Spectral Energetics of the Canadian Climate Centre General Circulation Model

Abstract

The available potential energy?kinetic energy budget of the Canadian Climate Centre general circulation model for the months of January. April, July and October is presented in terms of the two-dimensional wave-number. Five years of model results are compared to calculations based on observations taken during the First GARP Global Experiment (FGGE). Qualitatively, the simulated budget is realistic but a few of the magnitudes of the energies and conversions between them are not well simulated, arising in part from an excess of zonal available potential energy and zonal kinetic energy caused by the model's polar regions being too cold.