General aspects of a T213L256 middle atmosphere general circulation model

Abstract

A high-resolution middle atmosphere general circulation model (GCM) developed for studying small-scale atmospheric processes is presented, and the general features of the model are discussed. The GCM has T213 spectral horizontal resolution and 256 vertical levels extending from the surface to a height of 85 km with a uniform vertical spacing of 300 m. Gravity waves (GWs) are spontaneously generated by convection, topography, instability, and adjustment processes in the model, and the GCM reproduces realistic general circulation in the extratropical stratosphere and mesosphere. The oscillations similar to the stratopause semiannual oscillation and the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) in the equatorial lower stratosphere are also spontaneously generated in the GCM, although the period of the QBO-like oscillation is short (15 months). The relative roles of planetary waves, large-scale GWs, and small-scale GWs in maintenance of the meridional structures of the zonal wind jets in the middle atmosphere are evaluated by calculating Eliassen-Palm diagnostics separately for each of these three groups of waves. Small-scale GWs are found to cause deceleration of the wintertime polar night jet and the summertime easterly jet in the mesosphere, while extratropical planetary waves primarily cause deceleration of the polar night jet below a height of approximately 60 km. The meridional distribution and propagation of srhall-scale GWs are shown to affect the shape of the upper part of mesospheric jets. The phase structures of orographic GWs over the South Andes and GWs emitted from the tropospheric jet stream are discussed as examples of realistic GWs reproduced by the T213L256 GCM. Copyright 2008 by the American Geophysical Union.