Global Climate Modeling

The climate modeling program at NASA GISS is primarily aimed at the development of three-dimensional general circulation models (GCMs) and coupled atmosphere-ocean models for simulating Earth's climate system, although some research efforts may include the use and development of three-dimensional regional climate models, two-dimensional energy balance models, and one-dimensional radiative-convective models. Primary emphasis in the use of the GCMs is placed on investigation of climate sensitivity, including the climate system's response to such forcings as solar variability, anthropogenic and natural emissions of greenhouse gases and aerosols, etc.

A major focus of GISS GCM simulations is to study the human impact on the climate as well as the effects of a changing climate on society and the environment. GCM developmental research focuses on sensitivity to parameterizations of clouds and moist convection, ground hydrology, and ocean-atmosphere-ice interactions, as well as investigations of more accurate numerical methods. The program also involves development of techniques to infer global cloud properties from satellite radiance measurements of the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project. Ongoing field and laboratory programs in palynology, paleoclimate reconstruction, and other geophysical sciences provide fundamental climate data for evaluating and validating model predictions.

The climate models that GISS has developed and operates include atmospheric general circulation models (AGCMs) and coupled atmosphere-ocean models. Such computer models numerically solve fundamental equations describing the conservation of mass, energy, momentum, etc. for each atmospheric gridbox, while taking into account the transfer of those quantities between gridboxes. They also consider, often in parameterized form, the physical processes within the boxes, including sources and sinks of these quantities.

Models and References

The following is a list of benchmark publications for the several GISS global climate models in current use.

GISS Model E

Schmidt, G.A., R. Ruedy, J.E. Hansen, I. Aleinov, N. Bell, M. Bauer, S. Bauer, B. Cairns, V. Canuto, Y. Cheng, A. Del Genio, G. Faluvegi, A.D. Friend, T.M. Hall, Y. Hu, M. Kelley, N.Y. Kiang, D. Koch, A.A. Lacis, J. Lerner, K.K. Lo, R.L. Miller, L. Nazarenko, V. Oinas, J.P. Perlwitz, Ju. Perlwitz, D. Rind, A. Romanou, G.L. Russell, Mki. Sato, D.T. Shindell, P.H. Stone, S. Sun, N. Tausnev, D. Thresher, and M.-S. Yao, 2006: Present day atmospheric simulations using GISS ModelE: Comparison to in-situ, satellite and reanalysis data. J. Climate, 19, 153-192, doi:10.1175/JCLI3612.1.

GISS Middle Atmosphere Model and Model 3

Rind, D., R. Suozzo, N.K. Balachandran, A. Lacis, and G. Russell, 1988: The GISS Global Climate-Middle Atmosphere Model. Part I: Model structure and climatology. J. Atmos. Sci., 45, 329-370, doi:10.1175/1520-0469(1988)045<0329:TGGCMA>2.0.CO;2.

Rind, D., R. Suozzo, and N.K. Balachandran, 1988: The GISS Global Climate-Middle Atmosphere Model. Part II: Model variability due to interactions between planetary waves, the mean circulation and gravity wave drag. J. Atmos. Sci., 45, 371-386, doi:10.1175/1520-0469(1988)045<0371:TGGCMA>2.0.CO%3B2.

Rind, D., J. Lerner, J. Jonas, and C. McLinden, 2007: The effects of resolution and model physics on tracer transports in the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies general circulation models. J. Geophys. Res., 112, D09315, doi:10.1029/2006JD007476.

Rind, D., J. Lean, J. Lerner, P. Lonergan, and A. Leboissetier, 2008: Exploring the stratospheric/tropospheric response to solar forcing. J. Geophys. Res., 113, D24103, doi:10.1029/2008JD010114.

GISS Atmosphere-Ocean Model (GR)

Russell, G.L., J.R. Miller, and D. Rind, 1995: A coupled atmosphere-ocean model for transient climate change studies. Atmos.-Ocean, 33, 683-730.

GISS Model II

Hansen, J., G. Russell, D. Rind, P. Stone, A. Lacis, S. Lebedeff, R. Ruedy, and L. Travis, 1983: Efficient three-dimensional global models for climate studies: Models I and II. M. Weather Rev., 111, 609-662, doi:10.1175/1520-0493(1983)111<0609:ETDGMF>2.0.CO;2.

Hansen, J., A. Lacis, D. Rind, G. Russell, P. Stone, I. Fung, R. Ruedy, and J. Lerner, 1984: Climate sensitivity: Analysis of feedback mechanisms. In Climate Processes and Climate Sensitivity, AGU Geophysical Monograph 29, Maurice Ewing Vol. 5. J.E. Hansen and T. Takahashi, Eds. American Geophysical Union, pp. 130-163.

Contacts

Please address inquiries about global climate modeling at NASA GISS to Dr. Gavin Schmidt.

Related Links

GISS GCM ModelE

FORTRAN 90 source and documentiation for the ModelE series of coupled atmosphere-ocean models. These models have been used for our contribution to the CMIP3 and CMIP5 archives of model simulation results.
+ Read More

ModelE Climate Simulations

Data products and related images obtained from several climate simulations and ensembles using the GISS ModelE.
+ Read More

GISS GCM Model AOM-GR

FORTRAN source and documentation for the 1999 and 2004 versions of the GISS Atmosphere-Ocean Model (GR).
+ Go to Website

GISS GCM Model II

FORTRAN source and documentation for the 1980s version of the GISS global climate model, used in the original NASA GISS global warming simulations described in Hansen et al. (1988). The code is maintained and distributed by the Columbia University EdGCM project.
+ Read More