CCSM Project
About CCSM
CCSM belongs to an elite category of computer-based simulation models known as general-circulation models. Such models use mathematical formulas to recreate the chemical and physical processes that drive Earth's climate. What emerges from trillions of computer calculations is a picture of the world's climate in all its complexity. [More...] [CCSM Brochure]
Climate News
Community Ice Sheet Model Will Aid Understanding of Sea Level Rise
Recently, scientists modified the Community Land Model (CLM), a component of CCSM, to compute ice sheet surface mass balance. [highlight] [CCSM] [CISM] [CLM]
Projecting Emperor Penguin Population in a Warming World
"Information from climate models is more reliable on larger spatial and longer temporal scales because of the natural variability that occurs from year-to-year." explains Marika Holland, a co-author of the penguin population study. [highlight] [article] [CCSM]
Publication News
The computational future for climate and Earth system models: on the path to petaflop and beyond
The development of the climate and Earth system models has had a long history, starting with the building of individual atmospheric, ocean, sea ice, land vegetation, biogeochemical, glacial and ecological model components. [article] [abstract]
Predicting 21st-century polar bear habitat distribution from global climate models
Projections of polar bear (Ursus maritimus) sea ice habitat distribution in the polar basin during the 21st century were developed to understand the consequences of anticipated sea ice reductions on polar bear populations. [article] [abstract]
Sensitivity of a model projection of near-surface permafrost degradation to soil column depth and representation of soil organic matter The sensitivity of a global land-surface model projection of near-surface permafrost degradation is assessed with respect to explicit accounting of the thermal and hydrologic properties of soil organic matter and to a deepening of the soil column from 3.5 to 50 or more m. [article] [abstract]
Forests and Climate Change: Forcings, Feedbacks, and the Climate Benefits of Forests The world's forests influence climate through physical, chemical, and biological processes that affect planetary energetics, the hydrologic cycle, and atmospheric composition. These complex and nonlinear forest-atmosphere interactions can dampen or amplify anthropogenic climate change. [abstract] [full text]
Announcements
LMWG Meeting, 02/08/2010
Joint LMWG/BGCWG Meeting, 02/09/2010
BGCWG Meeting, 02/09 - 02/10/2010
AMWG Meeting, 02/10 - 02/12/2010
Joint AMWG/CHCWG Meeting, 02/11/2010
CHCWG Meeting, 02/11 - 02/12/2010
PCWG Meeting, 02/16/2010
Joint PCWG/LIWG Meeting, 02/17/2010
LIWG Meeting, 02/18/2010
WACCM Meeting, 02/22/2010
15th Annual CCSM Workshop
We are pleased to announce that the 15th Annual CCSM Workshop will be held at the Great Divide Lodge in Breckenridge, Colorado the week of 6/28/10.
Community Climate System Modeling Tutorial
The Community Climate System Model (CCSM) project at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) will coordinate a primer on climate modeling this summer, from 12-16 July 2010 in Boulder, Colorado. The focus will be on modeling of the coupled climate system and its major components. [announcement]
CCSM Distinguished Achievement
Gokhan Danabasoglu is the recipient of the 2009 CCSM Distinguished Achievement Award. [more] [related] [Danabasoglu Profile]
User Resources and Support
>> Model Support Policy
>> CCSM Bulletin Board
>> Post-Processing Tools
CCSM Code Download
Version 3.0 of the CCSM is generally available and can be downloaded by visiting CCSM3.0 Public Release.
Access to the CCSM development code base is only appropriate for collaborators who are actively engaged in developing future versions of the CCSM. Access requires a special request. [Distribution Policy]