DESCRIPTION OF THE CANADIAN REGIONAL CLIMATE MODEL

Simulation of regional climate by limited-area model coupled with glob al low-resolution model is becoming a standard approach to achieve hig h-resolution climate projections at a computationally affordable cost. A regional climate model (RCM) based on a state-of-the-art numerical formulation is under development at the Universite du Quebec a Montrea l. A brief description of this Canadian RCM (CRCM) is given. The chara cteristics of its dynamical formulation and the processes involved in its physical parameterisation are described. Results of a short simula tion show that CRCM develops fine-scale features of climatological int erest.