Maps of clouds modeled with the IPSL Titan 3D-GCM
Abstract
A new climate model for Titan's atmosphere has been developed at the IPSL. This model uses the current version of the LMDZ General Circulation Model (GCM) dynamical core with the physics part of the 2D Titan's IPSL-GCM. First simulations made at the LMD (Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique) used a version of the model with coupled haze microphysics only. We update the model with the implementation of the clouds microphysics scheme inherited frome the previous 2D version. The model is now fully coupled with clouds processes and is a full 3D extension of the Titan IPSL-GCM ([2], [3]). Currently the model is not optimized and is demanding in term of computational time (approximatively 17 days of execution for one Titan's year simulation) and the model can not be used with its full capacities. Therefore all the microphysics is still computed as zonal averages. Nevertheless, new simulations performed including clouds, shows some encouraging results. The lack of asymmetry of the clouds coverage in the results of the 2D simulations. seems to vanish using the new model which tends to show that dissipation process in the 2D model was too strong. With this new model, we intented to get a better tool to understand Titan's climate and to interpret the large amount of data collected by the probes.
- Publication:
-
EPSC-DPS Joint Meeting 2011
- Pub Date:
- October 2011
- Bibcode:
- 2011epsc.conf.1138B