HR: 11:35h
AN: A12C-06    [Abstracts]
TI: Resolution Dependence of the Simulation of a GCM for the Surface to Lower Thermosphere
AU: * Boville, B A
EM: boville@ucar.edu
AF: NCAR, P.O. Box 3000, Boulder, CO 80027
AU: Sassi, F
EM: sassi@ucar.edu
AF: NCAR, P.O. Box 3000, Boulder, CO 80027
AU: Garcia, R R
EM: rgarcia@ucar.edu
AF: NCAR, P.O. Box 3000, Boulder, CO 80027
AB: The horizontal and vertical resolution used in Atmospheric General Circulation Models (GCMs) has always been determined primarily by computational expense, rather than accuracy. Over the last 3 decades there have been several studies of the dependence of the solutions on horizontal resolution, with fewer studies on the effects vertical resolution and vertical domain. This study revisits the question of dependence on horizontal resolution using the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM3). WACCM3 extends from the surface to 150 km and includes a comprehensive interactive chemistry model for the middle atmosphere. A finite volume dynamical core is used and simulations have been performed for range resolutions from 4x5 degrees (lat x lon), to 1x1.25 degrees. The mesospheric and thermospheric parts of the domain are found to be relatively insensitive to the horizontal resolution, probably because they are strongly forced and are therefore less dependent on representing the local wave and vortex dynamics. In common with previous studies, the troposphere and stratosphere are found to have significant dependence on horizontal resolution over this range.
DE: 3337 Global climate models (1626, 4928)
DE: 3362 Stratosphere/troposphere interactions
SC: Atmospheric Sciences [A]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005