The CERFACS Climate Modelling and Global Change team was created in 1990 and is since 1998 part of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), as an associated research unit URA1875. The Climate Modelling and Global Change team conducts basic and applied research in the field of climate studies. Our main objective is to make a significant contribution to the understanding and forecasting of the world's environment and climate on regional to global scales. Our strategy strongly relies upon a dual approach based on theoretical and modelling studies as well as on the development of high-level software needed to address the various coupling issues arising in climate science. This is done through coordination and participation in national and international research programs

The ``climate'' group conducts basic and applied research in the field of climate studies. Our main objective is to make a significant contribution to the understanding of the world's climate variability on regional to global scales with the aim to improve climate forecasts as well as impact studies at seasonal-to-decadal time scales. Our strategy is based upon a dual approach based on theoretical and modelling studies as well as on the development of high-level engineering softwares needed to address new issues arising in climate science (coupling software, high-res olution coupled modelling, grid computation, data compression and reduction).

The Ocean data assimilation project is focused on the development of the NEMOVAR system which is becoming the European reference for variational ocean data assimilation. The joint development of algorithmic and scientific topics is one of the main strength of this project.

The Dissemination of data assimilation project is concerned with the development of data assimilation techniques in various fields such as the modelling of nuclear plants or hydrology. An important effort on training is developped for the dissemination of the data assimilation approaches in new fields.

The PALM software project has reached a mature state in which the development of a large purpose dynamic coupler is now feeding a growing number of applications. If the number of data assimilation projects using this tool is still growing, they are about to be outnumbered by other computational fluid dynamics projects.

Each of these activities is endorsed by a specific group or project within the team. The various projects have deep interaction with each other through the existence of specific transverse activities (research projects, PhD thesis, contracts, formation activities ...).

More details about the team history can also be found in the past scientific reports.

High resolution CGCM with ocean zoom on Earth Simulator

A new high resolution climate model including accurate zoom off Peru has been set up on the new NEC SX9 "Earth Simulator" supercomputer. AGRIF technique has been used for the first time at such resolution within the OASIS environment. Better currents representation on this crucial region is expected by JAMSTEC-IPSL researchers.

Geoff Howell distinction for Sophie Valcke

Sophie Valcke, research engineer in the Climate Modelling and Global Change team, has been awarded, with 8 other engineers and researcher from Environment Canada, the 2009 Geoff Howell distinction for innovation from the Meteorological Service of Canada. This distinction rewards the innovating scientific and technical work performed to assemble and validate an operational ocean-atmosphere coupled sytem modelling the Gulf of Saint Lawrence using the OASIS coupler developed at CERFACS.

New batch of project accepted in FP7

COMBINE, Comprehensive modelling of the earth system for better climate prediction and projection Contact: terray@cerfacs.fr,weaver@cerfacs.fr

IS-ENES, Infrastructure for the European network for earth system modelling
Contact: mailto:valcke@cerfacs.fr

Christophe CASSOU's article in "Nature"

Christophe CASSOU is authoring a paper which just appeared in "Nature" (Intraseasonal interaction between the Madden-Julian Oscillation and the North Atlantic Oscillation, Nature, 2008, 523-527). In this paper he documents the nature of the teleconnection between these two phenomena which affect, for the first one, the global tropical belt and, for the second one, the North Atlantic basin. He also discusses how this teleconnection may open new avenues for short-term (monthly) climate prediction.