Geoscientific Model Development www.geosci-model-dev.net 1991-959X 1991-9603 2 2 2009 10.5194/gmd-2-73-2009 http://www.geosci-model-dev.net/2/73/2009/ http://www.geosci-model-dev.net/2/73/2009/gmd-2-73-2009.html http://www.geosci-model-dev.net/2/73/2009/gmd-2-73-2009.pdf 73 88 2009-07-21 An Intermediate Complexity Climate Model (ICCMp1) based on the GFDL flexible modelling system R. Farneti riccardo.farneti@noaa.gov G. K. Vallis GFDL/AOS Program, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA An intermediate complexity coupled ocean-atmosphere-land-ice model, based on the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) Flexible Modelling System (FMS), has been developed to study mechanisms of ocean-atmosphere interactions and natural climate variability at interannual to interdecadal and longer time scales. The model uses the three-dimensional primitive equations for both ocean and atmosphere but is simplified from a "state of the art" coupled model by using simplified atmospheric physics and parameterisation schemes. These simplifications provide considerable savings in computational expense and, perhaps more importantly, allow mechanisms to be investigated more cleanly and thoroughly than with a more elaborate model. For example, the model allows integrations of several millennia as well as broad parameter studies. For the ocean, the model uses the free surface primitive equations Modular Ocean Model (MOM) and the GFDL/FMS sea-ice model (SIS) is coupled to the oceanic grid. The atmospheric component consists of the FMS B-grid moist primitive equations atmospheric dynamical core with highly simplified physical parameterisations. A simple bucket model is implemented for our idealised land following the GFDL/FMS Land model. The model is supported within the standard MOM releases as one of its many test cases and the source code is thus freely available. Here we describe the model components and present a climatology of coupled simulations achieved with two different geometrical configurations. Throughout the paper, we give a flavour of the potential for this model to be a powerful tool for the climate modelling community by mentioning a wide range of studies that are currently being explored. Betts, A K.: A new convective adjustment scheme. Part I: Observational and theoretical basis, Q. J. Roy. Meteorol. Soc., 112, 677–692, 1986. Betts, A K. and Miller, M J.: A new convective adjustment scheme. Part II: Single column tests using GATE wave, BOMEX, and arctic air-mass data sets, Q. J. Roy. Meteorol. Soc., 112, 693–709, 1986. 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