For Map-D-PHASE the Canadian Meterological Centre (CMC) is running the Global Environmental Multiscale (GEM) model in limited-area mode. The model is run once-daily directly from operational GEM meso-global forecast data (grid spacing of 33 km). A pair of domains are used for the project with horizontal grid spacings of 15 km and 2.5 km. This inner (high resolution) grid is tightly centered on the MAP D-PHASE project region and is initialized at 0600 UTC from the CMCGEML run. Boundary conditions for the high resolution domain are updated at 15 minute intervals from the low resolution model output. The forecast timestep is 60 seconds and data is available at 15 minute intervals.

No regional analysis or data assimilation cycle is undertaken during this project. All observational data will therefore be ingested only indrectly in the regional setup through the outer grid initialization and hourly boundary updates from the meso-global model.

The GEM model is a semi-implicit, semi-Lagrangian, two time-level, non-hydrostatic model that runs in a wide variety of configurations. An updated version (v3.3.0) of the GEM model is being used for the MAP D-PHASE project in preparation for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games project. This version takes advantage of recent developments designed to enhance the quality of guidance over regions of steeply-sloping orography, including the addition of a 6-category bulk microphysics scheme and time-varying orography over the initialization period.

For more information on

-the GEM model dynamics: see Cote et al (1998) [Mon. Wea. Rev.].

-the model physics package: contact Recherche en Prevision Numerique for the related technical document by Mailhot.

-the model's microphysics scheme: see Milbrandt and Yau (2007) [Mon. Wea. Rev.].

Grid description:

CDOM and DDOM:xinc 0.03 yinc:0.02 xnpole/ynpole:0.0

CDOM:xfirst:6.0 yfirst:47.0 xsize:168.0 ysize:151.0

DDOM:xfirst:2.0 yfirst:43.0 xsize:535.0 ysize:351.0