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https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-548
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-548
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Preprints
09 Apr 2026
 | 09 Apr 2026
Status: this preprint is open for discussion and under review for Geoscientific Model Development (GMD).

Meso-NH-ISO v1.0: a water stable isotopes scheme in the non-hydrostatic mesoscale atmospheric model Meso-NH. Application to a 2D West African squall line

Christelle Barthe, Françoise Vimeux, Camille Risi, and Sören François

Abstract. Better understanding how convective processes impact the isotopic composition of atmospheric water has implications for understanding present-day phenomena such as squall lines or tropical cyclones, and for reconstructions of past rainfall extreme events. With this motivation, we implemented water stable isotopes in the non-hydrostatic mesoscale atmospheric model Meso-NH. Water stable isotopes are implemented in the advection of water phases and in the microphysical scheme. The implementation is validated on a test case of a 2D simulation of a tropical squall line observed in June 1981 during the COPT81 field campaign in the Sahel region. The isotopic version of Meso-NH (Meso-NH-ISO) captures the expected evolution of the isotopic composition of both precipitation and water vapor along the squall line. This work opens the door to future isotopic studies using realistic cases of mesoscale convective systems (squall lines, tropical cyclones).

How to cite. Barthe, C., Vimeux, F., Risi, C., and François, S.: Meso-NH-ISO v1.0: a water stable isotopes scheme in the non-hydrostatic mesoscale atmospheric model Meso-NH. Application to a 2D West African squall line, EGUsphere [preprint], https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-548, 2026.
Received: 29 Jan 2026 – Discussion started: 09 Apr 2026
Publisher's note: Copernicus Publications remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims made in the text, published maps, institutional affiliations, or any other geographical representation in this paper. While Copernicus Publications makes every effort to include appropriate place names, the final responsibility lies with the authors. Views expressed in the text are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher.
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Christelle Barthe, Françoise Vimeux, Camille Risi, and Sören François

Status: open (until 04 Jun 2026)

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Christelle Barthe, Françoise Vimeux, Camille Risi, and Sören François

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https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-548-supplement

Model code and software

Meso-NH v5-5-0 Meso-NH team http://mesonh.aero.obs-mip.fr/mesonh55/

Christelle Barthe, Françoise Vimeux, Camille Risi, and Sören François
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Short summary
We implemented water stable isotopes in the non-hydrostatic mesoscale atmospheric model Meso-NH. We validated this isotopic version (Meso-NH-ISO) with a simulation of a well-documented squall line in the Sahel region. In future works, simulations with Meso-NH-ISO will be done on real cases of cyclones or squall lines. The goal is to better interpret and quantify isotopic observations on the field in terms of atmospheric processes that drive development and intensity of those thunderstorms.
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