g Griffies et al , 2009 and Downes et al , 2011), even in terms

g. Griffies et al., 2009 and Downes et al., 2011), even in terms of mean state. Such deviations have, as a matter of fact, important implications for understanding the present climate and its response to anthropogenic forcing. When an OGCM is coupled to other climatic components, in particular an atmospheric model, tuning is an additional issue. Climate

modelling activity at Institut Pierre Simon Laplace (IPSL) has been in constant evolution since the seminal version of the climate model, developed by Braconnot et al. (1997). Recently, IPSL contributed to the 5th Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) by providing data from its latest version of its coupled model, namely the IPSL-CM5A model. Ganetespib purchase As described by Dufresne et al. (2013), this model, more than a single entity, is a platform that combines a consistent suite of models with various degrees of complexity, diverse components and processes, and

different atmospheric resolutions. The aim of the present paper is to detail the formulation of the oceanic component of the climate model developed at IPSL, and to give insights on its evolution from the IPSL-CM4 version (Marti et al., 2010), used for the 3rd Coupled selleckchem Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP3), to IPSL-CM5A (Dufresne et al., 2013), used for the 5th (CMIP5). Both the oceanic and atmospheric components have significantly evolved from IPSL-CM4 to IPSL-CM5A. Amino acid The atmospheric component is the LMDZ model (Hourdin et al., 2006 and Hourdin et al., 2012). The oceanic component of both versions of the coupled model (IPSL-CM4 and IPSL-CM5A) is the global Océan Parallèlisé (OPA) ocean general circulation model (OGCM), which evolved from OPA8 (Madec et al., 1999) to NEMOv3.2 (Madec, 2008). This change of versions has been accompanied by several modifications and physical parameterizations, in particular the inclusion of a partial step formulation of bottom topography and changes in the

vertical mixing scheme. Furthermore, the latest version of the model includes a state-of-the-art biogeochemical component, simulating space and time varying chlorophyll concentrations, namely the Pelagic Interaction Scheme for Carbon and Ecosystem Studies model, hereafter referred as PISCES model (Aumont and Bopp, 2006). Two-way coupling between the physical and biogeochemical components allows the simulated chlorophyll concentrations to interact with optical properties of the ocean modifying in turn the vertical distribution of radiant heating. Several coupled studies (e.g. Lengaigne et al., 2006, Wetzel et al., 2006 and Patara et al., 2012) showed for example that introducing interactive biology acts to warm the surface eastern equatorial Pacific by about 0.5 °C. Slight increase of El Niño Southern Oscillation amplitudes is also suggested (e.g. Lengaigne et al., 2006 and Marzeion et al., 2005).

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