A linear analysis of the NCAR CCSM finite-volume dynamical core

The NCAR Community Climate System Model (CCSM) finite-volume atmospheric core uses a C-D-grid discretization to solve the equations of motion. A linear analysis of this discretization shows that it behaves as a D grid to leading order; it possesses the poor response of the D grid for short-wavelength divergent modes, the poor response of the C and D grids for short-wavelength rotational modes, and is only first-order accurate in time and damping. The scheme combines a modified forward-backward time integration for gravity waves with forward-in-time upwind-biased advection schemes, and the solver uses a vector-invariant form of the momentum equations. Other approaches using these equations are considered that circumvent some of the problems inherent in the current approach.

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Copyright 2008 American Meteorological Society (AMS). Permission to use figures, tables, and brief excerpts from this work in scientific and educational works is hereby granted provided that the source is acknowledged. Any use of material in this work that is determined to be "fair use" under Section 107 or that satisfies the conditions specified in Section 108 of the U.S. Copyright Law (17 USC, as revised by P.L. 94-553) does not require the Society's permission. Republication, systematic reproduction, posting in electronic form on servers, or other uses of this material, except as exempted by the above statements, requires written permission or license from the AMS. Additional details are provided in the AMS Copyright Policies, available from the AMS at 617-227-2425 or amspubs@ametsoc.org. Permission to place a copy of this work on this server has been provided by the AMS. The AMS does not guarantee that the copy provided here is an accurate copy of the published work.
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Author Skamarock, William
Publisher UCAR/NCAR - Library
Publication Date 2008-06-01T00:00:00
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Topic Category geoscientificInformation
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Metadata Date 2025-07-17T15:57:46.236679
Metadata Record Identifier edu.ucar.opensky::articles:6545
Metadata Language eng; USA
Suggested Citation Skamarock, William. (2008). A linear analysis of the NCAR CCSM finite-volume dynamical core. UCAR/NCAR - Library. https://n2t.org/ark:/85065/d7qn670c. Accessed 12 August 2025.

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