CESM Models

CCSM3.0 Public Release

CCSM version 3.0 was released to the public in June 2004. This web page deals specifically with the CCSM3.0 release.

The Community Climate System Model (CCSM) is a coupled climate model for simulating the earth's climate system. Composed of four separate models simultaneously simulating the earth's atmosphere, ocean, land surface and sea-ice, and one central coupler component, the CCSM allows researchers to conduct fundamental research into the earth's past, present and future climate states.

Contents

Model Documentation

Running The Complete Coupled System

Atmosphere Models

Ice Models

Land Models

Ocean Models

Coupler

Model Source Code

Model Input Data

The input data needed to run the model is disseminated via the Earth System Grid (ESG).

The data necessary to run these all-active configurations is currently available:

Additional input data is necessary for the following IPCC scenarios (registration with ESG is required):

Model Output Data

A variety of mmulti-century CCSM3.0 control runs have been carried out at three resolutions: T31_gx3v5, T42_gx1v3, and T85_gx1v3. Monthly average data from all components were saved and some post-processed time series are available. A description of the various CCSM3 control runs is available in the Experiments and Output Data section of this web site.

CCSM3 output data is disseminated via the Earth System Grid (ESG).

Related Stand-Alone Components: Uncoupled Models

Version Description
Atmosphere [CAM] The Community Atmosphere Model (CAM) is the latest in a series of global atmosphere models developed at NCAR for the weather and climate research communities. While a version CAM serves as an atmospheric component in the CCSM framework (a coupled system), this is an alternate version that runs as a "stand alone" (uncoupled) model.
Sea Ice [CSIM] The Community Sea Ice Model (CSIM) serves as the sea ice component of CCSM. It is the result of a community effort to develop a portable, efficient sea ice model that can be run coupled in a global climate model or uncoupled as a stand-alone ice model. It is a dynamic-thermodynamic model that includes a subgrid-scale ice thickness distribution, energy conserving thermodynamics, and elastic-viscous-plastic (EVP) dynamics.
Land [CLM] The Community Land Model (CLM) is a state-of-the-art soil-vegetation-atmosphere transfer model developed by the CCSM's Land Model Working Group. Given land surface and atmospheric inputs from datasets and models, the CLM calculates (at the land-atmosphere interface) heat and radiation fluxes, temperature, humidity, and moisture values, river flow, volatile organic compound emissions, and CO2 fluxes. The CLM includes a dynamic global vegetation model that simulates plant structure and distribution as a function of the climate.
Ocean [POP] The CCSM version of the Parallel Ocean Program was released in June 2004 as part of the CCSM3.0 release.