High-resolution Simulations of the Global Atmosphere and Ocean(<Special Topics>Earth Simulator)

Abstract

Advent of the Earth Simulator enabled us to conduct simulations of the global atmosphere and ocean at unprecedentedly high resolutions. We optimised atmospheric and oceanic codes and built an atmophere-ocean coupled model on the Earth Simulator. Our high-resolution global atmospheric model is able to simulate regional atmospheric events such as typhoon, Baiu, and Foehn realistically. In the 50-year simulation using our high-resolution global ocean model, meander and eddies associated with strong currents such as the Kuroshio, equatorial counter and Agulhas currents are reproduced quite realistically. In high resolution simulations, not only details of atmospheric and oceanic phenomena and topography but also inter-scale interactions are represented. In atmosphere-ocean coupled simulations inter-process interactions such as those between sea-ice and mid-latitude storms can be also represented. Capability of realistic simulations encourages us to improve seasonal prediction of the activities of atmospheric and oceanic eddies.