Development of earth/climate system models in China: A review from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project perspective

• Published in: Journal of Meteorological Research Vol. 28; no. 5; pp. 762 - 779
• Main Authors: Zhou, Tianjun, Zou, Liwei, Wu, Bo, Jin, Chenxi, Song, Fengfei, Chen, Xiaolong, Zhang, Lixia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Heidelberg The Chinese Meteorological Society 01-10-2014; State Key Laboratory of Numerical Modeling for Atmospheric Sciences and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics(LASG),Institute of Atmospheric Physics(IAP), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029; Climate Change Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijng 100029%State Key Laboratory of Numerical Modeling for Atmospheric Sciences and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics(LASG),Institute of Atmospheric Physics(IAP), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029
• Subjects: Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Atmospheric Sciences; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Geophysics and Environmental Physics; Meteorology; atmospheric general circulation model; climate system model; earth system model; high-resolution model; oceanic general circulation model; Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP); IPCC Assessment Report; atmospheric gen-general circulation model
• ISSN: 2095-6037; 2198-0934
• DOI: 10.1007/s13351-014-4501-9

The development of coupled earth/climate system models in China over the past 20 years is reviewed, including a comparison with other international models that participated in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP) from phase 1 (CMIP1) to phase 4 (CMIP4). The Chinese contribution to CMIP is summarized, and the major achievements from CMIP1 to CMIP3 are listed as a reference for assessing the strengths and weaknesses of Chinese models. After a description of CMIP5 experiments, the five Chinese models that participated in CMIP5 are then introduced. Furthermore, following a review of the current status of international model development, both the challenges and opportunities for the Chinese climate modeling community are discussed. The development of high-resolution climate models, earth system models, and improvements in atmospheric and oceanic general circulation models, which are core components of earth/climate system models, are highlighted. To guarantee the sustainable development of climate system models in China, the need for national-level coordination is discussed, along with a list of the main components and supporting elements identified by the US National Strategy for Advancing Climate Modeling.