Integrated and spectral energetics studies of the GLAS general circulation model
Integrated and spectral energetics of the Goddard Laboratory for Atmospheric Sciences (GLAS) general circulation model are compared with observations and examined when subdivided beyond hemispheric integrals. In the monthly mean zonal averages, qualitative improvements are found over previous versions of the model in eddy kinetic energy and barotropic conversions although vertical shear above the subtropical jet remains weak. This paper traces this problem to the erroneous growth of kinetic energy above strong jets, shows that this difficulty is common to all orographic general circulation models, and suggests that this problem has significant effects on upper-level long-wave predictability. In particular, it is considered whether hemispherically integrated kinetic energy or low-wavenumber spectral coefficients retain any skill as the predictability limit. In the time-dependent comparisons, the model shows significant skill in predicting the hemispherically integrated eddy kinetic energy out to two weeks for one of two cases.