Implications of Horizontal Resolution in Spectral Model Integrations

Abstract

Free surface and non-divergent spectral models have been integrated using varying resolutions with both analytic and meteorological initial fields. The results have been interpreted in terms of convergence of solutions. Both types of integrations show that convergent solutions are obtained over a period of a few days provided that sufficient resolution is used. Energy, enstrophy, and error distributions with planetary wavenumber also indicate crucial differences between the highest and lowest resolution integrations.