the life cycle of mountain waves, reproducing key physical features such as vertical velocity structures, wave amplitude decay, and upstream phase tilt. Comparative tests further revealed efficiency gains of up to 71.4% over fixed meshes and 23.8% over traditional AMR at high resolution, alongside accuracy improvements in vertical velocity, potential temperature, and wave propagation. These findings validate the LSTM‐based AMR framework as a robust and efficient approach for atmospheric simulations over complex terrain. By intelligently allocating computational resources while preserving physical accuracy, this method offers a scalable pathway toward next‐generation atmospheric modeling, with future applications targeted at realistic meteorological conditions over the TP.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres
Published
2026-03-11
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1029/2025jd045585
Primary Topic
Meteorological Phenomena and Simulations
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Tibetan Plateau Mountain Wave Simulation Using AI‐Driven 3D Adaptive Mesh Refinement

Xun Zou, L Li, Qingxia Wu, Jesse Zhu et al.
Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres
Meteorological Phenomena and Simulations
article

Tibetan Plateau Mountain Wave Simulation Using AI‐Driven 3D Adaptive Mesh Refinement

Xun Zou, L Li, Qingxia Wu, Jesse Zhu, Fangxin Fang, Pu Gan, Huifeng Yuan, Xiao Tang, Zifa Wang, Xiaofei Wu, Jinxi Li, Feng Xie
article en

Abstract

Abstract Accurately simulating orography‐induced mountain waves over steep terrain, such as the Tibetan Plateau (TP), remains a major challenge for numerical weather prediction (NWP) models due to grid distortions inherent in traditional terrain‐following coordinates. To address this issue, we developed an AI‐driven adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) framework within the Fluidity‐Atmosphere model, which employs a 3D unstructured mesh to mitigate geometric distortions. A Long Short‐Term Memory (LSTM) neural network is integrated to enhance the AMR process, replacing traditional adaptation criteria with data‐driven predictions. A series of idealized 2D and 3D experiments demonstrate that both the traditional AMR and LSTM‐driven approaches reproduce mountain wave dynamics with higher efficiency than fixed mesh. Furthermore, the LSTM model suppresses numerical noise near terrain, preventing spurious over‐refinement. In realistic simulations over the TP, the LSTM‐enhanced model successfully captured the life cycle of mountain waves, reproducing key physical features such as vertical velocity structures, wave amplitude decay, and upstream phase tilt. Comparative tests further revealed efficiency gains of up to 71.4% over fixed meshes and 23.8% over traditional AMR at high resolution, alongside accuracy improvements in vertical velocity, potential temperature, and wave propagation. These findings validate the LSTM‐based AMR framework as a robust and efficient approach for atmospheric simulations over complex terrain. By intelligently allocating computational resources while preserving physical accuracy, this method offers a scalable pathway toward next‐generation atmospheric modeling, with future applications targeted at realistic meteorological conditions over the TP.

Journal of Geophysical Research AtmospheresVol. 131(6)
Planetary Science Institute (US), Scripps Institution of Oceanography (US), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN), Chengdu University of Information Technology (CN), Beijing Normal University (CN), China Internet Network Information Center (CN), Computer Network Information Center (CN), Institute of Software (CN), Anhui Provincial Meteorological Bureau (CN), Institute of Atmospheric Physics (CN), University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN), Imperial College London (GB)
Responsible consumption and production
Openalex Percentile: Top 46%
Meteorological Phenomena and Simulations
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.