The ECMWF global atmospheric model

• The model equations
• The numerical formulation
• The rationale for high resolution
• Topographical and climatological fields
• The formulation of physical processes
• The land surface model
• The ocean wave model

The atmospheric general circulation model describes the dynamical evolution on the resolved scale and is augmented by the physical parameterisation, describing the mean effect of sub-grid processes and the land-surface model. Coupled to this is an ocean wave model (Bechtold et al, 2008).