The CCPP-ARM Parameterization Testbed (CAPT): A Strategic Plan

Climate simulations performed with general circulation models (GCMs) are widely viewed as the principal scientific basis for developing policies to address potential future global change scenarios (e.g. global warming, ozone depletion, changes in land use, etc.). Hence, there is a compelling need to systematically improve the performance of GCMs in simulating the present climate, and thereby to reduce their uncertainties in predicting climate change (e.g. Goody et al. 2002). This endeavor requires a two-pronged strategy that entails