Summary Report No. 81


POTSDAM - A Set of Atmosphere Statistical-Dynamical Models: Theoretical Background

V. Petoukhov, A. Ganopolski, M. Claussen (March 2003)

The concept and theoretical background are presented of the hierarchy of Potsdam Statistical-Dynamical Atmospheric Models (POTSDAM). In this, the procedure of the derivation of the generalized statistical-dynamical equations (SDEs) is described at length which are the result of the spatial and temporal averaging of the primitive Reynolds-type hydrothermodynamical equations over the horizontal and time scales of the order of D L » 1000 - -3000 km and Dt » 10 - -30 days, respectively. Applying a scale/magnitude analysis of the order of terms the generalized SDEs are reduced to the basic SDEs of POTSDAM. By the vertical integration of these latter the governing SDEs are developed then, with the use of the universal vertical structure of the climate variables on the (D L, D t) scale. Under some additional simplifications the governing SDEs of POTSDAM-2 model are obtained which is used as the atmospheric module of CLIMBER-2 Earth system Model of Intermediate Complexity.

 

Complete document (0.8 MB)