The objective of this research project is to examine how well the National Center for Atmospheric Research's Community Climate Model treats the planetary distribution of heating in its climate simulations. A series of sophisticated diagnostic tools will be employed by the PI who is a world leader in this kind of research. Proper specification of heating distributions are of great importance in climate modeling and so this research treats a subject primary to advancements in climate understanding and prediction. Heat energy from the sun is received at the earth's surface and within the earth's atmosphere non-uniformly in space, in particular from equator to poles, but also around a latitude circle because of ocean and land distributions. Our weather and climate respond to these distributions in solar heating. In order to successfully simulate and predict climate in computer models one must represent them in terms of heating functions as accurately as possible. For model simulation and prediction of climate this is a necessary first step. It is also a difficult task because of the non-linear interactions between solar radiation and atmospheric moisture and trace gases, surface boundary conditions, and ultimately terrestrial radiation retransmitted to the atmosphere and to space. Research of this kind is key to understanding the climate system.
