The hot-Jupiter HAT-P-2b has become a prime target for Spitzer Space Telescope observations aimed at understanding the atmospheric response of exoplanets on highly eccentric orbits. Here we present a suite of three-dimensional atmospheric circulation models for HAT-P-2b that investigate the effects of assumed atmospheric composition and rotation rate on global scale winds and thermal patterns. ...

In this paper, zonal momentum balances of the tropical atmospheric circulation during the global monsoon mature months (January and July) are analyzed in three dimensions based on the ECMWF Interim ReAnalysis (ERA-Interim). It is found that the dominant terms in the balance of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) in both months are the pressure gradient force, the Coriolis force, and friction. ...

The ongoing loss of Arctic sea-ice cover has implications for the wider climate system. The detection and importance of the atmospheric impacts of sea-ice loss depends, in part, on the relative magnitudes of the sea-ice forced change compared to natural atmospheric internal variability (AIV). This study analyses large ensembles of two independent atmospheric general circulation models in order ...

Abstract This study examines the climatology and dynamics of atmospheric blocking, general circulation features that influence blocks in GFDL’s atmosphere-only (AM4) coupled atmosphere–ocean (CM4) comprehensive models. We compare AM4 CM4 with reanalysis, focusing on winter Northern Hemisphere. Both models generate correct blocking planetary-scale signatures stationary wave. However, at regional...

This project was a continuation of previous work under DOE CCPP funding in which we developed a twin approach of non-homogeneous hidden Markov models (NHMMs) and coupled ocean-atmosphere (O-A) intermediate-complexity models (ICMs) to identify the potentially predictable modes of climate variability, and to investigate their impacts on the regional-scale. We have developed a family of latent-var...

In this technical note we present the multipurpose atmospheric chemistry model MECCA. Owing to its versatility and modular structure, it can be used for tropospheric as well as stratospheric chemistry calculations. Extending the code to other domains (e.g. mesospheric or oceanic chemistry) is easily possible. MECCA contains a compre-5 hensive atmospheric reaction mechanism that currently includ...