A global low-order spectral general circulation model. Part II: diagnosis of the seasonal energetics.

Documents the seasonal variation of the atmospheric energy cycle simulated by a low-resolution general circulation model in order to assess the model's strengths and weaknesses and better define its usefulness for future sensitivity studies. The model simulates the observed vertically-integrated energetics of the troposphere reasonably well and the values are comparable to other general circulation models. The major discrepancies in the model simulation of the atmospheric energy cycle are the overestimation of zonal and eddy available potential energy and the conversion between them, an exaggerated semiannual component in the seasonal cycle of eddy available potential energy, a deficiency of eddy kinetic energy at the jet core level, and an underestimation of the transients.-from Author