A Fast Atmospheric Chemistry Mechanism for the Community Climate System Model

We have implemented a fast atmospheric chemistry mechanism for ozone, sulfate, and related radical chemistry, into the Community Climate System Model (CCSM). The results agree well with observations for radiatively active species, and it is computationally more than twice as efficient as our state-of-the-art chemistry mechanisms. Comparing simulations with interactive and non-interactive atmospheric chemistry we see some differences in the thermal structure around the sensitive tropopause region, and changes in stratospheric temperature variability. We are now coupling this capability with the biospheric and aerosol-cloud interaction capabilities that are being developed by collaborators for the CCSM model to create an Earth system model to investigate the impact of feedbacks between these components.