A new general circulation model for Mars based on the NCAR Community Atmosphere Model

We introduce and present results from a new general circulation model for Mars adapted from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Community Atmosphere Model (CAM) version 3.1 terrestrial model. The radiative transfer has been replaced with a two-stream correlated-k scheme with carbon dioxide gas absorption coefficients suited for Mars. A time-invariant dust field is assumed with a Conrath (Conrath, B.J. [1975]. Icarus 24, 34–46) vertical distribution. Carbon dioxide is allowed to sublimate and condense at the surface, and the mass is removed from the atmosphere. The topography is averaged from MOLA data. The surface albedos and thermal inertias are derived from TES observations. The model is freely distributed to interested users. isons between model temperatures, and spacecraft and Lander observations show agreement within ±10 K, depending on dust concentration. The annual pressure cycle is typically within 20 Pa of Viking Lander observations, however the model underestimates the surface pressure during southern summer, possibly due to increased dust activity that is not reflected in the model. Predicted model boundary layer depths are typically within a few hundred meters of observations, and tend to depend inversely on surface pressure, agreeing with observations.