ASIS:Minutes 08 04 2008

Meeting on ice sheet – climate model coupling Reading, 8th April 2008.

Present: Richard Hindmarsh (BAS), Jonathan Gregory (HC), Tony Payne (CPOM) and Jeff Ridley (HC)

BAS = British Antarctic Survey

CPOM = Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling

HC = Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research

Actions
1.	Coupling should concentrate on using the existing GLIMMER interface, which will allow coupled experiments with HADCM3 and FAMOUS (also HADGEM?) only. In the future, the OASIS/FLUME coupler could be explored depending on developments with GLIMMER (in particular, implementation of nested grids) and wider HC developments.

2.	HC to circulate a specification for the current GLIMMER interface. This document to be extended to include imminent changes, such as need to exchange ocean variables such as temperature (3d arrays) and calculation of surface mass balance on HC tiles (as opposed to current practice of determining mass balance on ice sheet grid).

3.	CPOM to incorporate existing sub-shelf plume model into GLIMMER, along with higher-order stress solver.

4.	HC to obtain update from DEFRA on funding status of PDRA to work on coupling software.

5.	In the event that external funding is required, group to investigate possibility of using NERC Partnership Grants ; HC to sound out DEFRA’s attitude to this and CPOM to inquire whether NERC believe this work is appropriate to the scheme.

6.	Additional funding opportunities include NERC’s theme action plans (in particular, climate plan ).

Minutes provided by Tony Payne